Solomon is 24 years old and graduated on April 13, 2019, with Diplomas in Computers and Hotel Management. He was hired as a non-contracted employee about a week before he graduated. I interviewed him on Messenger on July 12 to see how work was going for the first 90 days.
Heather: Are you ready to share how your job is going?
Solomon: I am getting very interested and comfortable with my job. The beginning was very hard because I never had much experience, but now am serving as a night auditor.
Heather: Are they paying you?
Solomon on Graduation Day
Solomon: Yes. They are paying me but am not really happy with what they are giving me. However, to be real I am getting a lot of experience.
Heather: Did your courses at UDS help with learning this job?
Solomon: Yes, everything I am doing at work is what I got from my study at UDS.
Heather: What are your future hopes in this career?
Solomon: My future hope is to become a manager of one of the best hotels in our Liberia.
Heather: What was your educational background before UDS?
Solomon: I’m a high school graduate. I went to college for two semesters for a computer programming degree and drop out because I couldn’t afford it.
Heather: Has UDS prepared you to meet your future goals?
Solomon: So true, I strongly believe that we from UDS are very qualified and we can do better from what I experienced.
Solomon in his uniform
Solomon works a foreign-owned guest house about 10 minutes from our center. Although they have not offered him a permanent employment contract, he is able to support his family for now.
Thank you for giving Solomon the chance to learn two trades in our center and start his career in hotel management!
You are moving mountains with your heartwarming generosity! You made #GivingTuesday a remarkable success. Not only did you help unlock the matching gift of $500, but you raised another $320. In other words, you raised $1,320 (24%) towards our $5,500 goal.
It gets even better! One of our fabulous board members, Miriam Monono, started a fundraiser for UDS on Facebook, sponsored by the Network for Good, to raise a $1,000 that will be matched dollar for dollar by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Facebook is waiving the fees to make your online donations. Six donors raised $215 within the first three days. You can double your generous gift by clicking on this link and the blue Donate button as shown in the screen shot below. This fundraiser is in conjunction with our year-end campaign. Your holiday gift-giving for children & youth in Liberia can have a greater impact when it is doubled…raise a $1,000 to give $2,000 to provide educational and vocational training resources for children & youth in Liberia.
Also, we hope to see you this Thursday (December 8, 2016) at Ten Thousand Villages for their charitable event on Uniting Distant Stars’ behalf. Please stop by between 5PM and 8PM to shop for fabulous gifts, enjoy a treat on us, and learn more about our programs. For all in-store shopping during this event, UDS will receive a percentage; 10% of sales up to $150 and 20%, if sales total more than $150. The store is located at 520 Selby Ave, St. Paul, MN 55102.
Finally, this post will close with a simple prayer request. Our team in Liberia has recruited 120 students for our January vocational training courses with a third signed up for computer training course. We have one young man, who signed up for the masonry course. Each course needs at least 10 students to offer it. He was given the option to select another one. He declined and said, “this his heart’s desire”. How can we refuse someone’s dream? So we ask for your prayers to help us recruit nine other students who share this young man’s passion.
You are celebrated for making everything STARtacular for children & youth in Liberia!!!
The end of 2016 is a few weeks away, and your faithful support this year has benefited the lives of hundreds of children and youth participating in Uniting Distant Stars (UDS) programs. Your generosity is so appreciated by these young people. One of our auto mechanic students, George Cooper, recently shared how he considers you a member of the UDS family. (Read more about George in our 2014 Annual Report).
This post is dedicated to identifying the many ways you can Give, Heal, Shop, and Make a Difference for children and youth as part of end-of-year giving plan.
Give to our Tools for Success: Books, Computers & Sewing Machines campaign. There is still an opportunity to double your impact by donating and unlocking our matching gift. Your donation is tax-deductible and provides the resources students need the most to achieve their educational and vocational training goals.
Your fabulous gift will add more books to our library (left), additional computers for our lab (center) & sewing machines for our training program (right).
Heal and reduce holiday stress at True Sanctuary‘s Candlelight Healing Sessions & Sound Bath for Charity on December 3, from 6 to 8PM atHealing Elements (2290 ComoAve, St Paul, MN 55108). All proceeds from this charitable event will be sharedby three youth-focused organizations: YouthLink, Patacala & Uniting Distant Stars. Please visit the Candlelight Healing Sessions & Sound Bath for Charity Event Facebook Page to review the list of healing services and register for your 30-minute session today.
Shop at AmazonSmile for all your Christmas, Chanukah (Hanukkah), and Holiday Celebration necessities. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Uniting Distant Stars Inc.
Shop at our Ten Thousand Villages Eventin St. Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday, December 8, 2016, from 5PM to 8PM. Please visit us at 520 Selby Ave, St. Paul, MN 55102 to shop and enjoy some tasty treats.
Make a Difference in a young person’s life this holiday season; your gift can be an everlasting treasure to them.
Thank you for the generosity of your heart; the children and youth of Uniting Distant Stars appreciate you beyond measure!
You are the reason behind all our successes this year. We celebrate your gracious efforts everyday. Liberian children & youth are happy because of your generous heart!
Spreading the news: Uniting Distant Stars Co-Founder & Country Director, Kelvin Fomba, was interviewed on United Methodist Radio 98.7 FM in Liberia on Friday 11/11/16. He was accompanied by two of our youth leaders Roseline Sonday & Patrick Junusa Jr. and shared on what we accomplished with your help and where you will take us next.
Left to Right: Kelvin’s interview at radio station; Patrick at his college graduation earlier this year; & Roseline wearing one of the backpacks she helped make.
Today, a local artist painted the UDS logo on our new center. Adding our brand to our building is another way to spread the news about your unyielding support of Liberian children & youth.
Your generosity is making a different for children & youth in Liberia.
Save the date: Thank you for being a valued part of the Uniting Distant Stars Community.
Each year, generous Star Supporters like you celebrate Give to the Max Day by making your online donation on GiveMN.org. Your generosity on this makes a difference far beyond the 24-hour giving event.
Your generosity on Give to the Max Day will provide Liberian children & youth with the “Tools for Success“. Thank you!
Please join us on November 17, 2016, for Give to the Max Day and help us continue to change lives through providing education & vocational training.
Your donation on Give to the Max Day also may help UDS receive an additional donation of $1,000. How? On November 17, every gift made on GiveMN.org will be entered into an hourly drawing for a $1,000 GiveMN Golden Ticket to be awarded to a non-profit organization. Your gift of $10 or more could instantly turn into an $1,000!
And, here’s the really exciting part: Two donations made on GiveMN.org during the Give to the Max Day campaign will be randomly selected to receive a $10,000 Super-Sized GiveMN Golden Ticket!
The more gifts we generate on GiveMN.org during Give to the Max Day, the more our chances increase to receive that additional 10,000 donation. Image what we could do with $10,000 to help children & youth in Liberia.
Our goal is to raise $5,500, and you can help us reach it!
Your generous gift will buy additional copies of books for our library, 12 more used computers for our lab, and 8 sewing machines for our training program. These are the “Tools for Success” needed for Liberia’s children & youth to get the upper hand in developing knowledge and skills.
Your fabulous gift will add more books to our library (left), additional computers for our lab (center) & sewing machines for our training program (right).
Be sure to mark your calendar and make your gift on November 17 by visiting our campaign page “Tools for Success: Books, Computers, & Sewing Machines” at GiveMN.org.
