Background (What we’ve learned)
Bexley Middle School has a friend who is a former “Lost Boy of Sudan.” The Lost Boys of Sudan are a group of thousands of boys that fled their home in Sudan in the 1980’s and went on a journey across 1500 miles to Kenya. The Lost Boy we know is named Bol Aweng. Bol was tending cattle in his village when war came. It was the Sudanese government, attacking his village of Piol. Bol was forced to flee his village at age 6, not knowing the whereabouts of his family or even if they were alive. He crossed over deserts barefoot, carrying water and supplies. Sometimes lions would try to attack the boys, and they had to climb trees to escape. Though the trees would protect Bol and the other boys from the lions, there were other dangerous animals like snakes that awaited them. After a hard journey, Bol arrived in a refugee camp in Ethiopia. He stayed there for a while until all refugee camps were closed due to the collapse of the Ethiopian government and had to travel to another refugee camp in Kenya. Then, the boys started hearing rumors that the United States were taking boys in as refugees. The rumors were true, and after 14 years of staying in refugee camps, Bol finally made it to the USA. He worked hard and managed to graduate from OSU in 2009. He is now married with five children, and he works as an artist, painting about his memories from his life in Africa. He is a great inspiration to us all.
Even though Bol is living happily in the United
States, he did not forget about his friends and family still suffering in South
Sudan. Bol decided that healthcare was the biggest problem and tried his best
to solve it. Bol and his friends started the Buckeye Clinic in Piol, South
Sudan (www.buckeyeclinic.org). They have raised over $500,000 already and the Clinic
has saved over 1,000 lives through vaccinations and medical and maternity care.
BMS has raised over $46,000 for the Clinic already, and we are looking to raise
that number to $53,000 with a goal of $7,000 to be donated this year. Multiple
fundraisers will contribute to obtaining this sum of money.
Fundraisers
Kids are encouraged to bring in money for “Battle of the Buckets”, a competition where class periods compete to donate the most money. Your 7th graders will also be participating in an
auction on April 26th in their Social Studies classes. Your student
will contribute by bringing in their earned money to purchase something or by donating
items to be auctioned off. On May 10th, the school will
be holding a Pie in the Face event! On May 24th, the school will
be having two fundraisers: the 3K Fun Run and a student-run Carnival during the
school day. We are also having fundraiser nights at Chipotle (May 11th)
and Piada (April, 30th)-more info. to come.
100% of the money collected will go to the people
suffering in South Sudan through the BuckeyeClinic.org non-profit. Please visit
their website for more information. BMS is hoping to pay for part of the
salaries for the medical staff at the clinic and for another shipment of food.
Shipments of food feed 1,100 people and consist of foods like sugar, rice, and
beans. You can support your children by helping them with their
projects, if needed, and by donating to our cause!
Any questions, please email [email protected].
Here is a website created by one student about our project
Sincerely,
Bexley Middle School Students