International UDS Board Meeting

International UDS Board Meeting

This morning, an international UDS board meeting was held. Kelvin Fomba, along with Godfrey Solomon and Roseline Sonday shared the successes as well as the current obstacles at hand in Liberia with board UDS members on the American end (via Google Hangout).

Kelvin brought to our attention the need for more materials for some of our vocational training courses like Cosmetology and Plumbing/Electricity. Some of the skills being taught, like braiding in Cosmetology, require specialized tools (i.e. mannequin heads) in order to best teach the techniques at hand. Because more and more students have been enrolling in these courses, a need has developed for more training supplies. Though these are real concerns to address, we are also so thrilled for the growth UDS has experienced in such a short time! There was talk of shipping donated supplies from the U.S. to Liberia, but due to the risks associated with trans-Atlantic shipping, and cost of transport, we are now turning our focus toward fundraising efforts on the U.S. side. Then, the materials can be bought in Liberia, which also benefits the local economy.

There are some youth in Liberia that are interested in taking classes at UDS, but who cannot afford the $75 registration fee associated (this includes $20 for the uniform and ID, as well as the cost for basic teaching materials). On a situation to situation basis, Kelvin has been accepting some of these youth anyway, and has had them doing volunteer work (such as janitorial and security) to compensate for the cost of their classes. We hope our fundraising efforts, which are currently being constructed, will help to resolve this matter as well.

Below are photos from today’s meeting:


Cynthia Asante (far left), Kelvin Fomba with Godfrey Solomon and Roseline Sonday (middle), and Anna Bertch (far right) all called in via Google Hangout.


Adam Pederson (far left), Miriam Monono (middle left), Philip Kaleewoun II (middle right), Dianne Anastos (far right), and Heather Cannon-Winkleman (not pictured) met in Minnesota.

We thank you for being our Star Supporter; it’s an honor to have you walk this journey right along with us!

Gratefully,

Anna Bertch, Youth Board Member

Calling for Volunteers for Taste of Liberia and Taking Applications for New Board Members

Calling for Volunteers for Taste of Liberia and Taking Applications for New Board Members

Volunteers Needed:

Uniting Distant Stars (UDS) is a non-profit sponsor of the 1st Annual Taste of Liberia on July 26 at The Lodge (Stage 81), Robbinsdale Town Center at 4080 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55442. UDS will have a booth at the event and we hope you will stop by to learn more about our programs in Liberia.

In gearing up for this big event, we are seeking volunteers in the following three areas:

  1. Event Planning Committee: prepare promotional items for UDS booth.
  2. Booth Volunteers: work at both in two-hour shifts from 1PM to 9PM.
  3. Clean-up Team: Need two volunteers to help clean-up site at the close of the event.

If you are interested in helping, please complete our volunteer form and you will be contacted by our planning committee chair Florkime Paye.

Board Member Posting: 

Uniting Distant Stars is looking for global-minded individuals, who are interested in helping us fulfill our organization’s mission to inspire and support youth. Since we are a growing organization, this is a working board, and board members are expected to assist in developing our operational capacity, outreach opportunities, fundraising and general promotion of UDS. We are seeking to add three more board members, who are based in Twin Cities Metro in Minnesota.

If you are interested in applying, please go to volunteer board member job posting at Minnesota Council of Nonprofits for more details. This posting closes on July 28, 2015.

Please contact us at [email protected], if you need more information about either opportunity.