Halo Danane! Halo friends and comrades of D-Town!! Halo all near and far who sought refuge or transited in Danane,Ivory Coast!!! Today marks yet another joyous day in the history of this forum and the memory of mankind....
When the very 1st batch of our countrymen on those fateful days in Decemeber 1989 crossed into Ivory Coast;fleeing for their... lives and seeking a save haven.Little did this generation imagined that many would have sought refugee in a very dusty but warmly welcoming town called Danane.Yet,as we unleashed evils and inflicted each others with unspeakable pains and uncurable wounds on the other side of the border,Danane became our home away from home.
Through those years of our sojourn in that lively town,we were blest to have learnt some of the best of those virtues life has got to offered any generation faced and plagued by civil madness of a war.
It shall forever brightens my heart to always celebrate those tough,rough yet meaningful days of our stay in Danane whenever a comrade or former resident out of earnest quest to serve mankind gets recognized!And,it's against this joyous and inspiring backdrop that I chose to present to the world our forum's PRIDE OF THE MONTH,the humble and innovative servant of humanity,the Comrade Leo N.Johnson,the recent winner of the famous Albert Lager Prize for Student Initiative Awards.
The comrade Leo N.Johnson like us all fled our Mother's Land Liberia when anarchy was the other of the day.He dare not stood by and watch human being reduced to mere beastly treatments at the hands of the then self-style 'liberator' Charles Taylor and his bandits.He was and is still an ardent advocate and those days the resting places of youthful and progressive comrade like him were the underground prison cells,the imfaous Gbatala militia infested base,and the many torture and killing fields of Taylor!
With the flames of advocacy burning in his bones yet wanting to be alive to see the tide turned, the witty Leo fled and found solace and hope in Danane and later Budubumram Refugee Settlement,Ghana.
While seeking refuge and being hopelessly hopeful that his chance to fervently serve mankind was surest and nearest than the pessimists thought,he quietly chose to brave the storms,heat,dust,and multiple odds and built his capacity.....
As I have always said and I quote myself; the line that demarcate us winners and champions from the mere contestants is simply that,when they chose to throw in te towel and said 'it's over',we chose to press and push a lil hardest.
When destiny landed Leo into Canada,many comrades chose to yelled ' it's over and mission accomplished';unlikes those colleagues,Leo saw his then newest environment as the stage he has longed and desired for ages......Some walked into success yet others like the hardworking Leo diligently earned it!When other had slept and overslept overtaken by the 'mere triumph' of being resttled to Canada,he was awake visualizing and analytically planning for his best which is yet to come but have sincerely started.
Friends and families of our memorable Danane Days and hopefully eternity,today as I write;our brother,son,friend and source of inspiration LEO N.JOHNSON is our PROUD WINNER OF THE FAMOUS ALBERT LAGER PRIZE FOR STUDENT INITIATIVE AWARD,McMASTER UNIVERSITY,CANADA...
As we as a family,nation and people celebrate our brother's success,a success that is embedded and dedicated to us all;I do beseech you to read the historicity as it relates to the award won by Comrade Leo N.Johnson.It's my fiathful prayers that his accolade will speak to our hearts and reignites the flames of our desires to keep serving mankind in our own meaningful ways!
And,to comrade Leo N.Johnson;we'd celebrate with you and avail our shoulders if you ever needed to stand taller to visualize the farthest......
Compos mentis!
The historicity of the award:
The Albert Lager Prize for Student Initiative Awards is an award designed by the Alumni Association to recognize current students who provide outstanding support, leadership and community involvement/service to their Faculty, Program or to McMaster University.
Award Eligibility
Students:
(a) are being recognized for volunteer service, not a paid position;
(b) have completed a minimum of one full year of volunteer service;
(c) are currently enrolled in full-time or part-time studies at McMaster;
(d) are not a previous recipient of the award, as students are only eligible to receive one Albert Lager Award in their academic career.
The contributions of the nominee should encompass one, or a combination of,
the following:
(a) Significant contributions to their faculty, program or the University and its students;
(b) Improvement of the quality of student life;
(c) Outstanding leadership on committees or university affairs;
(d) Support and service to the McMaster Alumni Association.
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