Archive for September, 2010

This news article was taken from the Gross Pointe News, September 2, 2010.

Retired Pierce Middle School teacher Sue Ozar was honored by the National Retired Teachers Association: AARP’s Educator Community with an NRTA With Our Youth international outreach award.

Recipients were chosen for outstanding service to youth in the state, local and individual categories by an independent selection panel. Ozar was the only 2010 recipient for the individual category.

The former educator spend three years in Kenya working as a teacher and counselor in a village for abandoned and orphaned children. Upon returning to the U.S., Ozar and her husband formed Friends of Kenyan Orphans and raised $500,000 for the village of Meru. They then took a group of school teachers, physicians and nurses to Kenya to provide much-needed services to the students. They also arranged for a scholarship to Chestnut Hill College in Pennsylvania for a graduate of the school.

Current donations are helping expand the St. Clare Center in Meru, a home for 250 orphaned girls.

Recently Friends of Kenyan Orphans has received donations from US children, the following are their words. 

‘I am 8 years old, my name is BO. Last night I heard Father Riwa speak at my church in Iowa. Here is $2.00 to buy something for the children.”

“My name is Jessica. I am 16 years old. Sister Kathryn has shared how God is leading her to work with the children at St Clare. I want to sponsor a girl at St Clare so each month my Mom will send $40 because I don’t have a check book. I will repay her the money each month. I’m so excited to see the pictures and correspond with a child.”

Grosse Pointe Times (MI)

Retired GP teacher honored for charity work in Kenya
ROBIN RUEHLEN C & G Staff Writer
Published: September 2, 2010
GROSSE POINTE – A retired Pierce Middle School teacher was to be honored for her work with orphaned and abandoned children in Kenya at a special ceremony this week. From 2007-09, Sue Ozar and her husband, Bud, of Grosse Pointe worked as teachers and counselors for orphaned children in povertystricken Meru, Kenya. Ozar said when she and her husband retired in 2001, they knew they wanted to work in developing countries helping the poor. Through an organization based in Los Angeles, the couple first spent three years of their retirement working in Samoa. “We came home to reconnect with our children and grandchildren, and eventually decided we wanted to continue with our work, so we were then sent to Kenya,” Ozar said. In a country overflowing with street children who have lost their parents to disease or violence, the Ozars worked at The Children’s Village to provide every child they could with food, shelter and K-12 schooling. The orphanage also works to rehabilitate children from the dangerous habits of the streets, including substance abuse.

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My name is Jedidah Nkama. My father died when I was very young. Our relatives, aunts and uncles came and took everything in our home and therefore we remained without anything. Me and my sister we didn’t have food, cloth and we did not have a place to call our home.

Due to all problems, I decided to go in streets and start begging for money and food. I was a street child for a long time until when I met a Catholic Priest Father Francis Riwa who took me to his school where I am till now.

On September 1, the 3 million member National Retired Teachers Association, a division of AARP, awarded their international award to Sue Ozar, the president of Friends of Kenyan Orphans.  Sue is pictured here receiving the award for her work with and for the orphaned and abandoned children in Kenya. The selection was made at the AARP headquarters in Washington DC and but awarded to Sue in Michigan by the local chapter.