Monrovia – Joyce Woods, a graduate of the African Methodist Episcopal University who got sick and later turned visually impaired, could not hold back her smiles when the leadership of the African Methodist Episcopal University Alumni Association visited her residence recently.
The leadership identified with Woods by giving some words of encouragement and then presented a purse to her.
“I appreciate it a whole lot. The thought is what matters. It does not matter how much it is –but just the thought to say let’s think about our member who is down, that got the problem, let go and find her and all of that,” Woods said after receiving the envelope at her resident on Saturday in Du Port Road, Paynesville.
“Sometimes, in our situation, people tend to forget us because we are no longer an asset to society. So, just the thought, I appreciate it a whole lot.”
Emmanuel Tieh Delamy, president of the Alumni association, said the association has embarked on an initiative to assist alumni members that are “sick and economically challenged”.
The leadership of the AMEUAA also visited the homes of Baysah Sorsor, Tarrion Togba, Papee J. Clem Wright, Isaac Hinneh, and Mannoh Martin Kabah – they are either ill or economically challenged.
Speaking with FrontPageAfrica after the tour over the weekend, the president of AMEUAA, who took over the leadership in November 2019, stressed that it is the Assocition’s responsibility to seek the welfare of its members.
He said although most of the association’s plans have been disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic, since March, the Association has launched a dollar rally campaign to help members and students.
“We said since we are in the COVID-19 period, lots of our members are out of jobs and some of them are sick and there’s a need that we reach out to them. Today, we were able to give some cash donation out to our members,” he said.
Delamy disclosed that through the collaboration with the Association’s USA chapter, cash and rice were donated to some instructors as part of the organization’s COVID-19 package.
“We gave cash and rice to some of the Instructional [staff at] junior level and the middle-income staffers because they are the backbones of the University and it is good that we show our motivation to them,” Delamy said.
“After the first 20 students benefited from the alumni scholarship Last year. This semester, additional 21 persons have benefitted from the alumni financial aid under Dr. Louise C. York endowment funds.”
He disclosed that in November, the AMEUAA will hold its homecoming program which will will coincide with the opening of the association’s office on the University campus.
“We have decided to spice it up with the selling of our t-shirts, caps, and other items to be able to generate funds to seek the welfare of our members. Also, we will.be launching a development series and mentorship program for current students of the university,” he said.
“We have found out that our university environment has turned out to be a political space. So, what we have tried to do in that regard is to make sure that we start getting people ready for the job markets. So, the mentorship will get students ready for the jobs”.