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GIVING<br />
BACK<br />
June Kuria<br />
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Living in a foreign country is<br />
daunting enough. However<br />
growing up in Eastlands a place<br />
called Umoja “passie” as well as<br />
going to a sisters school was the<br />
best training that I feel prepared<br />
me have patience and a calm<br />
demeanour. I should add that my<br />
mum was very strict. Fast forward<br />
my proudest achievement so far is<br />
bringing up my son to be an outstanding<br />
role model to his peers.<br />
When I go to parents evenings and<br />
all the teachers across the board,<br />
they tell me that he is a pleasure<br />
to teach or when his friends tell<br />
their parents that he is one of the<br />
good boys at school. I give all the<br />
praise to the living God. Yes God is<br />
at the forefront of everything I do.<br />
He is my confidant, my source of<br />
inspiration and my strength.<br />
I would encourage parents to be<br />
actively involved in their child’s<br />
school boards like the PTA. Their<br />
aim is to help out the school<br />
where your children go to and you<br />
get to have that warm rapport<br />
with the teachers and the head<br />
teacher. You also get to meet and<br />
make friendships with people you<br />
would not have crossed paths with<br />
would you have just dropped your<br />
children and picked them up at<br />
the school gate. I got nominated<br />
to be a Foundation Governor at my<br />
son’s school. I also got nominated<br />
to be on PCC ( Parochial Church<br />
Council) at my place of worship St<br />
James Church for 1yr which was<br />
a good experience to know how<br />
the church operates and recruits<br />
vicars.<br />
As if that was not enough, I volunteered<br />
with a local charity<br />
Queens Park Community Orchard<br />
where we plant trees and fruits to<br />
benefit the local residents.<br />
My colleague at work invited me<br />
to a rugby charity event where<br />
the Wooden Spoon had arranged<br />
rugby amateurs to play a 7s match<br />
and the proceeds raised money<br />
to disadvantaged children in<br />
Bedfordshire. My colleague gave<br />
me a bucket to go round and<br />
ask for donations I raised a lot of<br />
money and they couldn’t let me<br />
go without asking me to join their<br />
committee.<br />
I set up my second “baby”<br />
Bedfordshire Community Awards<br />
which was inspired at one of Tibbs<br />
Dementia Foundation groups<br />
Music 4 memory. I asked people<br />
to nominate someone who was<br />
going above and beyond to help<br />
others at this point the then Local<br />
MP Richard Fuller would attend<br />
any event I invited him to and he<br />
introduced me to the High Sheriff<br />
of Bedfordshire and like they say<br />
the rest is history. Between them<br />
they agreed to present these<br />
awards which my friend and I paid<br />
52<br />
4THEDITION<br />
|JULY 2019
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