THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH

Selflessness – The Art of Giving to Others Unknown
The 82 cents Question?

“Faith to me is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”

           His Excellency, the Ambassador of Ghana to the United States Dr. Kwame Bawuah Edusei and Mrs. Evangeline Bawuah Edusei; Mr. Chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Tuffuor and Mrs. Tuffuor;       Nananom; Honorable Ms. Mary Damuah – Chairperson C.O.G.A.; Special Guest and Patrons, Ghanamma; Krobeamma, I welcome all of you to our 5th Annual Fundraising Dinner Dance on behalf of the Executive body, Nana Agyenim Boateng (Asantefuohemaa), the Council of Elders and the entire membership of the Asante Association of the Washington Metro Area.
            I will like to extend my gratitude to the Entertainment Committee and the Executives and members who worked tirelessly to stage the grand event.
            My friends, the Asante Association has had a good year. Our Membership has not only grown in numbers but the quality of the members has significantly improved. A major milestone among others has been the successful launch of our scholarship fund. It has awarded 10 senior secondary students full scholarships for the next four years at a committed cost of $12,000 (twelve thousand dollars). I want to thank all our supporters in the past years. You all made this possible. – intro.

            Ghanamma, what is the rational for the 82 cents? 50 cents is a famous hip hop artist – I enjoy some of his music. This, however, is not about music. It is about the daily cost of sacrifice to sponsor a needy and deserving high school student for a year in Ghana. It is about creating opportunities for those good students who otherwise drop out of school. It is about the bottled WATER or the bottled SODA or the cheeseburger on the dollar menu you see in the program book – P.A.D (Personal Acts of Defiance) My message from this bottle is simple.

            I committed 12 months ago to put 3 dollars a day in this bottle till I could raise $1,000.00 dollars before this event. I want to tell you that I did it. I present the $1,000.00 dollars to the Education Fund. I further pledge an additional $3,000.00 to the Education Fund for the next three years. I do not have the three thousand dollars but I believe that my God will bless me with three dollars every day to make this possible.

            Most of us here as immigrants have and continue to pay the ultimate immigrant price. That is sacrificing all of you for the success of your children and the family back home.

            I want to suggest to you tonight that we cannot stop there.
            Ghanamma,! Krobeamma! We cannot wait for tomorrow for destiny to find us,
            Ghanamma, we cannot wait for our Government to provide for all.
            Ghanamma, we cannot sacrifice a whole generation because of our own inaction or the lack thereof.
            Krobeamma, we must do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
            We must do these things because it is our social and moral responsibility to the less fortunate in our land. We do it well when there is a birth and a death. Let us do it just as well for the living.
            Krobeamma, dreams are NOT the sole right of the children of the rich and privileged.
            Dreams do not live in only the big cities and towns – they live in villages too. We must allow our children to see brighter stars than we have seen.
            Ghanamma, the seeds of greatness must be allowed to sprout to become GIANT EBONY trees of beauty and strength in our society. Together, we must work towards this human charity of love by doing for OTHER and not just for SELF.
            Krobeamma, I must remind you that man’s desire to be free is universal –RICH or POOR – it is the greatest madness of the all. I was once a child and I marveled at the aero-planes in the skies and the sleeper trains at the central rail stations and I left my imaginations travel with them to lands I was yet to know – They were blissful. The poor and the disadvantages children should have the opportunity to dream dreams of possibilities yet to come for generations yet unborn.
            Ghanamma, we must work together to help our brothers and sisters who find themselves in a hole with a spade –what do they need is a rope to come out – what they need is your 82 cents commitment.
            Ghanamma, we must rise up as a nation to take our place in the new evolving world of globalization. We must take our place at the table of ‘EQUALS,’ not just with ‘KNIVES,’ but with our ‘FORKS’ and ‘SPOONS’ and all the accoutrements of engagement.
            In this vain, we must, together, sacrifice selflessly with our 82 cents to help sponsor a child so they may see the brighter stars yet to come. We must make someone become a NURSE; TEACHER; DOCTOR; SCIENTIST; COMMERCIAL FARMER OR EVEN A PRESIDENT. We must make SOMEBODY out of ‘somebody.’
            I promise you my friends, take a change with your 82 cents and the children will make us proud as a people. There is nothing more rewarding to the human than the GIVING of SELF to OTHERS.
            Ghanamma – “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” My friends, you and I must have faith in the ‘MIRACLES’ waiting to be uplifted with the opportunity you offer with the SELFLESS ACTS of giving.
            KROBEA ASANTE! YE RE BO HO BAN!
            GOD BLESS YOU AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE EVENING.
A Kofi Afful – President, Asante Association of Washington Metro Area