Bill Roger: Liberian Track Star

                                                                      

The name Bill Roger came across my desk through a neutral friend, Mrs. Junda Morris-Kennedy. She said, “You have to blog about Bill Roger.”  I contacted Mr. Roger immediately and the moment words started falling out of his mouth, I became mesmerized by his drive.  Mr. Roger had just got off the phone with some folks in London, doing an interview with them, when he got my call.  He was excited to talk about his hopes and dreams.  “I’m in Austin Texas right now, getting ready to host an event for the kids. After that, my focus will be on my trip to Liberia for this event I will be hosting there.”

Mr. Bill Roger is going to Liberia in December to host a Sport for Peace event and his Never Let a Drop of Water Go to Waste gala.

             

 

For those who haven’t heard of Bill Roger, he is a Liberian track star.  He graduated El Paso Community College in El Paso, Texas and Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Bill competed in the 1500m dash in the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics in Debrecen, Hungary in July, 2001.  He currently holds the Liberia national record for the 1500m.  He ran a 4:01.56 for the Liberian record in Cotonou, Benin on 27 June 2004.

Bill started off running from Broad St through Sinkor, to ELWA junction to Red Light, to Freeport and back to Broad St, a route he ran every morning until he was discovered. “I ran every morning and when I got home after the run, there won’t be any food to eat but someone would always give me a cup of water to drink.  While running, people would inspire me by wasting water on me to cool me down.”

 

 

                                                    

Bill Roger taking a walk with Hollywood movie star and TV host Dar Dixon

 

  In 2011, Bill Roger returned to Liberia to run the first marathon, and was awarded by the president and Lone Star Company.  “The award was inspiring to me and the young children in Liberia.  That led to a tour I took throughout Liberia, visiting the villages.  I saw a lot of kids naked, I was carrying a bottle of water in my hands and I started sharing the water with the kids until it ran out and the kids fought over the empty bottle.  I asked them to take me where they got their drinking water, it was dirty and I was like, wow.  After I returned to the States, I knew it was time to step up and help the kids of our country.  MY foundation was registered on my birthday as a birthday gift, September 30. I visited the Liberian embassy in Washington DC, they empowered me with a pin to go to Liberia and help the children and the government.”  Bill Roger left his job to focus on working with the kids of Liberia.  He said to me, “I don’t sleep.”  That is something we share in common, the idea that successful people don’t sleep. We may take a nap and get some rest but sleeping is not an option, there’s too much that needs our attention.

 

The Foundation is pleased to kick off this achievement with a major event in Monrovia, Liberia this December. It will be the “Never Let A Drop of Water Go To Waste Gala” In Liberia, and it will feature celebrities, athletes, musicians, speakers, and leaders from my home country. Most importantly, it will include local youth whom have been recognized as excellent academic and athletic community leaders.

“Never Let a Drop of Water Go to Waste” In Liberia will begin on December 13th, 2013 with youth soccer and basketball tournament featuring local high school teams in Monrovia. The “Sports for Peace” youth tournament, hosted by BRYF, will help student athletes from our targeted impoverished communities to raise local sponsorships to cover the costs of their educational supplies, school uniforms, and school fees. The winning team of the sports tournament will have their high school awarded the BRYF project's FIRST water well and pump in Liberia!! We are also awarding this same team's high school a public restroom facility!!

To make this phase of the drinking water project a success, Mr. Roger is asking all the BRYF community of friends and supporters for help! He need to lead a BRYF Mission Team to travel to Liberia in order to:

1. Visit the possible locations of water well and pump sites to finalize the selected location sites. 2. Outreach to the local residents. Seek local support for our water project and to raise public awareness of the BRYF and our future humanitarian and development projects.

3. Establish reputable and reliable local firms to install the first phase of water stations.

4. Manage the implementation of an educational seminar for local children and adults to demonstrate safe water hygiene practices as well as water pump operation and maintenance at selected sites to prepare local residents for installation.

5. To successfully manage and operate the “Never Let a Drop of Water Go To Waste” In Liberia Gala, and the “Sports For Peace” Youth Tournament in conjunction with the local BRYF team.

They are also reaching out for help with securing the location of the “Never Let a Drop Go To Waste” In Liberia Gala, as well as the establishment of the public toilet facility at the local high school.

Your help so far has already made clean running water a close reality for the children. Please join him and the BRYF family in seeing what they started, through to the finish! They understand that with the holidays approaching and also with school and family demands, it may be challenging for you to do a lot. That is why they are simply having faith in the strength in their numbers and asking specifically for a small one-time donation from you. They are asking you to contribute$15, $25, or $35 to help us see the reality of children being free from the suffering from thirst.

Sports for peace: They also need sports items donation to help us inspire children during the sporting activities, as the objective is to inspire talent through sports and promote education for children. As they believe sport is one of the best therapeutics means to reduce stress from children who had experience trauma during a 14 years civil crisis in Liberia. They have invited 20 local High schools U 6-17 years of age from various communities in Liberia. The supporters can also sponsor a team by donating soccer equipment such as balls, jerseys, T-shirts, soccer boot, bags, sockets, proctors and warn up gears as well as water battles including the basketball and, track and field equipment and gears.

You can also personalize it by writing your name or business on the jerseys, Remember to add BRYF

Those who donate at the $35 level will receive a personal message of gratitude from a child who directly benefits from our efforts, on Christmas Eve. Simply go to the BRYF website http://billrogersyouthfoundation.org/get-involved/donate/ and make your donation today (Please send an e-mail to me at: brogers985@gmail.com once you have made your donation to confirm your commitment level, and for your personalized gratitude request.

 

·        

·                                                                                   

 

The inspiring team of Bill Roger Youth Foundation:  Dr. Grace Dinkins 3times Liberian Olympian, actor Dar Dixon, actress Danzleigh Abernathy...u can research them. Magic Johnson and son Andre Johnson, retired IBM boss dr. Allen Johnson, Pamela Johnson, coach carter who made the basketball movie with knockoff gym.

·