Inaugural Global Citizen Dinner on Dec. 7 in honor of Garang Buk Buk a rousing success
The Haddonfield Education Association held its inaugural Global Citizen Dinner on Friday, Dec. 7, at First Presbyterian Church, and raised more than $20,000 to fund the educational pursuits of Sudanese native Garang Buk Buk Piol.
Hosted by Friends of Garang and South Sudan, the program featured dinner, musical performances and a panel discussion centered around what it means to be a global citizen, and what citizens can do now as well as beyond the holiday season, to celebrate community and diversity.
The panel featured Dr. Hilary King, Sustainable Development Fellow from Emory University and Garang’s advisor, along with Haddonfield Memorial High School seniors Wayden Ay, Kathleen Lee, Mo Jishi, Natalie Naticchia, Yaodong Yu and HMHS English teacher Kimberly Dickstein. In addition, Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt provided opening remarks and Mayor Neal Rochford read a proclamation in Garang’s honor.
The HMHS class of 2021 proved to be the largest benefactor, presenting Garang at the end of the night with a donation from its Spirit Week fundraising of $10,215 which will be used for his second-semester tuition payment. The dinner itself raised $10,635, bringing the total bank on the evening to $20,850.
Capping off the night was a celebration of Garang’s 40th birthday, complete with a specially-made birthday cake and lit candles that seemed to brighten what many consider to be Garang’s distinctive smile.
“He has the most unforgettable smile. When he smiles, everyone in the room knows. I think he was so appreciative that so many people were willing to listen to him on the panel. It’s so healthy for him to talk about it especially with the people like us. He couldn’t have said ‘thank you’ more. It’s humbling to me how appreciative he is,” said Naticchia, who is expected to attend Davidson College in the fall.
Though Garang has formed a deep connection with Haddonfield over the last several months, sometimes survival and happiness depend on finding others who have lived in the same manner. Also in attendance at the dinner were fellow students who hailed from his part of the world.
“What was also special about the event, is we had a group of individuals from the Urban Promise Fellows who are also sponsored to complete their master’s degrees at Eastern University attend, from Kenya, Uganda and Malawi. That was wonderful for Garang to connect with individuals seeking the same goal,” Dickstein said.
Dickstein, along with her students, affectionately dubbed The Five by Garang, have been deeply involved in becoming global citizens through their combined work to fund his educational pursuits in the United States.
All were invited to attend the annual meeting of the Carter Center Board of Councilors, which took place in Atlanta on Sept. 12, because of the efforts of the group to get him to Emory to further his education.
“Garang, from the very beginning has been very humble. You can always see that he’s putting others before himself. Always thinking about South Sudan, in a greater picture than what he can accomplish by himself,” Jishi admitted. “He’s at Emory because he wants to help South Sudan, not because he wants to live in America. He’s one of the most selfless people I’ve met in my life.”
Garang was a victim of armed conflict in South Sudan and a former Carter Center Guinea worm eradication program officer. He was accepted to Emory’s master’s in Development Practice program and began his studies in September. Scholarships were able to cover most of his tuition, but to get a U.S. visa, he would have to prove he has the resources to financially support himself in Atlanta — which he didn’t.
Dickstein started a GoFundMe campaign in June, inviting interested students to help with the advocacy campaign. Team Garang came together this summer, and raised $21,000 in only three weeks by canvassing door-to-door in Haddonfield. Since the response from the Haddonfield community was so positive in the initial stages of the campaign, Dickstein and her students made a public presentation at the board of education’s Sept. 27 meeting that aimed to raise additional awareness in the community.
Garang then made a personal appearance to meet his benefactors during a four-day trip to the borough in early October, which included an assembly at the high school informing students about his life, his work and his educational goals.
“He’s worked so hard, and just the fact that we know he’s going to fulfill his expectations and do everything he can is also really cool. One day, he’ll be there and we’ll be here, which is sad to think about now but a part of us will always be with him there and a part of him will always be here with us. That’s the kind of impact he’s had,” noted Ay, who is expected to attend Georgetown University in the fall.
Now that the initial steps of getting Garang to Emory and keeping him there for the first year have passed, Dickstein and her students are focusing on what lies directly ahead.
“What’s next is thinking about the following year. Garang is applying for scholarships but if that does not come through then we also need to think about that whole second year. Our hope is that he comes back for the students’ graduation. He’ll be back in East Africa for the summer, since he has a 10-week internship that he must complete. Hopefully that happens after their graduation, if not the hope is we’ll be able to get him up in the spring one more time to visit the school and see the students before they graduate.”
If anyone wishes to donate, Garang’s GoFundMe is still active and can be found at www.gofundme.com/get-garang-to-emory.
