Dear Former Students and Friends of Ganta Mission:

This is to remind most of us and to inform those who have not heard about the new Dr. George W. Harley Hospital which is under construction in Ganta.

Bishop John Innis and the Liberia Annual Conference have decided to build a new 100-bed hospital in Ganta. The old hospital will be used for administration, a nursing school and an outpatient clinic.

The Bishop asked me to Chair an Ad Hoc Committee to help raise funds to support the construction of the new hospital in Ganta. The Bishop joined us in a teleconference and was able to explain the project and answer questions from members of the Association. He was not able to join us for the Alumni Association reunion which was scheduled for 14 – 16 July 2006 due to prior church commitments in Asia.

At the reunion in Philadelphia, I presented a working paper on the Bishop’s Ad Hoc Committee for the New G.W. Harley Hospital. The working paper is posted on our website. The Association enthusiastically adopted the following course of action:

• Each member will contribute at least $200 to the new hospital project. Mechanism for making these donations can be found in the discussion paper.
• Members should work towards having their donations in no later than December 15, 2006. This will enable us to have a report for the Liberia Annual Conference when it meets in February 2007.
• Members who want to give special gifts in memory of parents are encouraged to do so
• While the above will cover individual donations, fundraising activities and support from local churches will be explored.

Our decision was communicated to the Bishop who was elated that we had decided to become part of this very important effort of the Church to continue to serve our people. We are therefore appealing to all those who have not yet done so, to please send in their donations. “Let us not be weary in doing good”

Donations are to be made using money order, such as US Postal Money Order. Fill in the right hand side with your name and mailing address. On the left side, write “For a New George W. Harley Hospital”. Mail it to me and I will forward the money order to The Board of Global Ministries who will write you and acknowledge your gift. There are about forty members of the Ways and Means Committee and any one of them would gladly receive your donation. They are listed on the website. If the donations pass through us, we are better able to gauge the results of our efforts. My mailing address is: 340 Wickerberry Lane, Roswell, GA 30075.

The ceremonies took place in Providence, Rhode Island from November 17 to November 19, 2006.

Officers installed were the following:
Mr. Samuel Smith, National President
Mrs. Kau Dolopei-Alpha, 1st Vice President
Mrs. Marian Kehleay-Webba, 2nd Vice President (in absentia)
Mrs. Uluma Obi Sharpe, National Treasurer
Rev. Stephen Snorton, National Parliamentarian (in absentia)
Mrs. Victoria Nau Biah, National Chaplain
Ms. Gertrude Duyen Kehleay, National General Secretary

The Installing officer and the Guest Speaker were dynamic. The Rev. H. Philip West, Jr., Former Executive Director, Common Cause Rhode Island was the Guest Speaker, and Rev. Jonathan Ralston Almond, Pastor of Mathewson Street, United Methodist Church was the Installing Officer. Both men emphasized the importance of doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with one’s God.

Rev. Philip West articulated very eloquently, the root causes of the Liberian crisis and the reasons that led to the conflict. He admonished all Liberians to work hard with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to engage in positive and creative efforts to rebuild the country. He said that even though internal and external forces instigated the crises in Liberia that led to the 14 years struggle, we should never give up the struggle to bring stability to our country. We must work assiduously to develop the country. To the officers who were installed, he challenged them to take their duty seriously and work hard in the renovation and upkeep of Ganta Mission. He challenged them to keep Dr. George Way Harley’s dream alive. Only through good and transparent governance will our organization be able to stay alive.

As for the Installing officer, Rev. Jonathan Almond, he challenged the officers to take the words of the Prophet Micah seriously. Quoting Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Pastor Almond told the officers that in all that they do, they should remember to always do the right and fair things—be kind to each other, respect the rule of law, be just and fair in their action, and always remember their commitment to God and to their fellow human beings.

The Association, expressing thanks and appreciation for their roles in the ceremonies, awarded both men with beautiful certificate plaques.

Three other awards were also presented. One was awarded to Ms. Daphne Edwards in absentia. Ms. Edwards is the co-coordinator and co-maintainer of our provisional web site. She lives in California. She was not able to attend the ceremonies but she sent a congratulatory letter to the association on their first Inaugural Ceremonies.

One other award was given to Dr. Taryor for his facilitating role, and contributions to the Association. He composed the School Ode, helped develop the web site, wrote the history of the school, and continues to improve the communication system of the Association by better organizing the membership database along with other activities that help to keep the organization alive. The Association expressed gratitude for his services.

The final award came from the Abban family in appreciation for the generous financial donation to the funeral services of the late Charles Abban who was the financial secretary of the Association.

Fellow Former Students and Friends of Ganta;

This is to bring to your urgent attention that in July, the Alumni Association voted that each member would contribute at least $200.00 to the fund for building the New G. W. Harley Hospital in Ganta. These funds were to be collected by October or latest by the end of the year. If we accept that there are about 300 former students in the US, only less than 2% have made their donations so far. I am therefore appealing to the national officers, the regional leadership, the Ways and Means Committee and the membership to make every effort so that we can meet the commitment we made to our people back home. We have had a lot of financial burdens this year, some planned and some the result of tragedy in the community. Let us now resolve to focus on this project and bring it to a successful conclusion.

Here is how you can make your donation. Get a US Postal Money Order. Make it in favor of "A New George W. Harley Hospital". Fill in the section with your name and address. This is important because you will get a thank you letter from The Board of Global Ministries. For record purposes, send the money order to one of these addresses and we will forward it to General Board of Global Ministries in New York. Ways and Means Committee members can also receive donations and forward same.

Ms Fannia Boayue, 935 Pinecrest Drive, Apt. C1, Cumberland, MD 21502. She is financial secretary to the Ways and Means.

Dr. Wilfred S. Boayue, 340 Wickerberry Lane, Roswell, GA 30075

Best wishes and anticipating your positive response,