2010 NRTA With Our Youth Award Winners

INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH AWARD

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY

Michigan: Sue Ozar

Sue Ozar retired early from her job as a teacher. She wanted to leave privileged Grosse Pointe, Mich., and work in the developing world. She and her husband, Bud, went to American Samoa for three years, then moved to Meru, Kenya, to work in a Children’s Village for abandoned and orphaned youths. This region is severely affected by poverty, HIV and AIDS. For two years, she served as a teacher and counselor, helping kids one-on-one and providing a variety of support.

She left Kenya, but her work for the Children’s Village didn’t stop. Upon returning to the United States, Ozar formed Friends of Kenyan Orphans, for which she has raised $500,000. In January, she led a group of teachers, physicians and nurses to Meru to provide services to the students.

Ozar’s efforts extend even further. She arranged for a scholarship to Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia for a Children’s Village graduate. She also raised money to expand the St. Clare Centre for Girls, at the time a home for 250 orphaned girls in Meru. Since the fundraising efforts began, the facility has seen massive improvements, continues to grow and now services 600 children.

“It takes a village to raise a child,” according to a popular saying. Ozar fully embodies that spirit of community as she helps to enrich the lives of children in Kenya.

Additional Information

• Submit a nomination for the 2011 With Our Youth! Awards.
• Become an NRTA With Our Youth! volunteer. Contact the NRTA’s national office at 202-434-2380 or by e-mail.