FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kim Court, Public Affairs s6

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kim Court, Public Affairs November 5, 2009 (315) 498-2054

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY

“REBUILDING HOPE” A FILM AND DISCUSSION WITH ONONDAGA ALUMNUS AND SUDANESE ‘LOST BOY’ GABRIEL BOL DENG

WHEN: Monday, November 9

Presentation and Discussion with Gabriel Bol Deng 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in Mawhinney Hall, M245

Film viewing “Rebuilding Hope” 7 p.m. in Storer Auditorium

WHAT: Gabriel Bol Deng is a 2004 alumnus of Onondaga Community College. The story of how he came to Onondaga and to the United States from his war-ravaged country of Sudan his extraordinary.

According to his Web site, www.hopeforariang.org, “Gabriel Bol Deng has overcome unbelievable obstacles. He was 10-years-old when North Sudanese Arab militiamen led a violent attack on his village in South Sudan. He fled, not knowing the whereabouts of his parents or siblings. After his escape, Gabriel embarked on a harrowing, four month journey across the Nile River and the untold miles of desert, surviving disease and paralyzing hunger to reach Ethiopia.

While at the Dimma Refugee Camp in Ethiopia, Gabriel first learned English by writing on cardboard with pieces of charcoal. Four years later, he fled from violence again, leaving Ethiopia and traveling cross-country to Kenya, where with the help of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Gabriel received an education at the Kakuma Refugee Camp.

In 2001, Gabriel came to the United States, and along with other Sudanese refugees he received help resettling in New York State. After settling in Syracuse in 2001, Gabriel earned an Associate of Arts degree in Mathematics and Science at Onondaga Community College in 2004. He then continued with his education at Le Moyne College where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education and Philosophy, in 2007.

In May 2007 Gabriel returned to South Sudan after 20 years to search for his family, a journey documented in the film 'Rebuilding Hope’. Upon his return, he founded Helping Offer Primary Education (HOPE) for Sudan with a mission to provide educational opportunities and health services to Sudanese people adversely affected by political turmoil in Sudan.

Gabriel has thrived in the U.S. and works to help his village enhance their education by building, maintaining and supporting the Ariang School. H.O.P.E for Ariang is raising money to build a primary school in Ariang, a village near the town of Gogrial, Bhar El Ghazal region, South Sudan.”

The presentation, discussion and film viewing are open to the public. Donations to the HOPE For Ariang are welcome at the door. Click here for a CAMPUS MAP identifying the most convenient parking lots for Mawhinney Hall and Storer Auditorium.

With more than 12,000 students, Onondaga Community College is the second-largest undergraduate institution in Central New York and was named one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the country by Community College Week. Founded in 1961, it is a comprehensive two-year college operating under the State University of New York (SUNY) and is locally sponsored by Onondaga County. Onondaga offers nearly 50 programs of study, bachelor and master’s degrees available on campus through the Regional Higher Education Center, and more than 80 other transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities. Follow Onondaga on Twitter: @OnondagaCC and on Facebook. - 30 -