News Release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Thursday, February 18, 2016 For more information, contact Mary Shivley, director of advancement communication, Emporia State University, [email protected], 620-481-1790. Students Wanting to Help Fellow Students Leads to Hard Work Meeting Challenge Grant EMPORIA, KAN. —A coup d’etat halfway around the world has left an Emporia State University student stranded, frantic over her family’s safety and suddenly without money for basic needs or for ongoing education expenses. Awalyne Kone, 23, felt she had nowhere to turn when on Sept. 17 military forces staged a coup in her homeland, Burkina Faso, a French-speaking nation in eastern Africa, bordered by Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire (the Ivory Coast). Killings and fiery protests reportedly went on for a week. Kone has not been able to contact her family since the coup, when financial support from home ended abruptly. Emergency assistance has come from the ESU Student Foundation, organized four years ago by Emporia State students, and from the local Salvation Army, which paid her rent for October and November, provided food temporarily, and helped Kone get in touch with people she knew in Burkina Faso who might be able to help find her family. “They said my house is empty,” Kone wrote late last fall in her application for help from the Student Foundation. “We also contacted our embassy here but they could not do anything for me. If I were to go back home, who will I go to? “I am overwhelmed, lost, tired. I don’t know what to do and who to turn to.” When she turned in the application, Kone owed $8,160 for the fall semester, and would owe thousands more to finish her degree in May. Through the Student Foundation’s Hornet Opportunity Award Fund, the group paid enough on the overdue tuition and fees to allow Kone to work out a payment plan and to enroll in classes for the spring semester.
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Transcript of News Release
FORIMMEDIATERELEASE—Thursday,February18,2016
Formoreinformation,contactMaryShivley,directorofadvancementcommunication,EmporiaStateUniversity,[email protected],620-481-1790.
StudentsWantingtoHelpFellowStudentsLeadstoHardWorkMeetingChallengeGrantEMPORIA,KAN.—Acoupd’etathalfwayaroundtheworldhasleftanEmporiaStateUniversitystudentstranded,franticoverherfamily’ssafetyandsuddenlywithoutmoneyforbasicneedsorforongoingeducationexpenses.
AwalyneKone,23,feltshehadnowheretoturnwhenonSept.17militaryforcesstagedacoupinherhomeland,BurkinaFaso,aFrench-speakingnationineasternAfrica,borderedbyMali,Niger,Benin,Togo,GhanaandCôted’Ivoire(theIvoryCoast).Killingsandfieryprotestsreportedlywentonforaweek.
Konehasnotbeenabletocontactherfamilysincethecoup,whenfinancialsupportfromhomeendedabruptly.
EmergencyassistancehascomefromtheESUStudentFoundation,organizedfouryearsagobyEmporiaStatestudents,andfromthelocalSalvationArmy,whichpaidherrentforOctoberandNovember,providedfoodtemporarily,andhelpedKonegetintouchwithpeoplesheknewinBurkinaFasowhomightbeabletohelpfindherfamily.
“Theysaidmyhouseisempty,”KonewrotelatelastfallinherapplicationforhelpfromtheStudentFoundation.“Wealsocontactedourembassyherebuttheycouldnotdoanythingforme.IfIweretogobackhome,whowillIgoto?
“Iamoverwhelmed,lost,tired.Idon’tknowwhattodoandwhototurnto.”
Whensheturnedintheapplication,Koneowed$8,160forthefallsemester,andwouldowethousandsmoretofinishherdegreeinMay.
ThroughtheStudentFoundation’sHornetOpportunityAwardFund,thegrouppaidenoughontheoverduetuitionandfeestoallowKonetoworkoutapaymentplanandtoenrollinclassesforthespringsemester.
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“WhenItoldherthatshewouldbereceivingtheaward,shejuststartedcrying,”saidTinaMiller,assistantdirectorforannualgivingfortheEmporiaStateFoundationandadvisortotheStudentFoundation.
Kone’sextremesituationisanexampleofthetypeofdireemergencyneedtheStudentFoundationwantsitsHornetOpportunityAwardFundtomeet.Thefundsareforfellowstudentswhohaveexhaustedallotherformsoffinancialaidandassistanceandwhoareat-riskofnotcompletingtheireducationatEmporiaState.
“Theyareagroupofstudentsdedicatedtohelpingotherstudents,andastheyliketosay,theyare‘#Hornets4Hornets,’”MillersaidofthestudentsinvolvedintheESUStudentFoundation.
Now,theStudentFoundationisreachingoutforhelpofitsown.Ifthestudentscanraise$20,000bytheendofthisspring2016semester,theorganizationwillreceiveamatchof$20,000fromachallengedissuedbyananonymousdonor.
Thedonorpledgedtomatchupto$20,000ingiftstoeachoffivecampusorganizations,foramaximummatchof$100,000andapotentialcombinedtotalof$200,000.ThescholarshipswillhonoralumnusGarySherrer,long-timesupporterofEmporiaStateandaformermemberoftheKansasBoardofRegentsaswellastheESUFoundationofwhichtheStudentFoundationisapart.
MeetingthechallengewouldgivetheStudentFoundationgroup“sometractionundertheirfeet,”Millersaid.“Thechallengegiftmeansallofasuddenthey’regoingtohaveenoughfunds.Iftheycanraise$20,000thisspring,thatmeansthey’regoingtohave$40,000tomakeadifferencewith.”
Fundsraisedinthefallsemestercameprimarilyfromotherstudents.
“Someofthesestudentsweregiving$20,andthat’shuge,”Millersaid.“Someofthesestudentswereeatingramennoodleslastweek.”
Withlessthanfourfullmonthsremaining,thegroupneedstoraise$15,000more.
“They’rerealizingthey’regoingtohavetocontactthecommunitytodothat,”Millersaid.
Infact,theirfirstcommunity-basedfundraiser—sellingbarbecueribsforSuperBowlSunday—wasarousingsuccess.Theirfullorderof250slabsofribs,whichweresmokedforpickupatWatersTrueValue,soldout,raising$6,000towardtheirgoal.
StudentFoundationmembersalsoareplanningaSpringHornetNationCampaigninApril,withshirts,braceletsandotheritemsgiventodonorswhocontribute$20ormore.Studentsalsowillworkwithbusinessesinthecommunitytohelpraiseawarenessoftherecentlyorganizedfoundation,Millersaid.
AsforKone,afterbeinghelpedbytheStudentFoundation,shehasjoinedtheorganizationandishelpingwiththefundraisers.Shesaidsheappreciatedwhathadbeendoneforherandthatshewantedtohelpchangelives,too,asherfatherhaddonewithhischarityinBurkinaFaso.
“Sheissosincereandhasgonethroughheartachethatmanyofuswillneverhavetoface,”Millersaid.“Withinthesameweekwemadetheaward,shewasinouroffices,helpingtostuffoverahundredfinalsweeksurvivalpackstohandouttostudentsoncampus.”
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Meanwhile,Kone’sownlifeandfinancesremaininflux.
“She’sdoingeverythingshepossiblycan,”Millersaid.“Beinganinternationalstudent,herjobsareverylimited.Ifshewereacitizen,she’dbeworkingmore,Iguaranteethat.”
ThestudentvisaprohibitsKoneworkinginthecommunity,butshehasfoundajobasagraduateassistantintheuniversity’sSchoolofBusiness.Sheislimitedto20hoursofworkperweek,andherearningsfallabout$400shortofexpenseseachmonth.
“Iamfacingtherisktobeoutof(visa)statusandillegalintheU.S.ifIdon’tgetmytuitionpaid,”Konesaid.
SheplanstocompletecourseworkinMayforamaster’sdegreeinbusinessadministration.Shecannotreceivethedegree,however,untilshepaysthedebtinfull.
ThesituationinBurkinaFasoremainsinsporadicturmoil,despiteanelectionthatbroughtanewpresidentweeksafterthecoup.AnAlQaedaattackataluxuryhotelinBurkinaFasoonJan.16left29peopledead,includinganAmericanmissionaryandtwoAmnestyInternationalworkers.
“Eventhoughitisbettertoday,Istillhavenosignofmyfamily,”Konesaid.“Idon’tknowhowtheyare.”
Thecoupturnedhersecurelifeandherfutureupside-downinamatterofhours.
Asachild,sheandherfamily—herfather,whoworkedfortheBurkinagovernment;hermother;andthreeyoungerbrothersandasister—hadledacomfortablelife.ThefamilyhadcometotheUnitedStatesonvacationwhenAwalyneKonewas10.AboutayearaftervisitingAmerica,,whenAwalynewas11,hermotherdied.
Lifechangedathome,butshecontinuedhereducationandwenttoMoroccotoearnherbachelor’sdegree.ShecametoAtlantaforcoursestopolishherEnglishskillsbeforearrivingatEmporiaState.
Shefoundtheuniversityandthecommunitytobeawelcomehomeawayfromhome,acontrastfromAtlanta,NewYorkCity,andotherbigcitiesshehasvisited.
“ThemomentIarrivedhereinEmporia,Iwassurprised,”Konesaid.“Iamnottalkingabouthowsmallthecityis,buthowbigthepeople’sheartsare.EveryoneImet,everyoneItalkedtohasbeennicetome....Ionlywishmorepeopleknewaboutthistown,becauseitiswonderful.”
ShedreamsoffindingajobintheU.S.,andbringingoverlittlebrother,Kevin,tolivewithher.
“Iusedtotellhim,‘Kevin,whenIwillbedonewithschool,IwillbringyoubacktotheU.S.andIwilltakecareofyouasmomwouldhave,’”Konesaid.“Today,thismightneverhappen,notjustbecauseofthemoney,butbecauseIdon’tevenknowifKevinisstillalive.”
Formore:PeopleinterestedinmakingagifttotheESUStudentFoundationmaycallTinaMillerat620-341-6433oremailheratannualfund@emporia.edu.
Donationsalsomaybemadeonlinebygoingtohttps://hornetnation.emporia.edu/givenow,whereyoucanpulldownontheboxcalled“Designation.”StudentFoundationisoneofthechoices.
