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Had he not been given food and shelter by those at the Alpha Children’s Home in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Journalist, Leroy Smith believes that he would not have been alive today.Smith said that at age 28, he had seen his mother only four times.His maternal grandmother was his saviour and shining armor; she did everything she could to take care of her daughter’s five children.“I was the youngest,Wholesale Jerseys Online,” he said, explaining that after a while, the pressure became too much for his old grandmother to handle, and that she needed help in taking care of her grandbabies.Her helplessness caused Leroy to be shipped from one home to another. “It wasn’t easy,” he said, noting that one day,Alex Delvecchio Red Wings Jersey, his grandmother, the only woman who he has ever called “mommy” met some persons from the Convalescent Home and explained her situation.“When she told them about us, they asked her to take the children for them to see us. One of the nurses liked my sister and she took her into her care.”Leroy’s innocent smile captured the eyes of another nurse named Jennifer Marshall, who not only welcomed him into her Ogle, East Coast Demerara home, but also wholeheartedly accepted him into her life.Leroy started attending school and all was going well; his grandmother would frequently visit and take him to visit his siblings wherever they were staying.He was happy, but this was short lived.“Ms. Marshall got through to go to Antigua, and I stayed with her sister for about a year, and then I was sent back to live with my grandmother.”It was the first of several such situations that the little boy would face in the next few years.Returning to his grandmother,Cheap NFL Jerseys, Leroy began attending Tucville Primary School. During that time, his older brother was living at the Alpha Children’s Home in New Amsterdam, Berbice.His brother had reached age to leave the home, and Leroy’s grandmother felt that the best thing she could do for her youngest grandson was to send him to a place where he could be properly taken care of.Leroy was nine years old when he became a resident of the Alpha Children’s Home; his memories aren’t that vivid, but Leroy recalls that leaving his grandmother felt like they were millions of miles apart, and that he felt bad.A few weeks of living in the Alpha Children’s Home proved to be an eye-opener for Leroy; he became much more cognizant of his surroundings and the way people operate.Leroy said that he was forced to learn about life and the ways of the world from an early age; he knew that he would have to stand up for himself and be brave.Recalling his six years spent at the home, Leroy said that it was the best thing that has ever happened to him, stressing that “if it wasn’t for me living in a home, I would not have been alive today.”He added that it was never a boot camp, since the home had rules which would apply to any regular household.Leroy, who has been a reporter for eight years, said that he found it exciting; his friends all lived under the same roof, his tummy was always satisfied and he always had clothes to wear and supplies to attend school.Leroy said that the perception that people have about orphanages and children’s homes may not always be correct, since there are benefits to living in such institutions as opposed to living on the streets with no food, clothing or shelter.He recalls the home receiving donations and the goodies being stored in one room and loaned to the children.“If we wore a shirt to go a function or so, we would have to come and put it back in the storeroom. Ms. Boyer used to joke “yal come tek off back the people clothes and put it up,” a smiling Leroy Smith said.He explained that an overseas church based in Atlanta catered for the needs of the home and its occupants.Leroy praised the caretaker of the home, Doreen Boyer. He describes her as a very strict woman who always ensured that the children were properly cared for.“I remember one time, we did something wrong, and a staff of the home punished us by sending us to bed hungry, when Ms. Boyer found out, the woman had to get up from her bed and cook for us. We finished having dinner around 10 pm that night,” Leroy said.He was fond of her,China Jerseys, but after a while, she too exited Leroy’s life.A year before Leroy became eligible to leave the Alpha children’s Home at Berbice,Wholesale Jerseys From China, he moved to another branch of the home at Atlantic Gardens on the East Coast of Demerara. Leroy moved back with his grandmother and completed school, securing satisfactory marks at the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).The church also facilitated Leroy’s tertiary education.During his time studying, Leroy said that he opted to meet his father- Leroy Peters.  “I have met my mother four times in my whole life…my grandmother had told me about my father and so I went to look for him”Leroy said that after meeting his father,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, he found out that he had three other brothers also named Leroy,NFL Cheap Jerseys, and that he was the eldest.“When I met him, he explained to me why we had lost contact and so, and I think he wasn’t wrong…I also felt good that he named his other sons after me; I didn’t feel forgotten,” a smiling Leroy Smith said.Leroy said that his experiences taught him not to depend on anyone for anything, so he opted to apply for a job.With the passing of his grandmother, a devastated Leroy knew that he had to make something of himself, not only for himself, but for his grandmother, who had always done the best she could for him.Leroy’s first job was as a technical operator at the National Communications Network. His aim was always to become a Reporter and after a few years of work this became a reality.Reflecting on what life would’ve have been like without the guidance of his grandmother and the shelter of the children’s home, Leroy said that he would have been dead trying to do it alone.