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Our ‘Special Person’ is Alex Montgomery Foster“I believe that one must speak from the heart because the heart would not lie. Due to the fact that I grew up without many things and support other children had, I am of the opinion that anyone can reach his potential once given an enabling environment.”By Melissa JohnsonROSE HALL TOWN, CORENTYNE – Alex Montgomery Foster has not invented anything or performed some extraordinary act,Authentic Jerseys Cheap, but to me he is a Special Person.The 41-year-old of Rose Hall Town on the Corentyne made his mark in the lives of many for his altruistic nature.Alex Montgomery FosterOver the years he has done much to make the existence of thousands of underprivileged persons more bearable, giving hope of a brighter tomorrow.Some of the beneficiaries, both at home and on the international scene, felt his generosity in tangible ways while others were taught a skill for life or received just an encouraging word.His drive to help the deprived comes from his knowing what it is like to be without.You see, Alex Foster was raised without a father, with his mother and maternal grandmother (the late Josephine Foster), being the most important figures. And things were not easy by any stretch of the imagination. “My childhood was rough. My two brothers and I had to work at an early age doing all sorts of odd jobs. We baked; we sold cakes, poultry, fruits made from five-finger, ‘sourie’ and gooseberry to put in cakes. When our friends were playing we were busy fetching wood to cook and bake on, we planted garden and did things that many of my peers did not have to do to survive, and I felt so cheated.”That sour-puss attitude was left behind as he aged and realized that those were actually the rungs on the ladder he needed to climb up and out of his situation. “My mother and grandmother instilled good values in us. We were taught at a very young age, that success comes only from hard work, the honest way. We were also taught that a woman should always be placed on a pedestal and respect must be given not only to women, but elders and our peers. We were told that in humbling ourselves one day we will be exalted.”Alex and his wife, DeorainieToday Mr. Foster wears several caps, to name a few – the Executor Director of the St. Francis Community Developers (SFCD), a Justice of Peace, Public Relations Officer of the Management Committee at the Felix Austin Police College Division ‘B’ and a representative on the Enhanced Public Trust Security and Inclusion Project which is coordinated by United Nations Development Programme.He is a former Deputy Mayor of Rose Hall Town and later, at age 22, served as Mayor of the said municipality. He was the youngest to hold such office.In December 1998 he was identified by 12 International Donor Agencies as one of the 60 Most Influential Young Social Entrepreneurs across the World.His purpose in life took him to 26 countries where he served, was taught, and gained experience to function in the capacity he does today, “All men are created equal, and the indifference is created by us when we do not believe in ourselves and our potential. I believe in education – it is the only way to emancipate the mind from mental slavery. Education without character is a social sin; those were the words of the late great Mahatma Gandhi.”On February 24th 1968, healthily screaming his lungs out at the Port Mourant Hospital, he entered the world. Since then his mother Claudette Foster held on to the belief that he was destined to serve mankind.His earlier education was had at the St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic School, Rose Hall Primary, and later, Mc Gowan Primary. After he wrote the Common Entrance Examination he was placed at the Lower Corentyne Secondary.Alex Foster (left) during the launching of his organization’s magazineAfter completing high school, he was an apprentice at the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s Training Centre at Port Mourant for two years.In 1986, he re-established the St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Youth Club which is now called the St. Francis Community Developers (SFCD), and has been the Executive Director since 1992.One of the services offered by the organization is the Family, Youth, and Children at Risk project which is supported by UNICEF and other donors and well wishers. It has several components including the Child Friendly Spaces,Cheap Jerseys From China, Nutritional Enhancement Programme, Foster Care Umbrella Scheme, Counseling Psychosocial Support, Technical/Training Support and Housing drive.He attended several training seminars in different countries including Trinidad & Tobago, Bangladesh, South Africa, and the United States of America.One of his big breaks came in 1994 when he was sponsored by the Commonwealth Youth Programme – Caribbean at the University of the West Indies where he spent a few weeks. He was also a part of the United Nations World Youth Leaders’ Training Summit at the United Nations Headquarters in 1995.Mr. Foster said his life is filled with poignant moments but there is one that stands out – it is engraved in his memory and brings tears to his eyes.In that story, Alex and his group went to visit a foreigner whose daughter was sexually abused by the son of her Guyanese foster-father.They knew not where she lived but only the community. The mother felt she had no one to turn to because she was in another man’s country and moreso was not fluent in the English language.Eventually they found the mother and her 11-year old daughter in a school, cleaning the toilets, “I was shouting her name for quite a while, and she heard me but didn’t answer. She later explained that she couldn’t believe her ears; she felt God was playing a trick on her. The woman told me she had been begging God to help them out of their situation, to send help their way. After talking for a short while we left the washroom and as we walked she said these words, I’ll never forget – ‘God never comes but he sends’.”She kept a journal in a Food for the Poor exercise book where the entries were made in both English and Dutch, “All the bad things that happened to both she and her daughter were in this book. The things I read I will never forget. She listed every bad incident in her life. As I read the journal tears flowed, we were all crying.”At that moment I was convinced that God was using me to do his work. I cried to break my heart. We held on to each other and wept. I felt something I never felt before. And it was there and then I re-committed myself to serve even more people.”The matter was reported to the police but the man and his son fled to Essequibo. The father met a gruesome end in the interior,Wholesale Jerseys China, and the alleged rapist, who is in his 20’s, is still at large.The SFCD, led by Alex Foster gave whatever assistance they could have to ensure that the woman was empowered; counseling was also provided for the two.Having no children of his own, Mr. Foster plays the ‘Daddy’ figure to scores of children in and around Berbice, “I give my time, and do everything I can do for children. It brings back memories of my childhood where I desperately wanted the love of a father – not just any father but my father and did not get it. So I play Daddy to those who would let me in.”Alex is one of the loudest persons I know,Cheap Jerseys From China, one of the few who can address a gathering in the most unfavourable acoustic conditions and yet still be heard, “I believe that one must speak from the heart because the heart would not lie. Due to the fact that I grew up without many things and support other children had, I am of the opinion that anyone can reach his potential once given an enabling environment.”Alex Foster has been married for 15 years, his wife Deorainie resides in Canada. He described her as someone who is prepared to make any sacrifice for the husband she sees twice annually, “Deorainie is a virtuous woman who believes in me and my work and she gives me the space to grow and serve the people who are not as fortunate as we are. I thank God everyday for bringing her into my life. I know it’s a ‘till death do us part’ sort of love,” he added as he chuckled.Mr. Foster’s life is not picture perfect; he receives his fair share of criticism. “Some of the comments made may not be to my liking, but I try to use them as a stepping stone to correct and as motivation to go on. My style is unique but effective and to me that is all that matters. I also learnt at an early age – ‘no pain, no gain’.”His organization expanded by leaps and bounds over the years. His ability to persuade persons to support his ideas and vision is what he said ensures a sure ‘Yes’ when he seeks the assistance from funding organizations, “Some of the agencies I must be grateful to are Food for the Poor, UNICEF, CIDA, British High Commission, UNDP, USAID, Commonwealth Youth Programme, NAPS and quite a few government agencies. I thank you for enriching the service my club offers.”Among the awards won by Mr. Foster for his service are the Youth of the Year (Y.Y.) for Guyana 1988-1994, first runner-up Commonwealth Caribbean Centre – Youth of the year award – 1988/1989, Caribbean Entrepreneur of the Year 2001 Award, International Year of the Volunteer Award for Guyana – 2001 and as the head of the St. Francis Xavier R.C. Youth Club – the International, Commonwealth Youth Service Award – 1992/1993 and 1994/1995.He is a member of the Common Futures Forum and the Global Meeting of the Generation.His organization is the only group to ever secure the Commonwealth Youth Service Award on three occasions.Mr. Forster’s top priority is to ensure that the SFCD and its collaborative partners are empowered with the necessary skills,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, ability,NFL Cheap Jerseys China, and vision to satisfy the needs of residents and to continue their ‘teach the man to fish policy’.Mr. Foster lamented that he did not travel the ‘reach out and touch’ journey by himself, “I did it with the support of the members of the SFCD, our 22 support groups, advisors/counselors and well-wishers. My lasting legacy would be, ‘If you cut me down several of me will spring up’ – the words of Toussaint L’Ouverture.”He insisted, “I cannot tell my life story without thanking the people who assisted in paving the way for the life I know today. To name a few, Claudette Foster…Mummy everything you taught me is here in my heart. I love you and thank you for all you have done for me. Father Harold Wong – he believed in me when no other outsider believed in me, the late President Desmond Hoyte – he was a friend and confidante, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Hanoman, Krishna Jagdeo,Cheap Jerseys Free, Poonai Bhigroog,  they all believed in me and helped my personal life in ways when so many others refused to.”