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I came to America in 1989 to attend school. I
earned a BA in business management from BYU-Hawaii in 1993 and
received my MA from the University of Phoenix 1998. I have
always wanted give something back to my people, so when I
received word that a long time elementary school had closed its
doors I knew I had to do something. Students are attending
school with high student teacher ratios (40-1 to 80-1), the drop
out rate is high and youth related crime is on the rise. The
opportunity to give back is now. I co-founded Children’s
Educational Relief Foundation (CERF) with my wife Karen in
October of 2004 with the expectation of building an elementary
school. After visiting Samoa in July of 2005 when we
distributed 830 student packs and 50 teacher packs it was well
evident that there is a need for a school. Details need to be
worked out in Samoa, but this is something that needs to
happen. The children are the future of Samoa. They can make a
difference if given the opportunity. Our goal is to give hope
to the future.
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