Submitted by ekrupnick on Mon, 2008-07-07 01:00

Gordon and Mary Hayward were so moved after watching the award-winning documentary God Grew Tired of Us that they knew they had to help the war-torn region of Southern Sudan. The next day, they phoned John Dau, one of the Lost Boys featured in the film. What especially struck Gordon and Mary was that after walking 1,000 miles from Southern Sudan to eventual safety in Kenya, losing family and friends, living in crowded refugee conditions for years and then being uprooted to America, the Lost Boys of Sudan remain optimistic, hopeful, hardworking and a credit to any community they live within.

To help those left behind, John established the John Dau Sudan Foundation to transform healthcare in Southern Sudan. Gordon and Mary’s immediate mission is to raise funds to support John’s work through a two day series of events on July 26 and 27 in Brattleboro, Vermont and in their gardens. Their broader mission is to build awareness, particularly among local young people, of the plight of thousands of young Sudanese people who feel God has grown tired of them.

Gordon and Mary’s fundraiser includes the showing of the documentary God Grew Tired of Us, music by Youssoupha Sidibe, a Kora master from Senegal, and a presentation by John Dau. For a complete schedule of events and directions, please visit the fundraiser’s web site.

For information on organizing your own JDSF fundraising event, please contact infoatjohndaufoundation [dot] org ( infoatjohndaufoundation [dot] org).