Conor Wentworth
From time to time, we come across young people (and of course adults!) who realize that their efforts locally can make a difference globally.
At this time, we would like to highlight the efforts of a young man named Conor Wentworth. At the age of 18, Conor was introduced to Emmanuel Anim-Sackey, the founder of Adopt One Village. He had asked what he might be able to do to help AOV in their efforts. Conor not only organized a drive to get clothing, shoes and medical supplies but was also able to raise $1,000.00 towards shipment. He says that he plans to join AOV on a future trip to Ghana.
Here are his words on what happened:
“When first introduced to Emmanuel, I knew he was a great man with great plans for his hometown. He was so optimistic and excited about everything, and it was truly an inspiration as I carried my project forward.
“I did run into some issues at first, as I planned on collecting at TLCC itself (a West Orange, NJ church), but soon realized it would be impossible due to lack of space. Instead I collected at West Orange High, where I had very little success due to a lack of proximity to the church and not very much exposure to the public in general.
“But then I decided to do a second collection at Our Lady of Sorrows parish in South Orange, my hometown. There I had great success, as many people each Saturday and Sunday got to see my mission and responded by bringing plenty of goods to donate in the coming weeks. And this move not only brought me extra donations, but also accomplished the goal of spreading AOV’s name to another town in Essex County, another goal of mine at the outset of this project.
“In the end, thanks to plenty of help from friends and family, this project achieved many goals and made an impact not only in this community but also in the impoverished community of Abetifi-Kwahu.”
Conor is currently studying Biology at the College of New Jersey, where he also runs varsity track. He will be doing research at Saint Barnabas Hospital this summer as an understudy to Dr. Kristin Fless, a pulmonologist at the hospital.
Something worth noting is that prior to his 18th birthday, Conor achieved the highly honored title of Eagle Scout and promises to be one of those citizens in society who makes a difference. Kudos to Conor – We can’t wait to see your future!