Another Tragedy for Local Teen

Another teenager from our community, Ophylia Mona Lisa Afuha'amango, committed suicide this week. She was friends of Seema Singh and Maikeli Iongi who both died tragically last month. A local young leader put it into descripttive words this week when he said, "Our community is on fire." Most especially, the Pacific Islander community has gone through many trials. Please continue to pray for the youth in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. While there are less gunshots and homicides right now, kids are still dying.

This is the second suicide of a young person, both hangings, in the last two weeks.

The Palo Alto Daily News reports:

Students Mourn Classmate
At the start of her sophomore year at Menlo-Atherton High School, Ophylia Mona Lisa Afuha'amango wrote a letter to one of her teachers.

"Something that I'd like you to know is that I'm striving to get back into AS English next year and hopefully AP Lit my senior year. ... I'm excited for this year!" she wrote.

On Friday, hundreds of students and community members packed the high school auditorium to commemorate the life of Afuha'amango, who San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said committed suicide on Tuesday.

In her junior year, Afuha'amango was affectionately known as "Mona Lisa Smile" and "Monster Baby" to her friends and family. The 16-year-old resident of east Menlo Park had been a leader in her school's Polynesian Club, played on the soccer team and was hoping to attend UCLA or Brigham Young University after graduation.

"She would check on me every five minutes to see if I was hungry," said her older sister Laynah at the service. "We always talked about graduating, walking that stage together."

Steve Teu, a mentor to the school's Polynesian Club, said Afuha'amango, who was of Tongan descent, was an energetic and popular student well known to the area's Polynesian community. She had known both Maikeli Iongi and Seema Singh, both teenagers who died in East Palo Alto shootings earlier this year.

YWAMers Praised for Faith and Leadership

The Denver Post reports on the memorial service at the Denver YWAM base: "We're going to celebrate a life, we're not accentuating a death," said Faith Bible Chapel pastor George Morrison, in opening a memorial service today for two people killed at a missionary training school in Arvada . The service is called "A Celebration of Life for Tiffany and Philip." Philip Crouse and Tiffany Johnson died Sunday when a gunman opened fire at the school's dormitory. Youth With a Mission director Peter Warren said today both Crouse and Johnson embodied the spirit of the group. First the service focused on Crouse . "Phil gave his life to Jesus Christ and was never the same again," said Zach, a friend of Johnson's who met him years ago at a youth ministry in Alaska. At the time, Crouse was tough and wouldn't let people get close to him. "Over the years, Phil became a humble, teachable, sweet guy" who was able to reach kids with rough e

Non Profit Payday Loans?

Here's a recent New York Times article sent to me from Katie at NCHM on payday lending. I know that the NCUD / CTCU-EPA partnership is going to have to create the right program addressing the needs for short term lending for low income families. We don't have the answers yet, but it's definitely on our radar. APPLETON, Wis. — This city of 70,000 has five McDonald’s franchises, three Pizza Huts, four Starbucks shops — and 19 payday loan stores, brightly lighted storefronts with names like EZ Money and Check Into Cash that offer two-week loans without credit checks. Peggy Truckey, 53, knows the allure. Last year she owed nearly $1,300 to four of those stores, and was paying about $600 a month in finance fees alone. “I thought I was going to have to take a second job just to pay off the interest,” Ms. Truckey said. Then she heard about a new nonprofit program operated out of a Goodwill thrift store, one of several hundred lower-cost payday loan products that are now bein

Samuel Liotti TV Interview about Obama's Nomination

Check this out this link! Samuel, his best friend Malik and other students at East Palo Alto Academy were interviewed on TV where they were asked about their views on Obama. The students has some interesting and revealing comments. With all the politics, it may be easy for some to overlook the significance and importance of the first truly viable African-American candidate for president. Obama's nomination to especially many young people in our community speaks volumes about who they are and what they can become. This is an exciting and important time in our history. Please join me in praying for both our candidates, but especially Obama. I've felt impressed that I should pray specifically for his safety during the next months. Follow the link and check out the interview! What about you? How significant do you feel is Obama's nomination?

NorCalUrban

Search This Blog