TCNJ News
For Immediate Release
February 26, 2007
Sudanese ‘Lost Boy’ to share his survival story to
raise Darfur awareness and advocacy
EWING, NJ … David Thon, a Sudanese refugee, will share his riveting story of survival on Thursday, March 1st at 7 p.m. in Forcina Hall 134. Admission to this program is free and open to the public. All members of the campus and local communities are invited to attend.
Thon grew up in southern Sudan during the civil war of the 1980s, and was only seven years old when the war came to his small village of Jolong in the Bor region of the southern part of Sudan. He spent over 10 years on the run, fighting for his life day and night. In September 2001, Thon came to the United States through the Lost Boys program, which allowed a limited number of Sudanese children to enter the United States. He currently resides in North Carolina where he recently graduated from Mars Hill College.
The program is sponsored by the Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement, the Bonner Scholars, Kidsbridge Children’s Museum, Lutheran Social Ministries- Refugee program, and Alpha Phi Omega, a social service fraternity on campus.
The program will include the viewing of the 15-minute film “Witnessing Darfur.” The film was created by the Committee on Conscience, established by the United States Holocaust Memorial Council to alert the national conscience, influence policymakers, and stimulate worldwide action to halt acts of genocide and related crimes against humanity.
Following Thon’s presentation and the film, the Bonner Scholars will conduct a reflections and action discussion activity. Small group breakouts will discuss different aspects of the genocide and possible actions to take including letter writing, fundraising and political advocacy.
For more information contact Lynne Azarchi at 609.581.0239.
About The College of New Jersey
TCNJ currently is ranked as one of the 75 "Most Competitive" schools in the nation by Barron's Profiles of American Colleges, is rated the No. 1 public institution in the northern region of the country by U.S. News & World Report, and is one of Kiplinger's Personal Finance's top educational values in the country. In 2006, the College joined an elite group of institutions when it was awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Fewer than 10 percent of the nation's colleges and universities share this honor.
