Coming home from work or waking up to find that your house or apartment is on fire, is a vivid life changing experience, one that will forever stay with a person. This appeared to be the case for Bill Rogers when he came home to see his apartment on fire and everything, including all his achievements, and medals in a blazing flame. What is a person to do, when he or she has to witness a site such as this, asking oneself, is this really happening to me? Being a man of God, an individual from a war torn nation Liberia, Rogers's did what most Liberians have done for the last three decades, gave the situation to God.
From his early beginnings as a youth, the nation of Liberia has sponsored Rogers's and many like himself. Accepting this as a privilege, representing his nation as an athlete across the world and throughout Africa; Rogers's have been among Liberia’s elite group of athlete's chosen to represent Liberia at world championships and etc. In the words of Rogers, "It's painful as an athlete to train all these years and compete, to just get few medals and now to remember the expenses your poor little country had to sacrifice to fly you to other countries to complete and then to lose what you achieved from a world youth and junior African athletic championships."
Surrounded by wonderful people, family, and the East, Austin community, Roger's is now being helped by the village like environment he finds himself in. He would like to thank his Huston-Tillotson University family, the city of Austin, as well as the community at large. No one asks for a tragedy to occur but when it takes place, we must rise to the occasion as a community, lending out more than a helping hand. Roger’s is getting his life back together and is currently living in Austin, Texas, until he is able to get a new place. To contact Bill Rogers to assist him and other victims in the Austin apartment fire, please contact the author of the article, Coker George.
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