February 12: Lopez Lomong’s Story

Lopez Lomong’s Story

Tuesday, February 12, 7:00 p.m. at Lakeridge High School, 235 SW Overlook Dr.

In Running the Rift, Jean Patrick Nkuba wants to be an Olympic athlete but has to confront the genocide ripping apart his world. Our own Lake Oswego neighbor will share his miraculous story as a “Lost Boy of the Sudan” who overcame extraordinary odds and adversity to become a proud American citizen and flag-bearer for the U.S. team in the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics. Lopez was a happy six-year-old villager in the Sudan when he was kidnapped by rebel soldiers seeking young mercenaries. He watched other children die around him from starvation but escaped in the night, running for three days into Kenya where he spent the next 10 years in a refugee camp before being adopted by his American family. Every day was a struggle for survival, and yet, he found joy in running a daily 18-mile lap around his camp. He hasn’t stopped running since. Prepare to hear an inspirational story that continues today with his participation in the London Olympic Games and his efforts to bring help to the children of South Sudan.

Learn more about Lopez.