PWDs, Widows Celebrate As Bayelsa Lawyer Marks Birthday With Them

A Bayelsa-born legal practitioner and philanthropist, Toinpre Elliona Crawford, has marked her 27th birthday with a charity outreach to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) including widows, widowers and other vulnerable persons in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

The event which was organised under her C.T.E Foundation with the theme: “A Celebration of Impact: Sharing Love, Restoring Hope & Touching Lives,” saw the distribution of cash gifts, bags of rice, and other food items to beneficiaries drawn from across the state.
While speaking at the event, Miss Crawford said the decision to celebrate differently this year was borne out of a desire to give back to the society.

“This year, I told myself I wanted it to be different. I wanted to tell God thank you and how else can I do that? It’s by reaching out to people who on a normal day, might be feeling some type of way, I wanted to make it special for them.

“So, this year my birthday is not all about me, it’s about the people out there,” she added.

She said she was inspired by the portion of the Bible in which God commanded humans to love their neighbor as they love themselves, adding that “it’s not about me but it’s about reaching out to persons with disabilities out there.”

Speaking at the event, Crawford’s father, Mr. Crawford Jim Bob who expressed pride in his daughter’s philanthropic gesture, thanked God for her life.

He averred that love is the major aspect of humanity in life.

Similarly, her mother, Hon. Helen Inafa-Bob, point out that kindness is what is keeping the society going and prayed for blessings upon her life.

“She took after her mother. I wish her a happy birthday and more prosperous days and God should bless all her endeavours,” she said.

Also speaking, popular Bayelsa monarch and politician, HRH Israel Sunny Goli (Kemmer V), who is also Miss Crawford’s uncle commended her for towing the path of philanthropy.

“Birthdays are very important and hers is not an exception. We are here to celebrate with her for God’s blessings upon her life.

“We are proud of her as a family for doing very well at 27 years of age and our wish for her is for God to keep on building her to her full potentials”

“When you make somebody smile, God will make you smile as well. I think she’s fulfilling the essence of life by trying to reach out to others no matter how little it is,” he added.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the event, Chief Berry Negerese, a Bayelsa politician, said he was inspired by the celebrant’s act of kindness and would take a leaf from her.

On his part, Mr. Ekpomokumor, Bayelsa state chairman, Joint committee on People Living With Disabilities, expressed admiration and thanked Crawford for the philanthropic initiative.

He said, “Today is a happy day, why I said so, because we can see somebody who is not a politician but a private citizen using her own money to reach out to persons with disabilities.

One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Ifieladei Ebimie-Owei, praised the celebrant for remembering them and prayed for God’s blessings upon her.

The event ended with a cake-cutting ceremony and group photographs with beneficiaries, volunteers, and well-wishers.

The Abuja-based lawyer has been carrying out philanthropic gestures through her foundation.

Last year, during the launch of her foundation – CTE Foundation – in Yenagoa, she paid for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) registration fees for some students.

She further distributed empowerment packages to hundreds of students who attended the event and also made a financial donation to repair a dilapidated water borehole at St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Yenagoa.