On Sunday, August 30, 2020, the Avenue Community, Schiefflin-Robertsfield Highway, Margibi County, was over-populated with individuals from all walks of the Liberian society who had converged to witness the official launch of the Dr. Cassell Foundation. Named in honor of its Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Daniel E. Cassell, the organization inculcates an objective of assisting the less fortunate to meet their basic needs and empowering the citizenry through vocational training, agriculture and skills acquisition, educational services and employment assistance.
Dr. Cassell, a humanitarian par excellence and a successful businessman in the United States of America, recently returned to his homeland, Liberia, to join the bandwagon of giving hope to the disenfranchised citizens and providing assistance to the needy.
The Cassell Foundation is said to be in collaboration with over forty organizations, including the Sisters Christian Foundation, Community Watch Forum of Liberia, United Women of Progress, Women of Destiny, Friends of Dr. Cassell, etc.
According to information accessed by the Hot Pepper, the Foundation was established to conduct need assessment, in order to provide the necessary help to less fortunate Liberians, promote security, education and safety, and provide technical, medical services and medical assistance to deserving individuals.
Speaking at the launching program, Dr. Cassell said, from the launching day turnout he believes that the establishment of the Foundation is of importance, evident from the fact that vast majority of the people and a number of institutions are eager to guide the Foundation to achieve its goals. He disclosed that the priority of the Foundation is to help the less fortunate in society and to serve as a beacon of hope for the disenfranchised citizens.
He said he is from a humble beginning, and that there was a time that he and his four siblings shared a room and their mother had to struggle to meet their daily needs and fend to support their education sojourn; therefore, he is no stranger to the culture of hardship. However, he has vowed to share what God has blessed him with.
Jumpstarting a few projects in Margibi County, the Dr. Cassell Foundation has asked the motorcyclists of Margibi to locate a place to be built as a depot to safe keep their motorbikes, as their role in society is important. Also, marketers in the county have been informed to identify a location to be built as a market hall in order to protect their goods, especially during the rainy season. Other projects identified by the Foundation include the construction of hand pumps and public latrines.
Individuals who spoke to the Hot Pepper revealed that the Dr. Cassell Foundation appears much more different from the regular humanitarian organizations in the country. According to them, if the Foundation continues with the momentum it could become one of few vibrant humanitarian organizations the nation can boast of.
Observers who have been following the trend of activities of Dr. Cassell and his Foundation are of the belief that the businessman has gained a “twinkle of an eye” recognition from the Liberian masses, evident by the mammoth crowd that turned out for the official launch of the Foundation. They wonder whether Dr. Cassell has any political ambition, as the crowd that turned out could only be compared to a presidential candidate’s crowd, and he attained the number in a very short period of time.
They urged him to continue his good gesture, noting that Liberians are just different kind of humans—they can uplift anyone at any time for a simple reason. They however cautioned him not to follow the way of the political humanitarians who pledge at every gathering but live up to none.
They said the Liberian society has been gullible to unrepentant crooks and political criminals whose only intent is to squeeze out the little resources remaining in the state coffers, with no new idea to offer to, at least, resuscitate what has been squandered. According to them, because of the masses’ need for a true leader and to place people of good intention to public positions of trust, these crooks have used the opportunity to their advantage to suffer the state and its citizens.
They noted that, even in the midst of a global crisis, these crooked politicians are still playing on the minds of the citizenry, all in the name of party politics and redeeming the state.
They hailed Dr. Cassell’s gesture, and said he is living up to his nickname given to him by the masses: talk-and-do.