I am sharing this message I received from a recent retiree, Diane Mustrull, now retired coverage editor, for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Not verbatim but close.
“I remain so very inspired by my visit to Rwanda and Urukundo. I've leaned into memories of a central Pennsylvania grandmother I interviewed after first meeting her on a trip to Rwanda in 2015. My stories on her can be found in the Inquirer archives. When I first met Arlene Brown, she was 84 and running a Home for Children and a school she founded after retirement, and in her 70s, on 10 mountainside acres about an hour outside Rwanda's capital, Kigali.
“Urukundo – which means love in Kinyarwanda, an impossible language – is the call to purpose Mama Arlene answered when she retired after years as a nurse and then a 21-year floor leader at GTE Sylvania in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA.
“She had had an epiphany at 65. She believed that there was more to retirement than travel. A couple of mission trips to Africa working with children orphaned by the genocide in Rwanda convinced her of that, sparking what became the decision to leave Williamsport behind and ultimately build Urukundo Learning Center.
“When I asked her what she hoped would be her legacy besides the school and the children she nurtured and educated, she said, ‘I want people who are retiring to value themselves. You can retire from the workforce. Don't retire from life. You've got too much to offer.’"
Thank you, Diane. You do Urukundo and me honor.
Love,
Mama