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(Posted 7:30
a.m., Aug. 30)
Dapo Day blessed with perfect weather, terrific turnout and lots
and lots of positive energy
By
Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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|  Abiola
Agoro gives Prosper Laguerre a big hug during the 8th Annual Dapo Fun Day on Saturday.
Prosper is the lead singer of the Christian rap group God's Plan Ministry better
known as GPM. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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More than
500 people gathered in Blackburn Park in Blackburn Hamlet on Saturday to celebrate
the life of Dapo Agoro who was stabbed to death while trying to break up a fight
in June 2002, three weeks before his high school graduation. The
Dapo Fun Day is organized by the Agoro family and a half dozen supporters of the
Dapo Agoro Foundation for Peace which was founded the year following his death
to help promote non-violent conflict resolution in high schools. Besides
promoting nonviolent conflict resolution, the Foundation also sponsors two scholarships
at Lester B. Pearson High School, where Dapo was a student, and Gloucester High
School. The
Dapo Fun Day is held every year as a reminder that even the devastating loss of
an only son can be turned into something positive. The day was filled with music,
spoken word poetry, games and other activities, a friendly five-on-five soccer
tournament and lots and lots of food. Earlier
in the day, Orléans Ward candidate Fred Sherwin challenged his fellow candidates
in the upcoming municipal election to support his call for a new bylaw to prohibit
the sale of hunting and combat knives to minors under the age of 18. "Most
residents in Ottawa would be shocked to find out that there is no city-wide bylaw
prohibiting the sale of these knives to minors," said Sherwin. "Ottawa
has an old bylaw on the books but it is only enforceable in the former City of
Ottawa. There are no bylaws prohibiting the sale of knives to minors in the other
former municipalities including Gloucester and Cumberland." The
call for a new bylaw was hailed by the Agoro family who have called on politicians
at all three levels of government to do something to curb the possession and illegal
use of knives among young people. "A
new bylaw would be nice because it's crazy that a 14- or 15-year-old kid can walk
into a store and legally buy a hunting knife. It's not right and a bylaw would
prevent this," said Dapo's father Bashir. While
a new bylaw would be a positive step in the right direction, the positive energy
that filled the air in Blackburn Park under a bright blue sky brought smiles to
the faces of Dapo's mother Abiola and his sisters Moji and Shola. "It's
been a wonderful day. The weather was great, the turnout was amazing and spirit
was positive. We couldn't ask for more than that," Shola said as the event
was winding down. "This
is just a stepping stone to make sure the Foundation's work goes on and on. We're
working on getting our designation as a not-for-profit organization which should
help a lot in raising funds to increase the two scholarships and hopefully establish
similar scholarships at other schools." While
Shola thinks about her brother every day, his absence will be especially hard
felt during the coming week as the Agoro family prepares for Shola's wedding in
Toronto on Sunday. "It's
going to be tough, not just for me but for my entire family," says Shola.
"It shows that one senseless act can result in a lifetime of heartache."
(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local
business partners.) Return
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