Abbey Ogunbanwo, a long-time resident of the Norman region, has announced his candidacy for the position of School Board Trustee in the upcoming by-election scheduled for September 10th. With an impressive background in community service and a strong commitment to addressing social issues, Ogumbanwo aims to bring his unique perspective to the role of School Board Trustee.
Having resided in Northern Manitoba for a decade, Ogunbanwo's community involvement spans various fields, including serving on boards such as the Thompson Pentecostal Assembly and the assembly in Leaf Rapids. His educational background includes degrees in Counseling, a Pastoral Degree, and a degree in Computer Science.
Ogunbanwo has made significant strides to ending and caring for the homeless as he was the coordinator of the homeless shelter, gaining valuable experience in supporting individuals in need within the social work sector.
“All these things I do, I don’t do them to gain any glory. I do them because there is a need and I want to jump into that need. My philosophy is help all those who need help”
Ogunbanwo emphasized the synergy between his work at the homeless shelter and his current role in social work, stating, "“The Social Worker field combined with the homeless shelter kind of work hand and hand, because when I was running the homeless shelter I was dealing with the parents, dealing with addiction. So now working in the Social Worker field I know to deal mostly with the parents and communicate to them every step about the teaching of their child” His platform focuses on addressing pressing needs within the school system, particularly in the areas of healthcare and nutrition for students.
If elected, Ogunbanwo has great ambitions to furthering and provide the best needs to kids in the school system such as implementing a medical support system within every school to address the reluctance of children to seek medical care.
“I want to focus on providing medical for the kids in the school because a lot of kids are afraid to go to a hospital or their parents don’t believe in the hospital. That can quickly get out of hand, so I want to see where we can introduce into every school a medical system”
Furthermore, Ogunbanwo aims to establish a meal program to provide essential nutrition for students whose families struggle to afford meals. “I don’t wish to change anything in the school but I do want to focus on a meal program for the kids who come to school with nothing to eat. I want to provide food for kids whose parents can’t afford it”.
Expressing a deep-seated passion for community and education, Ogunbanwo emphasized the pivotal role of education in empowering individuals and addressing societal challenges. He stressed, "My number one passion in the community is family. That's first and foremost. Secondly is education. It doesn't even matter how smart a person is, education is important."
Ogunbanwo’s candidacy reflects his earnest dedication to serving the community and addressing the needs of its residents. With a strong focus on family, education, and community investment, he seeks to leverage his experience and compassion to make a meaningful impact as a School Board Trustee.
