GOLDEN LIGHT is a connotation for "ONWA NA-AGBARA OBODO,"
meaning the Light that Shines for the Town. This award is the
highest honor for sustained selfless service in support of
education. The key emphasis is "sustained" as it shows
prolonged genuine interest in the work that merits the award.
The Board of the Ehume Foundation, USA, determined the Mrs. Alma W.
Cockrell met or exceeded this criterion for her work in education in
Nigeria from August 1975 to February 1984. As the Nigerian-born
Board member's children are now becoming adults as US citizens,
the work of the Foundation will give them a connection to their homeland
and a unified effort to improve the education of their cousins in
Ehume. The Board believes that Mrs. Cockrell is a super role model
for their children. By her award, the Board argued that the young
adult descendants of the Ehume in the USA will become aware that even an
American who had no reason to support education of the destitute
families in Ehume did her best to help them as resources
permitted. Words to this effect are on the plaque that was awarded
to Mrs. Cockrell.
