Connie Ring – whose job has taken her to Gulu, Uganda and back
Just like us, Connie’s Invisible Children journey began with the Rough Cut.
Cincinnati native Connie Ring has the two toughest jobs on the planet – she’s a mother (of two) and a math teacher at Archbishop Moeller High School. Connie’s teaching job landed her a gig chaperoning students at a leadership conference which happened to be screening our first documentary. We think any mother could agree, when watching the Rough Cut… hold the popcorn, bring more Kleenex. The film proved just as pervasive for Moeller students, particularly a boy named William, who showed up at Connie’s front door a few days later with an unquenchable urge to do something. Whoever thought being a teacher was a 9 to 5 job, think again. So Connie approached her students with a school assignment that was much more a life lesson than math lesson – what can you do to help?
“You could not have seen it and just walked away. You could not have seen it and done nothing.”
It’s bizarre but wonderful when you arrive at a destination you didn’t even know you were headed towards. Connie could never have imagined that the urge to support her students would lead to her becoming the co- director of a nonprofit, Unified for UNIFAT (U4U). Connie, together with a small team of adults, support student chapters across 16 Cincinnati area high schools as they do everything from pen pal projects to dance mixers to the Amazing Race: Cincinnati style to raise money to financially and emotionally support students in northern Uganda. Currently, U4U provides education opportunities to 110 northern Ugandan children. Connie has kept up her connection to Invisible Children even in the midst her entrepreneurial lifestyle – either Connie or one of her students has attended every conference and every national event that IC has ever hosted, with the Fourth Estate Leadership Summit being next on Connie’s list.
If Connie were an artist, her students would be her masterpieces. For the students who dedicated remarkable manpower and hours to U4U, the involvement has truly changed their lives. An astonishing number of U4U supporters were hooked, even beyond high school, and formed chapters at their college and/or pursued studies in international development. U4U’s Board of Directors has no shortage of former high school supporters either, including William (remember we mentioned him earlier). William now lives in Uganda, leading U4U’s on-the-ground efforts. Because of their efforts, Unified for UNIFAT is now active across the Midwest with 20 chapters (both high school and college) that collectively sponsor deserving students in Gulu…and just think, it all started with a story. We’re convinced if Connie’s this good at inspiring young people, she can get kids to ace a math test, as well.
Math class was never this fun when we were in school
Connie is a mother/wife/teacher extraordinaire who still found time to found her own nonprofit. Our point? “You are never too old or too busy to make a real difference in the life of another.” Couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Connie. She will be an amazing addition to this year’s Summit both as a fellow nonprofit director and as a teacher most qualified in youth empowerment.
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