Friends, family launch foundation to immortalise Olabode Ayo

The immediate family members and friends (Friends of Bourdillon) have immortalised the late philanthropist, Gabriel Olabode Ayo, for his values and contributions to charity by launching a foundation, Gabriel Olabode Ayo Foundation (GOAF), in his memory at his second post-humous birthday yesterday.

The foundation is incorporated with trustees representing members of his immediate family and friends from all the social clubs he was a member with the aim to identify and offer support in the form of scholarships to talented and brilliant children from the orphanage homes.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Yomi Jones, who spoke on the vision for setting up the foundation, said that Ayo was so passionate about helping the needy and abandoned children in the society.

“Since inception, before the launch, the foundation has organised visits in December 2021 to places he visited regularly when he was alive, such as the Nigeria Red Cross Orphanage, Makoko and Hearts of Gold Hospice, Surulere,” he said.

Meanwhile, a member of Grand Lafric Club, Aderemi Oguntoye, who described Ayo as a man worthy of emulation and impact, urged everyone to play a vital role in the development of the foundation.

He said: “He impacted many people that you and I do not ordinarily come across on daily basis. We that are younger than him admire from afar. He is a very good man and the cause of our gathering today is something that we should also emulate because we live in a society where everybody wants to be identified with. Most people want to be identified with what we can see or easily identify.”

The foundation calls for support, promising that transparency on the account will be published on its website.

At the launch of the foundation, donations were made to Red Cross Orphanage Homes, Hope of Africa, and Down Syndrome Home.