Christmas in Haiti Fundraisers Thanks!

Bonjou tout moun / Hello Everyone!

To our fundraisers and Christmas box donors, to all of you who have supported Starthrower Foundation this year, and to Starthrowers true as well as new, a huge Thank You!

Sarnia, Ontario:
Congratulations and many happy returns to Mme Marjorie on her 80th birthday! Instead of gifts at the open house held in her honour, Marjorie had requested donations to the students in the nursing program.

Thanks for your thoughtfulness, Marj! (Earlier this year, Marjorie went parasailing in the Dominican Republic. I want to be just like her when I grow up!)

Orangeville Ontario:
Thanks to Cindy S. who organized the Acheson's fundraiser last week. Cindy would be the first to say that she did not do it singlehandedly. Thanks, too, to Martina, Cindy's business partner who shared the load.

Thank you, too, to everyone who helped make this fundraiser a success!

• Dianne and her staff at Acheson's: You made us feel so welcome. It was a great event!
• Harmony Market and Mochaberry coffee shop, who supplied beverages.
• Angela who designed and supplied tickets for the draw (which will take place Dec. 23rd).
• Ste. Anne's Spa for donating spa packages.
• Special thanks to Scotiabank for committing to match funds raised by Acheson's.

Pennsylvania:
Mme Cindy and her elves have been busy preparing Christmas boxes for each of our kids, and the boxes are now on their way to Haiti. As well, they've sent a donation to purchase rice, beans and oil for Christmas distribution.

Although I won't be there this Christmas to distribute them, I know from other years how much these boxes and foods are appreciated, and the joy with which they are received. To all who participated in this huge undertaking, my gratitude and that of our staff and students!

Web Comic for High School Sponsorship:
Thanks to Daniel Lafrance, Toronto, ON, for his continuing work on the web comic to raise funds to sponsor High school students in Haiti. The web comic continues to receive positive critical reviews. If you haven't yet had the opportunity to read it yet (see www.starthrowerinhaiti.com), perhaps you'll have some time over the Holidays.

The latest pages tell Auguste's story. Auguste writes that he is very pleased with how Daniel has portrayed his situation, and that the web comic is vreman bel (very beautiful).

Thanks, too, to those who have donated (often anonymously) through the CanadaHelps.org link on the webcomic!

Sponsorship Thanks:
To each of you, thank you for supporting the amazing young people we sponsor in Haiti. The Christmas break approaches and the first trimeste is coming to a close. Some students completed exams last Friday and others will finish this week. Then we will all wait for the results. In the interim, there will be Christmas boxes and the fet of Jou endepandans (celebrations for January 1 Haiti Independance Day).

As is the case with first year post secondary students everywhere, not all of Starthrower's students will 'make the cut' at Christmas. Once we have the exam results, we will know who will be going on to the next term, and who will be looking to other endeavors.

Other News:
Sad news: Charlie Brown, our fierce guard cat, died last weekend. His unrelenting 'critter control' services will be sorely missed.

I continue to recover after surgery, though a bad bout of flu kept me close to home for a week or so. Thanks to all who lent a hand during this time.

In 2010, Starthrower will likely face new challenges as well as the all-too-familiar old ones. But as in the past, so in the future: Working together, we will continue to make a difference in the lives of our young adults in Haiti!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!
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Alapwochen
Beni-w
Sharon

Travel to Haiti ~ American Visitors Bring Rice, Oil to Lakay Fondasyon in Cap-Haitien

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Much excitement this week in Haiti, as long-awaited visitors from America -- Starthrowers Mme Cindy and Anna, on their first trip to Haiti -- traveled by plane and bus to meet the staff and students at Lakay Fondasyon in Cap-Haitien!

Welcome Sign at Lakay Fondasyon

Staff and students had prepared a Welcome sign to greet Mme Cindy and Anna. Until now, the stafff had known of Mme Cindy and her friends in Pennsylvania by name only, and through the parcels they send several times each year. How exciting to put a face to a name, and to finally meet one another!

How to Carry a Sack of Rice in Haiti

And they came bearing gifts! Along with good wishes and clothing, Mme Cindy and Anna, with one of their Haitian friends (yellow shirt), brought some rice and oil they'd bought in Cap-Haitien for Starthrower staff and students. In the foto, Cindy's friend shows Anna how to balance and carry a sack of rice (diri) on her head.

Starthrower Students at Lakay Fondasyon Cap-Haitien

Several of the Starfish sported new Tshirts, which I believe were part of the gifts brought from Pennsylvania. At the Lakay, we keep an assortment of games and balls on hand for the kids to use. You may notice that socks and running shoes are lacking. Flip Flops (those flat, plastic sandals) are fine for walking around, but not suitable for playing soccer.

Mme Cindy, Micheline, Anna at Starthrower Lakay

No one was more excited to finally meet in person than were Anna and Micheline, one of Stathrower's senior staff on the Text Book Refurbishing Program. The girls have been emailing for almost two years (thanks to donors who arranged for internet access and computers at Lakay Fondasyon!), ever since Anna sent Micheline a Christmas gift box as part of Mme Cindy's holiday initiative that year.

Starfish Micheline, Anna, (Friend), Mme Cindy

This visit gave them a chance to meet one another and for the American visitors to see first hand Life in Haiti. Anna and Cindy will be back in the U.S.A. this week, and I look forward to talking to them about their trip.

For those of you interested in travel routes to Cap-Haitien, Haiti, Mme Cindy flew to Santiago, Dominican Republic, then traveled by road via Caribe Tours bus from Santiago DR to Cap-Haitien (Caribe Bus to Haiti Info) This is the same bus service that our two students Elorge and Marlene take to get to medical school in Santiago.

Mme Cindy's trip coincided with high school graduation in Haiti, and she was on hand to congratulate our new grad Gaby! (see update and photo here)

On another but related topic . . .

TS Ana map National Hurricane Center

Travel to Haiti at this time of year (late August, September) is often difficult as this is the time when tropical storms and hurricanes usually appear (see post last September - Hurricane Ike). For current information on tropical storms in the Caribbean see National Hurricane Center updates. Today, Ana and Bill, the first storms of the season, are south east of Hispaniola, Haiti's island.

Back to School, New Starfish, New Starthrowers

Hello Everyone,

I received a phone call last night to tell me that the supplies from Pennsylvania came last week, but that they had just found our phone number to let us know. Jack will call on Monday morning and make arrangements to travel and go secure them. As usual, Mme Cindy has perfect timing. With school opening, whatever she sends will be used quickly. Thank you, Mme Cindy and State College Pennsylvania.

Carmene will be making our "Proba" (protein/peanut butter mix) just before I return from Canada at the end of November, and we need the protein powder. We will package and distribute it the first week of December. I hope to distribute Vitamin C at the same time, if we have enough. We distributed extra Vitamin C with the multi vitamins last winter and on the whole everyone seemed to stay healthier.

We are NOT working today, our first and only Saturday of repose since I got back. The week has been insane trying to prepare 100 plus young people for school. Some uniforms are not ready and some schools are not ready meaning those involved will get a later start. Many of the text books have been changed this year, so this week Julia, Jhennie and Micheline will continue working with Rosenie to search the marketplace. This is a hot, frustrating process. They usually buy a sandwich and a drink to keep up their energy.

They come home by taxi, and then the new books are processed. Each page is checked for printing errors and missed pages, then photocopies of the missing pages are made. This means making another trip into la ville by tap tap or taxi, then searching for a place which has either electricity or a generator operating to run the photocopier, then returning home, and inserting the missing pages, where necessary. All books are covered with plastic, which we also buy in the market. After covering all the texts, we stamp with our special 'dam', check the list then print the name of the recipient in the upper right hand corner. Then the books are either inserted in waiting backpacks, or if backpacks have been delivered already, texts are wrapped in plastic bags and scotch tape, and labelled, ready for delivery. We also have to change 4 complete booklists as the state was late with some results. Four of our Grade 9ers need to be upgraded to 3eme.

Claudy and Louisena came down the mountain from Sen Rafayel yesterday to pick up the back packs for College Bon Berger. They also took first trimest fees for College Bon Berger and College VIncent Oge. We took on 3 new Starfish from Sen Rafayel. All have been sitting out for at least a year due to the death of one or both parents. All are in class Rheto. Uniform money was sent and books will be purchased, then back packs prepared and will be sent along with school funds on Thursday when Claudy comes back. He will bring a different partner as Louisena starts school Monday, Sept 17. Claudy starts Monday, Sept. 24.

Soeur Ginette also visited us on Friday. She brought the receipts and bill for consultations and meds dispensed at her little clinic in Sen Rafayel. The total for these 6 months was 34,000 gourdes ($6800 Haitian or $1000 USD). There were only 30 on her list last year. This year, there are more than 60. I will go through each fiche and record illnesses and recurrences.

We have a visitor arriving this week. Jeff will be with us for 5 days and Mme. Carmene has already prepared a menu for each day. It should be a nice quiet time for him as most of the craziness is behind us. This week, we will visit all Cap-Haitien schools and pay frais and first trimest fees. Next Saturday, we will visit the University in Limbe with Jeff to see how Deles and Vincent are settling in to their new lives. Thanks to all who have worked so hard to give these amazing young people 'possibilite'.

I would like to officially welcome Starthrower America and thank their board of directors for taking on such a huge challenge. Thank you, Mark, Lucie, Steve, Peggy, Jeff and Peter.

There are times in the midst of the chaos and seeming confusion when I stop and really look at what is happening here, like the jobs everyone does with such efficiency and joy. I listen to the conversations and the laughter, and remember the deep grief many carried with them when they first came. I think of the newly arrived Starfish, still overwhelmed with grief and fear and I am also overwhelmed at how blessed I am to be part of this amazing journey.
Kenbe red

Sharon