Today Susan and I had an interview with Kevin Lowry, a State Farm insurance agent, who is making us the first recipient of his new "Bobcat Award" he states that "the primary goal is to encourage & promote positive community efforts and unselfish acts". We are honored to be recognized and look forward to hearing about future recipients. I've attached Kevin's Facebook link for more info.  Thanks Kevin!!!



https://www.facebook.com/KevinLowry.StateFarm

Thanks All for an Amazing 2011

We would like to express our gratitude for the support you've shown over the last year to Be the Power of One.  Without this support, and your encouragement, throughout the year our efforts would have been much more difficult.  This last year was eventful, exciting, gratifying and in some cases exhausting.  Our August trip to Pignon allowed us to see some of the reconstruction progress that has been made in Port-au-Prince. The presence of heavy equipment loaded with rubble was evidence that the clean up was in full swing. On the outskirts of Port-au-Prince we saw the construction of new home tracks being built. We are sure this must be a welcome sight for Haitians who, after almost two years, are still living in tents.

 It was very good to be back in Pignon. We felt more at home and much less anxious about what adventures this trip would bring. We did have plenty of adventures involving travels over Haiti’s wicked dirt roads but those stories are for another time. It was great to see old friends and to meet many new ones. We continue to be amazed at the hospitality and friendliness of the Haitian people. We were blessed this year with six young men that helped us with the students. Their assistance was invaluable. By the end of the week we had well over 200 young students in a single classroom.  We could not have managed without their help. 

Here is a listing of what your collective support was able to provide:

1.       Drilling of a well on the school property including a secured cinder block housing. Major support came from Oakhurst Sierra, Oakhurst Sierra Sunrise and Tracy Rotary Clubs.

2.       Outdoor recreational equipment, craft supplies, toys and personal hygiene items for the students at the summer program.

3.       Several hot lunches for the 200 summer school students

4.       Four large boxes of miscellaneous school supplies; pencils, crayons, paper, paints, dictionaries, rulers, staplers and staples, folders, etc.

5.       Christmas shipment of 100 gift bags for student plus small gifts for school staff

6.       Construction of school desks for two classrooms

7.       School uniforms for students

8.       Three sets of textbooks for each classroom

9.       One year’s worth of workbooks for primary grade classes

There are probably some things we missed on this list, even so this is a tremendous amount of work completed. We are very grateful to you, as is Pastor Carsel and the students and families of Pignon. 2011 was a good year with so much accomplished.

We look forward to expanding our efforts in 2012. We would love to drill another well with the help of Haiti Outreach (they are amazing), and we’re looking to support a second school.  We are currently setting up a college scholarship program to benefit some of the young people who are anxious to further their education.  It costs about $1,500 per year, including books, tuition and travel expenses, to attend University in Haiti, and this is well beyond the means of most families there.  We also hope to expand our Send a Student to School program with a goal of 100 donors by year end.  This program is based on the idea that it only takes $10 per month per student to support a school and is an affordable way to make a big difference.

These are big plans we have that will take the efforts of many people. We ask for your continued encouragement and support. Please know that whatever form or amount your support comes in it will be put to good use.

Thanks so much !!

Tim and Susan Madden

Christmas Gifts to Haiti

Thanks to the creative efforts of the Bradford Family, the Van Werts, the Jewetts and Maddens, Susan and I have 100 beautifully decorated gift bags we are sending off to Haiti for Christmas. Each bag contains pencils, a toothbrush and toothpaste, stickers, a small stuffed animal or flute and candy canes (of course). This shipment is the result of donations throughout the year that are collected and organized so that we can provide a little something special for the students in Pignon. Susan and I sometimes kid about needing a warehouse (other than our den) to store all these items. I guess having to find a warehouse for storage would be a good problem to have.

Thanks to everyone who donated items for this year's Christmas packages. You can be assured that your donations will be much appreciated and will brings smiles to a lot of faces this holiday season.

Pignon Well Project Continued.

Just yesterday Susan and I received pictures from Jean showing the completed well house. This is the third and final step for the well project. Since my post last month a concrete slab was poured around the newly installed pump and it was prepared for the construction of the well house. Everyone here is so pleased with how smoothly the entire project went. Haiti Outreach did an amazing job bringing the project in ahead of schedule and under budget. The Oakhurst and Tracy Rotary Clubs were likewise impressed and pleased with how quickly this international project was completed. We've been told by others with more experience in international projects that Haiti is a difficult country to work in. This has not been our experience. We seem to have been guided to the right people and organizations that have made this effort unproblematic. Pastor Carsel's friendship and guidance in Haiti along with the experienced staff at Haiti Outreach have made this a rewarding process for everyone involved. We hope that we can work with Haiti Outreach again in another community. There is certainly no lack of need in Haiti.

THE WELL IS IN !!!!!

Susan and I were so excited yesterday to hear that the well in Pignon has been drilled. We were expecting it to be drilled at the end of the month but equipment was available and there was an open spot in the schedule, so Haiti Outreach went forward and made it happen. This is such a wonderful accomplishment and whether through donations or simply an encouraging word, you have all played a part. It was just about a year ago that Susan and I made this a priority in our lives and we feel so blessed that it has come to fruition. We want to give a huge "THANKS" to our friend Jean Ronal in Pignon who has provided these pictures and who has been such a good friend. He has made our efforts in Haiti much easier. Also the efforts and generosity of the Oakhurst Sierra Rotary Club, the Oakhurst Sierra Sunrise Rotary Club and the Tracy Rotary Club must be acknowledge. These Clubs have gone way beyond what we expected and are the major financial support for this project.

Haiti, like most developing countries, does not know the convenience or health benefits of having fresh water each time you turn on the faucet. Thanks to our trips to Pignon, this wonderful convenience is no longer something we take for granted in our lives. This well will provide fresh water for the students at school eliminating the need to send someone to the river with a 5 gallon bucket to get water. It will also give the school the opportunity to start a community garden providing food for neighborhood families or produce that can be sold at the market. The well will be a life changing event for this Pignon neighborhood.

Again, thank you all for the support and encouragement you have shared with Susan, me and our friends in Haiti.

Back in the US of A

Susan and I got back late Monday night (Aug. 22) and are just getting back into the groove of being home. Both of us seem to have brought a cold back with us. Just our way of holding onto Haiti awhile longer? It was a memorable trip this year in so many ways. Tons of kids, 230+ on our last "school" day, some great Haitian adventures (for us these always involve transportation and/or food), textbook shopping in Cap Haitien and confirming well drilling plans with Haiti Outreach were all part of this wonderful journey.

The results of all our combined efforts to gather school, recreational and health supplies, five suitcases full (180 lbs.), were almost lost before we left the States. Seems that the shuttle driver leaving our Fort Lauderdale hotel at 5:30am just assumed that we were in the van with him, it was actually another couple, and he unloaded all the suitcases in the road outside the departure terminal and sped off leaving the bags there. Susan and I got downstairs at 5:35am, asked about the bags and nearly panicked when we found out what had happened. A mad dash to the airport revealed that, although security had been called, the bags were still sitting in lanes of traffic waiting for us to retrieve them. A mad dash, a close call and a two hour departure delay, but other than that it was an uneventful day. 

This year we stayed in Pastor Carsel's family home. As always our Haitian friends are gracious hosts giving us our own bedroom, preparing wonderful meals everyday and treating us like honored guests. By the end of the week we had the routines down for showering from a 5 gallon bucket and using the outdoor latrine. We continued to get favored treatment but we started to feel like we were part of the family. The Pastor's house seems to be the center of community business as well as a social hub. Lots of neighbors would come by to conduct business, sit and chat for awhile, examine "new" fashions that arrived in two boxes of clothing from the States, play cards or sit in the shade enjoying fresh fruit or sugar cane. These were relaxing times for Susan and I, a wonderful break from the intensity of 200 kids at school.

Although the time we spend with our kids in the classroom is draining physically and emotionally it is the highlight of each trip. It is the reason we go to Haiti. This year our friend Jean Ronal got together a group of his friends (Chedlin, Phanel, Lenna, Benjamin, Son and brother Joseph) to help us out. They were invaluable!! Without them someone may have died. A student? Susan? Me? These young men were there everyday helping to communicate with the kids, teaching songs, telling stories, maintaining order (of sorts) and being there to support us in every way. Susan and I are constantly amazed by Haitians' level of generosity and their willingness to help. Even in the most stressful of times, times when I was ready to pull what remains of my hair out, Jean would smile and say, "They're just kids" or "That's life". I'm starting to understand that when daily life is a struggle and everyday presents new challenges there is no need to sweat the small stuff. A good lesson for me to learn. All of our planning for "learning stations" went out the door on the first day. Too many kids, too little ability to effectively convey detailed instructions, the heat and the humidity did our planning in. For the four days of school we focus on a daily craft (paper plate fans, paper bag puppets, English language color flags and coloring project), teaching songs, telling stories and playing outside. Everyone seemed to enjoy each day with a nice balance of classroom time and playing outside. The Frisbees, soccer balls, jump ropes and balsa wood gliders were a huge hit and went a long way in burning some of the kids bountiful amounts of energy. Susan and my admiration and respect for school teachers continues to grow.

Well that is enough for now. We will be posting more about our adventures later and will try to set up links to photos and videos. Bye for now.....    

 

Just About There.....

Susan and I are making a final mad dash to get everything ready for being in Haiti on Monday. Thanks to all of your generous donations we are taking 180 lbs. of school & health supplies jammed into suitcases. All our personal stuff will be in a backpack. With the help from a number of educators we actually have some lesson plans prepared for this year. What a concept, right? We are going to divide the younger kids into 5 or 6 groups with the older students (18+) helping as group leaders. Then each group will spend 30 mins. or so at six different learning station. We didn't have this level of planning and preparation last year and still we realize that with over a 100 young kids involved it may all crumble into chaos at any moment. We are hoping that soccer balls, jump ropes and Frisbees will burn off enough energy to maintain a minimum level of control. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

Also...because local Rotary Clubs from Oakhurst and Tracey, California have stepped up, in a huge way, we'll be able to sign agreements to get a well drilled later this year. What a treat it is to get clean water by just turning a faucet. We are very fortunate. The company that is drilling the well, Haiti Outreach, has an office in Pignon with a 6 or 8 bedroom guesthouse so Susan and I hope that some folks who have expressed interest in going to Haiti may be able to join us on the well drilling trip, December or January.

We are excited to see our Haitian friends and look forward to an amazing journey. Pictures & stories upon our return....