Just Sharing

I wanted to share with you all a Facebook post that I got from our friend Jean Ronel (Jn Ronel on Facebook). It was from mid-Dec and if I remember right I was asking about the election unrest and cholera.
Here is how he responded to our concerns.

"MY MAN THINGS IS OKAY FOR MY FAMILY,DON'T BE WORRY.I BELEIVE I CAN FLY IN JESUS NAME."

To me this feels like a very true reflextion of the Haitian spirit.

Our Documentary

Be the Power Of One Documentary from Destany Star on Vimeo.

Keeping in Touch

With all the available techno gadgets these days it should be easy to keep in touch. Well not so easy in Haiti and other developing countries. Last August in Pignon we wanted to check emails at the local "internet cafe". We were told that the internet was down for awhile, we figured 30 - 60 minutes at tops.We were surprised when we were told it might be 3-4 days without service. Susan and I are working on a plan that may help in keeping us all updated and in touch with ongoing projects. We are exploring the idea of sending a digital camera to our friend Jean and having him take pictures of all the goin' ons in Pignon and Port-au-Prince. The shots could be uploaded to an online service for frequent updates. More later on this developing plan......

Soroptimist International Presentation

Susan and I want to say thanks to the Oakhurst Soroptimist Club for inviting us to share our story about Haiti and Be the Power of One. What a great and generous group of women. Our community is very lucky to benefit from all your service. Thanks too for the wonderful Facebook comments and sharing our video link with your friends.  Link  http://vimeo.com/18922408   More later......

One Year After the Quake

January 12th marked the one year anniversary of the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti. 47 seconds that changed Haiti and changed our lives. Susan and I have three presentations over the next two weeks about our Haiti trip and the work of Be The Power of One. We will be speaking with a womens business group, the Soroptomist Club and a local church. We are excited, honored and encouraged by people's interest. Just yesterday we received the finished edition of a 3 minute video that the Minarets High School (O'Neils, Calif.) media class created for us. It is terrific! Look for it to be posted very, very soon.

Thanks for all the support. There is an unlimited amount of work to be done in Haiti and so many other developing countries. We have our work cut out for us all.

Tim   

Things are Happening......

Well things are really happening with Be the Power of One. Last month we were selected as one of three charities to receive funds from Minarets High School's (O'Neals, Ca.) first "Camp out for a Cause" fund raiser. Last week we had our second meeting with the attorney who is drafting bylaws and articles of incorporation for our non-profit status. Conversations have started with friends in Haiti and an English teacher at Minarets High regarding establishing a program where students in Haiti and California can communicate via the Internet. It is hoped that these conversations will lead to a greater understanding of the differences in our two cultures and also those things that are common between all of us. It is wonderful to see students and young adults so open and interested in helping to make the world a much better place.

Be the Power of One is starting to take on a life of its own and we are hanging on for an exciting ride.....

An Update on Be the Power of One

Since we returned from our trip, things are starting to happen.  Tim has done the first presentation, including slides, to his leads group and we have another scheduled for Rotary on 9/22.  We have two programs in place.  The first is what we call "Give the Difference, to Make a Difference"

Big thanks to Casey & Alisa (sorry if I have the spelling wrong) at Cool Bean Cafe in Oakhurst for helping us with this program.  Stop by and order a regular coffee instead of your usual specialty drink and drop the difference in the jar, or round up your order to the nearest dollar and give the difference.

The second is called "Send a Student to School"

The point is, it doesn't take a big donation to make a big difference in the lives of kids, who just because of circumstances, don't have the same opportunities that we all have.

We have had successes already with both these programs and things are taking off.  If you are interested in either of these programs or would like us to present to your club, school, church, etc., just contact us at sclement@sti.net or just leave us a comment.