The Friends of St. Vincent's Center is a volunteer group, formed in 1997, to help children and staff at St.Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, obtain resources needed to educate and care for the children. It’s mission is to provide service, supplies and support to the children and staff at St. Vincent's Center, a residential facility, day school, Montessori program, orphanage, out-patient programs and hospital. As of October 2007 there are 220 students which include 11 orphans.
The Friends of St. Vincent's Center is an interfaith outreach ministry of St. James's Episcopal Church in West Hartford, Connecticut and recently became a 501c(3) non-profit organization.
The success of last year was the building and completion of a new brace/prosthetic shop to replace the shop that was in great disrepair. This new space is large, bright and airy. The second phase is to raise a total of $100,000 to build the second floor, which will include new classroom space and a third floor for the use as guest quarters. The Friends has received from the Diocese of Connecticut Mission Development Matching Fund Grant $30,000 over 3 years. The Friends have raised with great difficulty so far $20,000. By the Grace of God, these two new floors will be built and affect the quality of care for the children and provide a welcoming space for professional volunteers for years to come.
In June 2007, the Friends packed our last 40 foot land-sea container. It took 4 hours with 55 volunteers. The total weight was 19,987 pounds worth $48,899. This was our 10th container and I thank all for the years of packing and hauling.
During 2007, the Friends continues to address issues of enabling 12 older children to move out into society with useful skills by providing scholarships for students to attend local high schools. The handicapped barrier that prevented further education has been broken. Our students are competing well in a regular classrooms, making us proud and provide a role model for others because they have proving to be worthy among their peers.
There are 85 blind children at St. Vincent’s Center as of last fall. There were only 2 Perkins Braillers which worked and the three set of hand bells were in need of GREAT repair. The Connecticut Song Writers Association gave the Friends a donation to seed the fund for the Blind Music Program. Then it took the efforts of Mrs. Grace Hill from St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Hanover, New Hampshire to accomplish the next step. She became the point person raising funds to refurbish the hand bells for the Blind Hand Bell Choir. The Schulmerich Carrillons Company patiently refurbished the bells, donated an octave of used bells and provided endless hours of donated work, e-mails, phone calls to make this happen. It was a true miracle! From the customs service folks to the officials of the company were all involved. The bells were returned to St. Vincent’s Center in gently used carrying cases. The Hand Bell are now being used by the blind students.
Mrs. Hill took on the challenge to obtain funds to purchase new Perkins braillers from her family, friends, parish and the local Lions Club. Through the Hilton Foundation financial program and the Howe Press new Braillers were purchased for $375/each.
The story continues. Jane Macca, a third grade teacher at the Smith School of Science and Technology, has supported our work for many years. This year she organized the fund-raiser as part of the third grades’s annual spring study of the Caribbean. As part of the project the students in all grades from pre-kindergarden through fifth grade collected spare change in beach buckets in every classroom. They also raised funds though the Earth Day used book sale, held is the last day of school. Students brought in used book for several days leading up to EARTH DAY celebration. They were able to buy “new” ones for 25 cents. Between these two events they raised $750 to purchase 2 Perkins Braillers. So now the blind children can read again and practice writing in Braille. Though the help of these two outstanding women, 6 NEW Braillers has been sent to the Center.
The Montessori Program has been well received by the student’s parents. Our prayers are that this program will continue to grow.
We thankfully acknowledge the special talent and time of Lucy Read. She has been making shell art and selling these pieces of art for years. She sells them at art shows and church fairs. She is so devoted to these children. We must give her special thanks for years of work making and selling shell art.
The Haiti Connection Conference was held in Miami this year due to the safely concerns in Haiti. Many folks attended this meeting from Connecticut and special thank to Children’s Medical Missions of Haiti who sponsored this outstanding program. The Friends were able to renew our friendships, network and make further contacts.
Respectively submitted,
Hope C. Lennartz, RN, MSN
Founder and Volunteer Executive Director of the Friends of St. Vincent’s Center
Updated on 1/13/08