History of St. Vincent’s Center

St. Vincent’s Center was founded in 1945 by Sister Joan of the Episcopal Order of the Sisters of St. Margaret, headquartered in Boston. When St. Vincent’s Center first opened the doors it had just six blind, deaf and physically handicapped children. Over the years it has grown into a complex which includes a pre-school, day school, residential school, out-patient clinics, hospital, trade school program and orphanage.

 History of the Friends of St. Vincent’s Center

In 1997, Hope Lennartz, a registered nurse, visited St. Vincent’s Center and was so moved by the desperate conditions in Haiti that, on her return to her home in West Hartford, she set about collecting medical and other needed supplies to sent to the Center. She interested various people along the way and the Friends of St. Vincent’s Center now includes 30 very active members.  She also started writing grants to support the work.

 By 1999 these efforts to assist St.Vincent’s Center were formalized as an interfaith outreach ministry of St. James’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford, under the name of the Friends of St. Vincent’s Center.  Hope is the volunteer Executive Director.  For more information, visit our web site which is located at http://www.friendsofstvincents.org.

Major Grants and Funds Received

1. Seed Money donated by Miriam Bergamini             
2. Mission Development Grant to install solar panels at St. Vincent’s Center ($4,050)
3. Mission Development Grant to bring one child to the States to be fitted with bilateral below the knee prosthetics and select and fit two additional children ($7,500)
4. Facilitating shipment of $100,000 worth of medical supplies to St. Vincent’s Center
5. Sent down a large donation of medications worth $10,000
6. St. James’s Outreach Grant to install a primary electric line to St. Vincent’s Center ($8000)
7. Miles of Pennies for textbooks  ($844)
8. Leadership Development Grant from the Diocese of Connecticut Mission Development Program  ($15,000 over 3 years)
9. Church Mission Publishing Company Grant for religious materials such as Braille-Creole Bibles ($2500)
10. ECW White Envelope Grant for Montessori equipment ($8000)
11. Greater Hartford Jaycees donated a complete set of carpentry tools for the boys’ trade school
12. St. James’s and St. John’s Episcopal Church project to remodel the girls’ bathrooms  ($30,000)
13. St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Dallas TX for the boys’ water project ($20,000 with an expected addition of $30,000) 

Outreach Projects supported by St. James’s Church in West Hartford, CT

    1. Adopt-A-Box

    2. Feed-A-Child

    3. Baby spoons

    4. Baptismal gowns and bonnets - ECW project

    5. Musical instruments

    6. Mattresses

    7. Christmas ornaments

    8. School supplies

    9. Vestments and church supplies

  10. Scholarships

  11. Packing of the land-sea containers

  12. Parish members participation on the mission trips

Missions Sponsored by the Friends of St. Vincent’s Center

1. Evaluation Mission in March 1997 (Hope Lennartz RN)
2. Evaluation Occupational Therapy Mission in July 1997 (Janet O’Flynn OT)
3. Physical and Occupational Therapy Mission in January 1998 (Janet O’Flynn OT and Barbara Kelley PT )
4. Physical and Occupational Therapy Mission in July 1998 (Janet O’Flynn, Marney Toole, Carolyn Rhoades OT, Ellen Chapman OT)
5. First Youth Mission in July 1998 (Kathleen O’Flynn)
6. Medical Evaluation Mission in January 1998 ( Hope Lennartz RN, Solange Rossignal RN and David Hewett)
7. Medical Evaluation Mission in January 1999 (Hope Lennartz, Solange Rossignal, David Hewitt, Marc Yves Regis, Sue Schultz RN, Deidre Gilbert RN, Dr. Tony Andrulonis , Kristen Andrulonis.  Magna Felix returned with us for bilateral below the knee prosthetics.
8. Occupational Therapy Mission in July 1999 (Janet O’Flynn OT)
9. Medical Prosthetics Mission in February 2000 (Hope Lennartz RN, Solange Rossignol RN, David Hewett, Dr.Bill Vincent, Miriam Bergamini, Muna Swairjo-Spring PT, Deidre Gilbert RN,  Ellen Brookes, and Marc Yves Regis)
10. Youth Mission  in February 2000 (Jessica Gilbert)
11. Medical Prosthetic Mission in February 2001 (Hope Lennartz RN, Solange Rossignol RN, David Hewitt , Bill Harris, Marc Yves Regis, Rev.Joan Phelps, Deidre Gilbert RN and Miriam Bergamini)
12. Youth Mission 2001 (David Provenzano)
13. Educational Mission in February 2001 ( Ellen Brookes, Jessica Benson, Rev. Janet Stoddard, Donna Brown, Tami Tabshey , Ken Messier and Edie Lacey)
14. Youth Mission in February 2001 (Mike Messier and Brendon Ford)
15. Haiti Connection Mission in October 2001 (Hope Lennartz RN,  Bill Harris, Michele Carney, Donna Brown, and Ken Messier)
16. Medical Eye Mission  in February 2002  (Hope Lennartz RN, Miriam Bergamini, Donna Brown, Deidre Gilbert RN, Mic Paternoster, Dr. Girard Rudmin, Marc Yves Regis, Rev. Joanne Neel-Richard, Emily Gilbert, and Brendon Ford)
17. Construction Planning Mission in March 2002 (Bill Harris)
18. Construction Planning Mission in June 2002 (Bill Harris)
19. Evaluation Mission  in April 2002 (Texas Chapter) (Susan Aberg, Annette Vaughn, Libby Goff, Dr.Gretchen Berggren, Cathy Manning, Lisa Khoury, Sarah Seddlemeyer, Ann Tyler, Bonita Frederick and Eileen Hudnall-Oates  
20. Dental Evaluation Mission  in March 2002 (Dr. Phil Caldwell)
21. Christmas Presents Mission in December 2002  (Dr. Warren Berggren)
22. Construction Planning Mission in January 2003: (Bill Harris)
23. Youth Mission in February 2003 (Kathleen O’Flynn)
24. Medical Mission (eyeglasses) in February 2003 (Hope Lennartz RN, Solange Rossignol RN, Barbara Massy, Marc Yves Regis, Dr. Girard Rudmin, Rev. Joanne Neel-Richard, and Donna Brown)
25. Education/Construction Mission in February 2003  (Ellen Brookes, Rev. Ken Brookes, Marc Yves Regis, Miriam Bergamini, Bill Ford, Deidre Gilbert RN, Barbara Girard, Pat Lavery, and Charles Adamick)
26. Haiti Connection Conference in March 2003 (Hope Lennartz RN, Bill Harris, Ken Messier, George Seaborne, and Pat O’Brien)
27. Dental Mission in March 2003 (Dr. Phil Caldwell and Dr. Peter Peterson)
28. Texas Chapter December 2003 Mission to St. Vincent’s Center for the Oak Hill Giving Project sponsored by the Oak Hill Academy and St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church.  Four hundred gifts were distributed to the children.  (Libby Goff, Harriet Gibbe, Susan Aberg and Lori States).
29. Construction Mission in 2004 (Bill Harris).
30. Texas Chapter December 2004 Mission to St. Vincent’s Center (People?)
31. Haiti Connection Conference in May 2005 (Bill Harris and Donna Brown)

Future Missions Planned by the Friends of St. Vincent’s Center:

Note: Due to the political situation, future missions are on hold. The Friends hope to be able to return to work in Haiti in the future.

Land-Sea Container Shipments

• 1997 Partial shipment - with the cooperation of Manchester Movers and paid by Food for the Poor valued at $4600
• 1998 Partial shipment - with the cooperation of Manchester Movers and paid by Food for the Poor valued at $4990
• 1999 20 foot land-sea container paid by Food for the Poor valued at $21,020
• 2000 40 foot land-sea container paid by the Friends valued at $96,830
• 2001 40 foot land-sea container paid by the Friends valued at $136,037
• 2002 40 foot land-sea container paid by the Friends valued at $97,827
• 2002 20 foot land-sea container paid by the Friends valued at $25,830
• 2003 40 foot land-sea container paid by the Friends valued at $88,86
• 2004 40 foot land-sea container paid by the friends valued at $94,514
• 2005 40 foot land-sea container paid by the friends valued at $109,044
• 2006 40 foot land-sea container paid by the friends valued at  $61,717

Other Projects Supported by the Friends of St. Vincent’s Center

• Fund raising for the electrical system
• Remodeling of the girls’  bathrooms
• Mattresses replacement
• Sending prosthetic supplies
• Sending pedal and electric sewing machines and sewing materials
• Sending carpentry tools
• Monthly shipment of over 100 pounds of medications
• Scholarship and  salary for 2 PT/OT staff
• Salary for 2 replacement staff for the PT/OT department for 6 months
• Examining 97 children and staff for eye glasses
• Purchasing and shipping the glasses
• Fit 5 students with prosthetics
• Magna Felix’s trip to Connecticut to fit her with bilateral below the knee prosthetics
• Shipping a car to St. Vincent’s
• Teen to Teen Project - having students make cards to be sold in the States
• Marc Regis photo exhibit
• Coffee table photo book of the children and their poetry
• Video of our Medical Mission 2001 trip and Evaluation Mission 2002 trip
• CD- ROM of our Medical Mission 2002 trip
• Sending of dental equipment
• Providing about 130 wheel-chairs and repair supplies
• Haiti art and craft sales
• Friends of St. Vincent’s website

Additional Support to the Friends of St. Vincent’s

• Parish Contacts  in Connecticut since 1997: 20
• Supportive Colleges: Quinnipiac University and Housatonic College
• Contacts in Other States: 22

·      Contacts outside of US: 3

Total Volunteer Hours for 2002:  5,650 hours - = 2.8 full time positions
Total volunteer Hours for 2003 is 6749 hours which is equal to 3.2 full time positions
Total volunteer time for Friends of St. Vincent's Center chapters during 2004 is 1925 hours.
Total volunteer time for Friends of St. Vincent's Center chapters during 2005 is 1892 hours.