Vibrantly painted artwork was on display throughout the Northern Trust Bank community room Friday evening, where guests gathered to enjoy the fifth annual Educate and Celebrate fundraiser to benefit Haiti Partners, a Vero Beach-based nonprofit whose mission is to help Haitians change Haiti through education.
Wine glasses in hand, attendees wandered to various tasting stations around the room, where specialty wines donated by Varietals and More owners Rob and Michele Wayne were being offered by cheerful volunteer pourers.
Paired with the wines were a quartet of tasty tapas dishes donated by talented chefs. Southern Social offered up a juicy heirloom tomato and watermelon salad dressed with honey vinaigrette; Wild Thyme Catering featured yummy Poke (ahi tuna) nachos with Sriracha sauce; Citrus Grillhouse served chilled spring pea soup with a lush parmesan flan; and Bistro Fourchette dished up tian de crab avocat, a sumptuous compression of avocado and crabmeat.
As in past years, a number of the silent-auction items included traditional hand-crafted Haitian artifacts such as small, decorative hammered metal art, carved wooden bowls, beaded jewelry and the brightly colored paintings Haitian artists are known for. This year’s offerings also included quite a few silent- and live-auction items donated by local businesses.
“I’ve known Kent and John for years through Our Savior Lutheran Church,” said Ingrid Biesaart, who chaired this year’s event. “It’s been fun; I’ve really, really enjoyed it. We’ve gotten some wonderful support from the community.”
John Engle, co-founder of Haiti Partners with Kent Annan, thanked long-term supporters and invited newcomers to join their efforts.
“The need is huge; people in Haiti have terribly difficult lives. They’re our neighbors and we need to help,” said Engle.
He stated that they have created a solid school-based community development model that is now providing 1,200 young Haitians with a quality education. Haiti Partners operates its own Children’s Academy and partners with other primary schools, and they provide scholarships to 32 Micah Scholars to attend seminary schools and apprentice with churches to promote children’s rights and transform communities.
“We invite you to experience the meaning and fun of joining the family of volunteers, committee members, board members; so many people in Vero Beach who are making this work possible,” said Engle. “And they’re doing it in partnership with Haitians; like the Haitian parents who are making handmade paper so that their children can go to school.”
Parents work at least four hours per week so that their children can attend the Children’s Academy, and one of the ways they can earn service hours is by crafting the handmade paper, which can then be used as a canvas, adding yet another unique dimension to their art.
“The energy of people working together, across social and economic classes and international borders, for such a worthy cause is life-giving and joyous,” said Engle. “Haiti Partners is grateful beyond words to have our home in Vero Beach and to have such a generous and loving base here.”
“So much was given here so that every dollar that you spend on the auction and what you spent to come here all goes to help fund education in Haiti,” added Kent Annan, reiterating thanks to the event’s generous sponsors and contributors.
Haiti’s former President Rene Preval had only just died that day, and Engle said, “His peaceful passing is evidence of a Haiti’s young democracy evolving in positive ways: a president who served two terms, each one with peaceful transition of power, and dies peacefully with no outstanding scandal in his own country.”
For more information visit haitipartners.org
