VERO BEACH — Although organizers had planned the Inspired by Love, Haiti Partners benefit dinner months ago, the recent devastating earthquake changed the focus of the dinner somewhat as guest speaker Dr. Tony Campolo and Haiti Partners co-directors John Engle and Kent Annan gave first-hand accounts of life in Haiti during and after the tragedy.
The Caribbean themed dinner, prepared by Community Church of Vero Beach Food Service Manager Anne Devanney, was held in the church’s lovely new Fellowship Hall building and drew 230 guests. Guests mingled with one another before sitting down to dinner and perused the large assortment of Haitian artifacts brought back by Engle and Annan for the silent auction. Items included vibrantly colored artwork, hammered metalwork, jewelry, beaded bags and other craft items. Tables were adorned with colorful bromeliad plants and lovely little spun glass hearts, all donated by Haiti Partners board member Cathy LaCroix, which guests took home at the end of the evening. Others on the event committee were Adam and Suzanne Bolinger, Johanna Jones, Gene and Jean Cravens, Charlotte Terry, Pastor Jack Diehl and Milt Thomas.
David Jones, a senior advisor to Haiti Partners, introduced several of the organization’s projects, including a new Learning Center-Shelter Project. The destroyed Haiti Partner schools are being replaced with shelters that will be used as classrooms for 250 students during the day and as a shelter for approximately 50 people at night. Another is the One Laptop Per Child program, a partnership with Wave Place, that will provide 125 laptops to teach computer skills.
A Vero Beach resident, Engle also maintains a home in Haiti, and was there with his wife Merline and their two young children when the earthquake struck. He described the experience as a “life changing event” and noted that they are still processing a range of emotions. “Words fail to capture what we experienced. One friend lost 18 family members.”
But there is work to be done and when asked how he does it, Engle replies, “I think it’s part of the healing process. We are committed to bringing something good out of something bad.”
Although for the last month they have found themselves responding with food, medicine and medical care, Engle stressed that Haiti Partners is a development agency, not a relief agency. Their primary goal is to make long-term changes through education.
During dinner I chatted with Bob Lawton, Director of Missions at the Community Church, who went to Haiti two years ago with Beyond Borders (the precursor to Haiti Partners). “We went to determine if there were jobs that that the Community Church could contribute to and determined that the best thing would be to support the organization financially.” The Church has raised $60,000 to date.
When he spoke, Kent Annan, author of the book Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle, also stressed the range of emotions he felt, and related the story of a Haitian pastor he knew who had been out on errands when his church collapsed from the earthquake, killing the 300 people inside, including some family members. The church Annan and his wife Shelly Satran attended when they lived in Haiti was also reduced to a pile of rubble, but he noted that the people still had faith. “Songs of mourning were mixed with songs of worship. Life goes on in courage and in faith; we are defiantly hopeful together.”
Dr. Tony Campolo, internationally renowned Christian speaker and author, expounded on the theodicy issue of “what kind of God could do this and how can it be explained” saying, “In the midst of the pain and suffering, God is working. Haiti will be changed. Haiti will be delivered.”
Campolo is pleased to be on the Clinton Initiative Team and applauded Haiti Partners as one of the few organizations that is working to develop Haitian self-sufficiency and end their dependency on foreign aid. “Their program to educate 300 teachers will have them eventually teaching 6,000 kids. They are empowering them with the tools to teach future generations and to think as leaders.”
I got a chance to speak with Campolo at the end of the evening and he again stressed the need for development. “Groups like this need to be supported. When giving money people should ask what the philosophy of the mission or organization is. Are they developing or imposing American ideas on another country?”
But he also maintained that we are seeing America at its best in Haiti. “Our soldiers feel like they’re doing what they entered the Army to do – helping people and restoring order. Clinton is making things happen, forcing organizations to work together cooperatively. Seeing men take food to sell it, Clinton ordered that women only could collect food at two out of every three distribution lines. He knew that women would make sure the children were fed. That’s how good he is.” {igallery 149}
