Haiti is never simple. The familiar adage that Haiti is the exception to almost every rule really rings true, at least in most of my experiences in the day to day. It's not so much that Haiti's realities are unique to Haiti, but it's the myriad dynamics and complex history which seem to just exacerbate any and every situation that makes Haiti such a conundrum. No better example could present itself than the marking of the 5th anniversary of the earthquake. While we knew we had to recognize this date with our staff and our children, we didn't want the day to be dark and depressing. Yet how can you acknowledge douz janvye without it taking over your emotions and leading you down the invariably bumpy road?
We were fortunate to have with us this past week the fabulous Britsionary group from the College of Holy Cross in Worcester. Among the group was Father Jim Hayes, who blessed us with a prayer as we stopped all we were doing, gathered in the Fr. Bob Lord Chapel with all 66 of our children, our staff, and our group of Britsionarys, and observed a moment of silence with 33 candles burning.
As we sat still, in silence for 30 seconds, the children (as they often do) amazed me with the way they behaved. Even children as young as 2 years old somehow knew that this moment was serious and deserving of nothing but respect. One of our caregivers, Madona, offered up a prayer in Creole, too. While simple, the moment was perfectly apt. In those 30 seconds we reflected on all of the blessings we had all been so fortunate to receive, and thanked God for the gift of life as we continue to do our good work.
While we stopped to recognize and pay our due respects to the estimated 300,000 lives which were lost 5 years ago, we also had a celebration on the horizon. Our boy Dotchley turned 6 years old on January 12, 2015, and while all of our children are special to us, he is extra precious. Dotchley was nearly killed in the earthquake 5 years ago, and if you ask him about the scar on his hand, he'll tell you (even though we know he can't possibly remember). "Douz janvye" he says, matter-of-factly, as if his 6 year old mind knows or even really understands what happened to him 5 years earlier. Nonetheless, it is a poignant and powerful reminder that everyone we know - our 66 children, our 78 employees, our neighbors and our friends - all of them were in some way affected by the earthquake. That fact is inescapable.
As we moved on past a somber Monday, our focus shifted to the outpouring of love and support we at Be Like Brit were flooded with following the incredible press coverage of our work as the national media reported on our work. We were so fortunate to be featured in dozens of local news stories, featured in print and on television. We were especially grateful to have a wonderful write up in USA Today, and to be featured on NBC Nightly News' "Making A Difference" segment! This kind of national attention is invaluable in keeping Brit's story and Be Like Brit's journey lasting, and the support that followed the 5th anniversary was overwhelming! We want to thank Dr. Nancy Snyderman and her Producer Erika again for the great coverage! As well as Marisol Bello from USA Today! Mesi anpil!
As we moved through the week, we remained busy as always with the group from Holy Cross in Worcester, and with our medical Britsionarys on site! Dr. Vicki Kvedar and her daughter Julie first visited Be Like Brit around this time last year, and fitted seven of our children with glasses! They were able to conduct eye exams on all of our children last year and most of our staff! This year, they have already completed 66 eye exams on our children and dozens more with employees! They also worked two days at the Mission of Hope International clinic, seeing dozens more community members! Having this specialty on hand is a rarity and we're so fortunate they are with us!
We were also so fortunate to have Dr. Olga Smulders-Meyer on hand! Dr. Olga is a physician in the States with a specialty in Women's Health, and given that medical care of almost any kind is so sparse in Haiti, especially in this type of speciality, she was very busy working not just with our children on the normal well-child visits, medications, etc., but offered her services to the community, too. Again, this type of specialty is hard to come by here in Haiti, and so we know that the dozens of women Dr. Olga was able to see were so very fortunate to have been seen by her. Another example of how through our Medical Britsionary program we are able to continue the compassion of Britney, and continuously give back to our neighbors and community! Thanks, Dr. Olga!
While our Medical personnel were busy in their respective roles, the Britsionary group from Holy Cross was equally busy! The group was building a home for one of our security personnel and his family near to the orphanage. Fritzner has been with Boss Len and with Be Like Brit for a long time, having worked on construction of the building. His daughter works for us on weekends as a part-time caregiver and the children absolutely adore her! We were thrilled that Fritzner and his family would benefit from the hard work and dedication of this Britsionary Group! You can see the home that he and his family were living in before. Their new home, while simply by our standards, is a world of difference for this family!
We can't thank this group from the College of Holy Cross Worcester for an incredible week of reminding all of us what it means to Be Like Brit! Thank you for helping us help the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit!!!
As we sat still, in silence for 30 seconds, the children (as they often do) amazed me with the way they behaved. Even children as young as 2 years old somehow knew that this moment was serious and deserving of nothing but respect. One of our caregivers, Madona, offered up a prayer in Creole, too. While simple, the moment was perfectly apt. In those 30 seconds we reflected on all of the blessings we had all been so fortunate to receive, and thanked God for the gift of life as we continue to do our good work.
While we stopped to recognize and pay our due respects to the estimated 300,000 lives which were lost 5 years ago, we also had a celebration on the horizon. Our boy Dotchley turned 6 years old on January 12, 2015, and while all of our children are special to us, he is extra precious. Dotchley was nearly killed in the earthquake 5 years ago, and if you ask him about the scar on his hand, he'll tell you (even though we know he can't possibly remember). "Douz janvye" he says, matter-of-factly, as if his 6 year old mind knows or even really understands what happened to him 5 years earlier. Nonetheless, it is a poignant and powerful reminder that everyone we know - our 66 children, our 78 employees, our neighbors and our friends - all of them were in some way affected by the earthquake. That fact is inescapable.
As we moved on past a somber Monday, our focus shifted to the outpouring of love and support we at Be Like Brit were flooded with following the incredible press coverage of our work as the national media reported on our work. We were so fortunate to be featured in dozens of local news stories, featured in print and on television. We were especially grateful to have a wonderful write up in USA Today, and to be featured on NBC Nightly News' "Making A Difference" segment! This kind of national attention is invaluable in keeping Brit's story and Be Like Brit's journey lasting, and the support that followed the 5th anniversary was overwhelming! We want to thank Dr. Nancy Snyderman and her Producer Erika again for the great coverage! As well as Marisol Bello from USA Today! Mesi anpil!
As we moved through the week, we remained busy as always with the group from Holy Cross in Worcester, and with our medical Britsionarys on site! Dr. Vicki Kvedar and her daughter Julie first visited Be Like Brit around this time last year, and fitted seven of our children with glasses! They were able to conduct eye exams on all of our children last year and most of our staff! This year, they have already completed 66 eye exams on our children and dozens more with employees! They also worked two days at the Mission of Hope International clinic, seeing dozens more community members! Having this specialty on hand is a rarity and we're so fortunate they are with us!
We were also so fortunate to have Dr. Olga Smulders-Meyer on hand! Dr. Olga is a physician in the States with a specialty in Women's Health, and given that medical care of almost any kind is so sparse in Haiti, especially in this type of speciality, she was very busy working not just with our children on the normal well-child visits, medications, etc., but offered her services to the community, too. Again, this type of specialty is hard to come by here in Haiti, and so we know that the dozens of women Dr. Olga was able to see were so very fortunate to have been seen by her. Another example of how through our Medical Britsionary program we are able to continue the compassion of Britney, and continuously give back to our neighbors and community! Thanks, Dr. Olga!
While our Medical personnel were busy in their respective roles, the Britsionary group from Holy Cross was equally busy! The group was building a home for one of our security personnel and his family near to the orphanage. Fritzner has been with Boss Len and with Be Like Brit for a long time, having worked on construction of the building. His daughter works for us on weekends as a part-time caregiver and the children absolutely adore her! We were thrilled that Fritzner and his family would benefit from the hard work and dedication of this Britsionary Group! You can see the home that he and his family were living in before. Their new home, while simply by our standards, is a world of difference for this family!
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