Dear Give Hope friends,
Many thanks to all of you who made the third annual Give Hope Gala a tremendous success. We are still tallying the income and expenses but this was easily the most successful so far. We had approx. 350 in attendance. Beth Troutman, Eva Larue and Jasmine Tate were all amazing. The videos, photos and musical trio were just right. The staff at The Ritz did a great job. Gross receipts were more than $50k higher than last year. Everyone seemed to have a great time and were very generous. Thank you!
I also want to give you a quick update on progress in Haiti since our team returned from there in October….
- Things are beginning to stabilize and normalize at Cambry as we have been able to move the kids from two orphanages (Darivarger and Big House) back into their homes, reducing the count at Cambry by approx. 200. Neither orphanage is fully repaired but enough has been done to make it safe to move the kids back there.
- A group from Cincinnati, called Matthews 25 Ministry, has agreed to upgrade Darivarger, replacing their metal roofs with cement roofs and rebuilding the kitchen there. They hope to start that work soon.
- We still have over 80 kids from Cavaillon at Cambry but we are making progress on repairs at Cavaillon and hope to have those kids back there by Christmas.
- Dr Osselin (our Haitian physician) reports no cases of Cholera and a general improvement in the number of kids sick from Malaria and other problems.
- New mattresses have been purchased for all the kids at Cambry, Darivarger, Big House and Cavaillon.
- Over 2,500 metal roofing sheets have been distributed to the community of the 3,500 we purchased.
- We have purchased a large generator to power the entire campus at Cambry along with a much needed pickup truck.
- We have purchased and shipped small generators and chain saws from The Home Depot to distribute to pastors so they can help their congregations.
- Tree cleanup is virtually complete at Cambry and gravel has been spread to freshen up in front of the medical clinic and bakery areas.
- New roofs have been completed at Cambry as follows:
- All the medical clinic roofs have been replaced with metal supports and metal roofing.
- The entire roof on the Sr. Boys dorm has been replaced in the same fashion
- The deaf children’s dorm and the Young Girls dorm, which are contiguous
- The cosmetology and carpentry buildings in the vocational center
- Upcoming repairs/projects at Cambry include:
- Replace the roofs on the bakery and auto mechanics buildings
- Repair the damage to walls, floors and ceilings in the Sr. Boys dorm
- Repair the leaking cement roof on the Young Boys dorm
- Complete the floors and ceilings in the new sewing building
- Build a new kitchen/dining area near the Young Boys dorm.
As you can see, there is still plenty to do but much has been done. Thousands of families remain homeless and hungry in and around Les Cayes and Jeremie. Our partners, Louis and Dony St Germain, continue to be leaders in the effort to rebuild and bring hope to these cities. Thank you for your support and your prayers.
All the best,
Roger Braswell and Angela Quinn