Summary of Meeting of February 2, 2023
Announcements
The bingo nights have been happening at the Dover Bowl as a fundraising source for our club. Each Thursday evening 2 volunteers from our club spend 3 hours there helping out with the activities of the evening, and each of those evenings earns our club $300. Deb DeColfmacker is the volunteer coordinator for this commitment our club has made and so far we have done 3 Thursday evenings with 6 volunteers. Be ready to do your part and experience this unique time with the bingo community of Dover.
Erica Place has been moving along with the Camp Kita dance and auction scheduled for March 31st. She has already gathered a number of very desirable auction items, as well as event sponsors. The band Undercover is donating its talents and the ticket price will be $20 to make sure people can afford to come and enjoy and help this worthwhile project to provide summer camp experiences for children affected by suicide. Robin Wheeler is working closely with Erica to organize this fun evening.
No report from Geography Quiz Night which is scheduled for March 24th, but we are certain it will be another good fundraiser for Life and Hope - Haiti.
According to the list, Mike Lassel is scheduled to provide next week's speaker.
The speaker of the day was Helen Goransson who shared history, anecdotes, and an overview of what it was like to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela across the top of Spain this past spring. There were lots of photos, too, depicting the highs and lows and sights and sounds of the trek.
For those interested, below is the most recent update from Life and Hope Haiti which Amy Miller has shared (this is the group we will be helping via our Geography Quiz Night):
First of all, we wanted to let you know the Caribbean Nights Party, our wonderfully fun annual fundraiser for the Eben Ezer School in Milot, Haiti, will be April 29 at 3S in Portsmouth. Stay tuned for more about that. We love this occasion when we come together as a community to recognize our work and our bond with a community in northern Haiti. This spring, the update will include a look at the magnificent progress made possible by you, our community of support. The guesthouse, though not officially open, has welcomed a handful of its first guests. We can't wait to show you more about this economic engine that you helped make possible.
We also wanted to give you news from the school, the town, the country.
The Eben Ezer School is back in full swing. Between 400 and 500 students arrive daily now to get an education. After a tumultuous fall in Haiti, which closed schools across the country, the Eben Ezer reopened in January and welcomed its students back. Thanks to Life and Hope's supporters, teachers were paid during the break, working when needed and keeping their children fed.
Although violence in the capital and the blockage of ports this fall meant exorbitant gasoline prices, factory shutdowns and protests countrywide, the north, where the school is located, never suffered the same level of violence and has for the most part returned to normal. The ports have re-opened and cars are moving about again. The gangs and violence of Port Au Prince is rare in the north, and rarer yet in Milot. Cap Haitien in the north has for more than a decade had its own airport, and has its own passport office, allowing residents here to do business safely without traveling to the south. Stories are abundant about the political turmoil and lack of government in Haiti, for those who want to learn more. The Miami Herald, the Guardian and the NY Times (when it covers the country) are good sources.
In another recent development, the US government in January launched a program that allows more Haitians (as well as Nicaraguans and Cubans) to come into the US and stay for at least two years, and perhaps more if they create a productive life here. They do, however, need sponsors who will back them up so they don't become a drain on the US economy. As of last week, Lucia, the school founder, had opened her home to a Haitian brother and sister in their 20s who hope to get jobs and make their way in this country. Lucia is happy to have people in her home and is looking to bring another person or two from Milot if she can find people to act as sponsors.
You can learn more about this program here https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/01/27/politics/migrant-program-border/index.html. And more detailed information is available on State Department websites.
Thank you all for being part of this effort to educate children in Milot, an effort that certainly travels a circuitous path but continues to bring better opportunities to the children of Milot.
Amy, Agnes and Lucia
