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Catholic students, Episcopal church helping Haitians

Imagine your house fell down, injuring your parents. You are hungry. Your aunt lives out of town, where you can be safe - so you start walking to her home.

This is the picture an Episcopal missions director painted for 155 wide-eyed students at St. Jude the Apostle School in Wynantskill last week, explaining what it was like for children in Haiti during the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Victims from Port-au-Prince, said Linda Stevens, are seeking refuge at a church in Lasca-hobas, which has power and water. That would be like walking the 57 miles from Wynant-skill to Lake George, she told the students.

Mrs. Stevens, missions director for St. John's Episcopal Church in Troy, congratulated the children before they launched their ice cream fundraiser to benefit the Church of the Holy Spirit in Haiti, St. John's partner for 25 years.

The sixth-graders at St. Jude's began organizing a fundraiser for Haiti immediately after hearing about the earthquake. Their principal, Cathleen Carney, has a brother who is a deacon at St. John's and told the students about the Episcopal parish's good works in Haiti. A parishioner from the St. John's church will bring money to Haiti in two weeks to buy beans, rice and supplies.

Bursting to help
The students had many ideas: a carnival, a student vs. teacher basketball game, a bottle collection with possible matched contributions from Pepsi. But to get money out right away, they decided to pull together a standby that usually funds their field trips: selling sundaes for $2.50 apiece.

This time, though, four sixth-grade leaders called Stewart's Shops and asked them to donate the ingredients.

When sixth-grade teacher Matthew Michaud told students about the disaster, "the immediate response from these kids almost astonished me," he said. He saw tears in their eyes as they listened to his description.

"Their enthusiasm [to help] has been off the charts. They're acting like champions," Mr. Michaud continued.

That enthusiasm spread to the other students, too. One collected money from community members. Another donated the entire contents of her piggy bank.

This is much appreciated by the Rev. Mike Chapman, St. John's interim pastor.

'Just like you'
"What you're doing today," he told the children, "is sending a message to the people of Haiti that you care. The people you are helping are just like you in many ways. When there's nothing left, they turn to God."

When the earthquake hit, members of St. John's and students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy were installing solar panels on Holy Spirit's school, which St. John's helped build.

The eight Americans escaped through the Dominican Republic. A part of the school suffered cosmetic damage in the aftershock, but no one was killed in the area.

St. John's has already raised about $4,000 for food and repairs. A group from the parish will go back to Haiti in April to help with construction.

Mrs. Stevens, who's been to Haiti 12 times, recommends donating money - not supplies - to agencies working on the ground, such as Episcopal Relief and Development or Catholic Charities.

At St. Jude's, as student volunteers served the last sundae and faced a messy table, sixth-grade leader Zach Brimmer was already thinking about the next fundraiser. The students want to continue donating to St. John's throughout the year.

One idea, Zach said, is hosting a carnival, complete with an inflatable bounce house and a dunk tank for teachers.

Zach has learned a lot about Haiti and likes to know he can make a difference.

"I've learned that they were a poor country even before this," he told The Evangelist. "I feel good that we can actually raise money and help them."



St. Mary's parish in Cooperstown has donated $10,000 for Haitian relief through three special collections, with the first - announced on the spot - pulling in $4,100. To help, send checks marked "Haiti Earthquake" to Catholic Charities, 40 N. Main Ave., Albany 12203. All donations go to Catholic Relief Services.


(02/04/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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