Help Me Help Haiti!!

My children lived in an orphanage in Port-au-Prince for around 3 years before they came home to us.  During their time there they were loved on by two amazing women- Jamie and Ali McMutrie.  These 2 sisters who grew up in the Pittsburgh area have given their lives to the people of Haiti.  The driving force in their work is to see mommas find a way to keep their babies.  They do not want for any more children to have to leave the loving arms of their mommas in order to find nutrition, education and hope for the future.  After that as their first priority, their second priority is the reality that despite their efforts there will continue to be thousands of children who are true orphans or who have no family that can feasibly provide the basic necessities for them.  They want to care for these orphans and help them find loving forever families.

(Recently I got to attend a fundraising event that Jamie and Ali spoke at- their vision and heart is contagious and I'm so excited to get to be a part of what they are doing!)

These 2 women have proven themselves for many years as honest, loving and dependable.  They have proven their commitment to the mommas, the kiddos and all the people of Haiti.  They have dreamed for several years of building a new orphanage and have recently purchased some land outside of Port-au-Prince where they intend to do just that.  The plans they have had drawn up are amazing.  The orphanage will be on some land that already has fruit-bearing trees and they will plant more crops to help feed the children who live there.  They also dream of having small farm animals such as chickens and goats.  There will be a clinic that will open its doors to the surrounding community to help provide medical care.  A school will provide an education to not just the orphans, but the neighboring children as well.  And Jamie and Ali will employ local adults to care for the children, educate them, feed them, protect them and to maintain the facilities and care for the crops and animals. 

All of these things will help the local families stay together.  There will be hope for these families that the parents will be able to provide for the children while the children are educated and grow up with the means to help provide for themselves and their extended family.

This coming Sunday I am volunteering at the Colorado Colfax Marathon.  (Please note that I am volunteering at the race- NOT running.  I do not run.  Not even 4 feet.)  A local nonprofit that was started specifically to help the children of Haiti is teaming up with Jamie and Ali to help raise funds to build this new orphanage which will be called Nouvo Vilaj (New Village).  The name of that nonprofit is The Road to Hope.  Even though I am not running you can still sponsor me as a volunteer.  Just click HERE to make your tax-deductible donation!  Every penny of your donation will go directly to this building project.  Not one dime will be spent on administrative fees or overhead costs.

Help me help Haiti!