Celebrating 2016 and looking forward to 2017...

2016 was another year full of great accomplishments at NPH USA - new friends, supporters, volunteers and godparents; successful fundraising and friend-raising events; joyous trips to the NPH homes; and so much more - all to transform the lives of children in need! And it is all possible through the generosity of people just like YOU! If you have yet to make a gift to support NPH USA, please consider making a donation today, and check out the 2016 highlights from each regional office of NPH USA below as well as our Haiti Initiative/St. Damien Pediatric Hospital Fund!

Northwest Region

• In the NW, we graduated the fifth (and welcomed the sixth) annual cohort of 6 young leaders from NPH to the Northwest for a year-long program of study and leadership development. We also published a report on the impact of the program on the first 26 graduates!
• The NW Associate Board for young professionals sponsored a variety of fun and successful events in Seattle, including Carnaval for a Cause, Hunt for Hope, and a Trivia Night. AB members also sponsored fundraisers at their companies, including f5, which featured NPH USA during their holiday campaign, and Microsoft, where the Devices Division sponsored a soccer tournament that raised more than $20,000.
• Support of our events grew dramatically, including our second annual NPH USA Northwest Golf Classic, and our record-breaking Gala, which raised nearly $400,000. In particular, we increased our corporate sponsorship significantly from past years.
• We welcomed 180 new child sponsors, and 13 Northwest donors contributed $5,000 each to provide a scholarship for a university student at NPH.
• Nine international volunteers from the Northwest did a year or more of service in one of the NPH homes in 2016.
• Ross Egge joined our Northwest staff team, after 11 years working on the ground with NPH in our homes, and we welcomed Jacqueline Shrader as the new Program Director of the NPH Seattle Institute.
• We moved to a new office space (same building) � come visit us!
• We raised more than $1.7 million in general funding to support our children, plus an additional $1.7 million in legacy and restricted gifts! Thank you to all!

 (photo of Paul Sandoval, AB member!)

 

Southwest Region

• Edwin Mehta joined the team as the SW Region's Development Coordinator, and Jarrett Ransom joined the team as the SW Region's Development Officer!
• The SW Region hosted all of the NPHI Staff and Country Directors for meetings and fundraisers during the National Director Weekend and also celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Fr. William Wasson�s passing. It was a wonderful time had by all!
• The SW Region hosted the Pequenos from the home in Nicaragua for three weeks of Fundraising and Events in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Danville and also had the 2016 SW Get Closer Gala with special guests Ismar and Marlin!
• At the end of October and the beginning of November we had a women�s group that travelled to the NPH Home in Guatemala where 20 women had the opportunity to experience the culture and witness the life that the children have at the home in Guatemala.

  

Midwest Region

• The peque?os from NPH El Salvador provided great music and folkloric dancing during their 18-day Peque?o Tour this past spring. The group spent most of its time in the Chicago area, staying with families in St. Michael Parish in Orland Park and Transfiguration Parish in Wauconda. They also traveled to the far reaches of the Midwest Region for a long weekend at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City, Tennessee. We estimate over 3,500 people witnessed one of their many performances. Many thanks to our host families and local organizers. We couldn�t do it without you!
• The weather cooperated this year for our Fourth Annual Golf Outing featuring NFL Hall of Famers and other football greats from years past. We moved the golf outing this year to the stately Biltmore Country Club in North Barrington, and the new venue was everything we hoped it would be and a whole lot more. More importantly, the golf outing set a new record in terms of the amount that was raised.
• For the third year in a row, the beautiful Standard Club of Chicago was the location for the annual MW Region's Gala and After Dark events. At the Gala, the Midwest Region presented John and Cindy Shinsky with its Coraz?n Award, which is given to those who give their hearts to the children of NPH. John and Cindy have worked tirelessly to build and support Ciudad de los Ni?os in Matamoros, part of the NPH Mexico network of homes. For the third consecutive year, the Young Professionals Board of the NPH USA Midwest Region hosted the always fun Gala post-party, aptly named After Dark. A good time was had by all. Revenue for the Gala and After Dark was 10% higher than last year.
• Thanks to the organizing and running efforts of Midwest Region Board member Chris Ambroso, in the famous Chicago Marathon Team NPH USA�s runners raised $12,500 for the children of NPH!
• This year, the Midwest Region directed six trips to NPH homes in Guatemala (twice), Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and El Salvador. Participating on those trips were 135 people who were able to experience for themselves what life is like at an NPH home.

Standing outside the bishop�s residence in Knoxville, Tennessee is the group from

NPH El Salvador with the Most Reverend Rick Stika, Bishop of the Diocese of

Knoxville, in the middle.  In the upper left hand corner of the group is His Eminence

Justin Francis Cardinal Rigali.

Midwest Region sponsor Anita Lambert and her goddaughter are all smiles during

                Anita�s visit to NPH El Salvador in November.

Upper Midwest Region

• The UPMW region celebrated Volunteer of the Year Vic Roers! Vic is valued for her dedication and her enduring amount of time and talent. She shares the NPH story with everyone she meets and wants nothing more than to ensure NPH children have a stocking for Christmas. Vic has been such a supportive and helpful volunteer and is quickly becoming a regular at NPH Honduras and El Salvador! 
• Thank you to all the supports in our Upper Midwest region for making this year�s Cinco de Mayo 5k Run/Walk (our 10th Annual) such a success! We raised $18,593 and had 278 participants! Special thanks to our generous Sponsors: Summit Orthopedics, Valley Pain Relief and Wellness Center, HED Cycling, Modere North America, and Defining You Pilates and Fitness! 
• This August, members from the Upper Midwest Region�s Associate Board of Directors formed a 2016 NPH USA Summer Games event that raised over $8,000! The group created fun and original contests and competed against one another for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. Way to go Associate board!  
• Thank you to the more than 360 guests who attended the 2016 Upper Midwest Gala presented by Nasseff Mechanical Contractors, which was a grand success! Through gala ticket sales, silent and live auction, games, and most importantly an anonymous match and commitments made during Fund-A-Need, we raised over $508,000 to continue Raising Children and Transforming Lives at NPH homes. We are also excited to announce 15 new child sponsors were formed. Likewise, we honored Jean Gray for his 35 years of dedication to NPH with the Rose Schaffhausen Award. A world traveler, Jean has seen the poverty that exists and destroys the potential for children. Jean has given his time, energy, and countless hours to the Fr. Wasson Legacy Endowment. Jean has embraced the NPH mission, furthered our cause and continues to cherish our NPH children.
• In 2016, the NPH USA strategic plan addressed the importance to deepen efforts in philanthropy and restructure staffing to ensure future success. Molly Boyum was announced the Vice President of Development to oversee all of the regional offices of NPH USA, and therefore her previous position, now open, allowed for the new hire of a regional director. Stephanie Pommier, new Regional Director, joined NPH in July with 19 years of nonprofit experience, a great passion for social change, and adherence to sensitivity, collaboration, and ethics in all her fundraising. Steve Schmidt, our new Development Manager, was born and raised in Shoreview, MN and joined NPH in August sharing, �NPH is a family, and I feel as though I have found my home.�  

Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Region

• Many parishes in the MA-NE Region united their church communities and joined NPH USA in helping those less fortunate this year! The generosity that poured out of St. Mary of the Assumption Parishes in Brookline, MA; The Parish of St. Anthony in Cohasset, MA; Most Precious Blood & St. Theresa Parish in Dover & Sherborn, MA; Good Shepherd Parish in Wayland, MA; Holy Family Parish in Duxbury, MA; St. Paul the Apostle in Annville, PA, and St. Joseph�s Catholic Church in Herndon, VA resulted in over 90 children receiving new sponsorships this fall with more on the way!
• Eight schools in Massachusetts opened their doors and hearts to the children of NPH Mexico this fall during our 2016 Peque?o Tour. Notre Dame Academy, Immaculate Conception Academy, Trinity Catholic Academy, Dexter Southfield, Hamilton � Wenham High school, Waring School, Rockport Middle School, and Shore Country Day, all welcomed the children and generously supported them in their fundraising efforts. Thank you!
• Generous donors/supporters got together to organize events in support of NPH this year raising over $23,000 for the children of NPH. Brian Orr, Barbara Kelley, and Kara Swenson put together the Windows on the World event on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Eddie & Eileen Bernau hosted Cheers for Children at their home in Newburyport, MA. Patty Tarpey got together passionate donors and sponsors in a Cheers for Children event in Washington, DC and Deirdre & Steven Ginns, Patricia & Paul Mikus, and Charlie & Barbara Sullivan hosted the second annual Cocktails for A Cause in Hingham, MA while the pequenos were here from Mexico. Thank you to all for your support!
• The MA-NE Associate Board and Junior Board have both had a successful year with many fun events and fundraisers in the surrounding Boston area. The associate board has expanded to include members in both NYC and DC! Reuniting returned international volunteers with passionate NPH supporters! Both groups have been helping to raise awareness and funds in support of University Education for the Pequenos.
• The NPH USA Mid-Atlantic Northeast office facilitated many mission and donor trips to a variety of NPH homes this year, including Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Mexico. After seeing the direct impact of NPH and falling in love with many of the children at the homes, trip participants have become some of our most passionate advocates in raising funds and spreading awareness about NPH.

 

Haiti Initiative/St. Damien Pediatric Hospital Fund

• We celebrated a matching grant challenge this year when a very generous foundation pledged $500k per year for three years if we could find two other donors who would join them for the same amount and duration, and thanks to two additional generous donors, we completed the challenge and received the support for St Damien Pediatric Hospital!
• Fr. Rick and Jennifer Rayno, President of the NPH Haiti Board of Directors and Director of the St. Damien Pediatric Hospital Fund respectively, visited St. Louis Church and the community of Pittsford, NY in August. This generous and faithful community has been supporting St. Damien for over thirty years and raised nearly $60k this year through various efforts!
• St. Damien graduated the first group of 6 new pediatricians trained at St. Damien in October! After 3 years of training, these 6 new pediatricians are ready to take care of children�s health in Haiti. There are approximately only 300 pediatricians supporting 3 million children under 5 years of age with great vulnerability in Haiti. We have retained 3 of them for our own needs. The 4th class of 6 physicians started their training October 1st.
• St. Damien was able to offer continuous care during a 5-month strike of all governmental hospitals in Haiti from the end of March to August 2016. The hospital experienced a 2% to 25% increase across departments in the volume of the population served during the first 3 months of this strike. St. Damien proved once more that it is poised and always ready to help the Haitian community during crisis. St. Damien was recognized by the executive director of the Ministry of Health for the role it played for the country during a press conference when the strike ended.
• The heart program at St. Damien has grown significantly. 11 children received heart surgery in February 2016. A second mission scheduled for September 2016 was postponed until January 2017 due to insecurity in the country. More than 150 children were screened during 5 visits of pediatric cardiologists from the US, France, India (from an Indian hospital established at Cayman Islands). A wonderful partnership with Haiti Cardiac Alliance, Gift of Life International and a foundation from Health City Hospital in the Cayman Islands support this program. A significant proportion of children with heart defects were dying at home or at health centers as families are not able to send them abroad for needed surgeries. St. Damien is the only hospital in Haiti able to offer heart surgery locally thanks to this support our partners. One of our own pediatricians has currently completed 6 months of a one-year training in pediatric cardiology in Martinique. The program will continue to grow offering screening, surgery, and follow up care to the children with heart disease in Haiti. There are 3 surgical cardiac missions that are scheduled at St. Damien during 2017.

 

 

Meeting Father Rick Frechette

Below is a post from Cheyenne, a student from Random Everglades School in South Florida.

(Cheyenne is pictured second over from the left.)

The man, the myth, the living legend, Father Rick Frechette, had been a mystery man for months. At the end of my junior year, me and a group of friends decided that we truly wanted to make an impact in our community. Our goal was to convince our school, Ransom Everglades School, to launch a school-wide global initiative. We planned to do this by adopting an orphanage located in Kenscoff, Haiti. The global initiative is about more than providing supplies collected during a drive or check sent from funds raised at bake sales - it is about a sustainable partnership between Ransom Everglades School and St. Helene orphanage and providing resources through campus-wide engagement. The final step in establishing the Ransom Everglades Haiti Initiative proved to be the most difficult; meeting the man who runs the St. Helene orphanage we planned to adopt, Father Rick.

When I first came in contact with Father Rick through email he expressed his gratitude but explained that traveling for him was difficult and often short noticed. I quickly realized that Father Rick did not just run the orphanage he also got his hands dirty with the daily mundane tasks of the orphanage. Although I wanted to meet with Father Rick and discuss the Haiti Initiative in detail that meant pulling him away from the children I wanted to help. We proceeded with the hopes of meeting him down the line.

Ransom Everglades School launched its first initiative and was able to raise over 750 sheets between both the lower and upper campuses. It was shortly after the first container of sheets shipped that I received an email from Father Rick stating that he planned to be in Miami. I was more than thrilled about the possibility of meeting the man I had only been able to view on video. On December 3rd, I had the pleasure of meeting Father Rick. During his school-wide address he stated that the difference between the children in Haiti and the students at Ransom Everglades was simply the structures of our lives were different. Father Rick, in less than 10 words, shed light on the need for our initiative.

One of the main principals of the Ransom Everglades School is to give to the community more than you have received from it. St. Helene and Ransom Everglades Schools are hundreds of miles apart and we share a similar commitment to community. Just as Ransom alum often come full circle to give back to the institution that gave them so much, children from St. Helene often return to the orphanage to help and contribute to the program that gave them so much.

Having the opportunity to meet Father Rick was truly remarkable. Father Rick has such a passion for his life�s work. Even in the face of disaster and peril, his spirit is one of resilience. His visit today has inspired me and the other members of the Haiti Initiative Committee to do the work that Father Rick so desperately needs help with. This marks the beginning of true sustainable partnership between Ransom Everglades and Father Rick that will contribute to his amazing legacy.

The Way of the Cross by Father Rick Frechette, NPFS Haiti

It was a long, hard way that she walked, the mother of Ronel.

And like the long, hard walk of Christ, it started with a very bad verdict.

�Crucify him.�

Ronel, at 8 years old, had cancer of his kidney.

Marise was tormented, and pondered in her heart what this might mean for her little son.

So began her way of the cross.

Weeping came easy now, for this strong and weathered woman.

Like dewfall on her cheeks, and river mist shrouding her eyes.

Marise would become known for this sorrowful look.

Jeremy is very far from Port au Prince, by water or by land

(travel by air is not a choice for poor people).

Mother and Son travelled the long road, with other poor women who also hoped that Port au Prince might bring some kind of relief from their woes. 

It was a rough trip for Ronel, like being on a very bad road when your whole body aches with the flu. Christ was buffeted and stricken. Ronel was not without his literal hard knocks.  Hundreds of eyes gawked at his gaunt and pale smile . 

The journey ended, thank God, by an encounter with our team of good Samaritans at St Damien Hospital.

Help took a rough form. As Christ on the Cross was offered a sponge soaked in gall to quench his thirst, before long the bitter gall of chemotherapy became a staple for Ronel.

As Christ�s side was pierced by the sword, Ronel�s side was lanced by the surgeons spear, for the removal of the tumor.

As Christ anguished for many hours in the heat of the day, Ronel was blasted with the wild energy of radiation to burn the cancer away. 

�Thank you for helping my son,� said the bewildered Marise.

God be praised, Ronel seemed better.

And so, back to Jeremy went the world�s newest Lazarus.

Resurrection!

Long, lazy days in the family �lakou� at Jeremy. 

New memories  of sunny days and balmy breezes, of grandma working hard in the fields, looking often to see if her precious young treasure was alright, as he lounged on a hammock, held up by two coconut trees, which shaded him and gave him drink.

Paradise regained!

As Marise started to recuperate her widows mite, to renew herself with the energy of her friends, both lost during her difficult months away from the marketplace in the face of tragic illness.

The sun rose and the sun set in Jeremy

For many months.

Ronel studied and worked,

Ronel laughed and played.

Ronel began to grow tired,

Ronel started to become pale.

Marise could not NOT notice,

Try as she might.

Back to Port au Prince, guided by hope. 

Battered again in crammed busses, walking through the hospital gates to the same good Samaritans,

But this time their jaws dropped and their hearts tightened.

It was too late. Very sadly, Ronel was beyond help and was going to die.

This is when I met Ronel. He was in agony.  His eyes were like deep lakes, trying to drink in understanding. His body was skeletal, his belly bloated. Marise held him in her arms, and the weight of his body on hers, and the weight of his illness on her heart were very obvious. She was the sorrowful mother. �Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nourished you!� 

Heaven and earth were locked in an embrace, under the names of love and sorrow, under the names of Marise and Ronel. This was holy ground. Fools need not tread here.

The wish was to return to Jeremy. Marise was telling Ronel they would go back to the sunshine, to the cool breezes, to grandma and the shade of her trees. She pulled me aside to say that grandma�s hammock was the best place for Ronel to die, though she appreciated what we had done. She sobbed as she explained that if she went to Jeremy now she could start to save for a new shirt for Ronel�s burial, for a coffin to be made, for a grave to be dug.

I packed them some pain medicine. I packed some food and drink, I gave money for the tickets and to help later with the funeral. And they left after  we had a simple prayer together.

Marise had the idea, I discovered later, to be at Portail Leogane late at night, and be first in line for the morning bus. She would sleep in line, on the ground, holding her place, holding Ronel, so as to be sure of a seat on the first bus.

And so she did. She sat on the ground, against a tire, cradled her son, and fell asleep.

Marise slept lightly, but deep enough to dream. She dreamt she was flying a kite, in the calm blue sky with light winds. Birds were singing, children were laughing, an old, wizened women looking on smiled her approval and enjoyment of the scene.

The kite soared, and out-powered the string.

The string broke, and the kite was lifted by the spirit-wind higher and higher,

And became lost to her eyes in the strength of the brilliant light of the sun.

Marise woke up. Two hours to go until dawn.

Ronel was dead in her arms.

Pieta.

Stabat mater dolorosa, juxta crucem lacrimosa, dum pendabat filium.

Two hours to wait. Two hours to grieve, to ponder, to pray.

To grieve on public display in the streets.

Public transport would start up before sunrise, but would not accept a corpse.

Even if you paid two seats.

Marise made her way to us, for a third time since she began her way of the cross in Jeremy, nearly two years before. She arrived on foot, carrying the lifeless Ronel in her arms.

I was preparing for the morning mass as she walked into the chapel, and in wailing and grief, gave me her precious son, for the mass of the Resurrection, and burial.

HIS WAY was to walk our way.

He was born in a manger, on a bale of hay,

Noticed only by those who loved him

And by those others whom the Holy Word describes  as wise,

Who understood the language of  a rogue star.

HIS WAY was to walk our way,

And brighten it by the heroic witness and sacrifice,

Of mothers and of strangers,

And to quicken the way with many small resurrections

HIS WAY was to surrender to the tragedy he could not control

to conquer it, and ransom its energy, transforming its terror into healing,

HIS WAY was to be buried in a borrowed grave,

and to rise again quietly and unannounced,

leaving only the sign of the folded shroud that had covered his face�.

�and when needed, for people like Marise,

the sign of the soaring kite with the broken string.

RESURREXIT SICUT DIXIT, ALLELUIA!

He has risen as he promised. God be praised.

Happy Easter to you, with shared faith!

And may God bless and reward you,

for all the Ronels and Marises who come to our doorstep

who have bee helped by your generosity.

Fr Rick Frechette CP

March 10, 2013

Port au Prince, Haiti   

Always a child showing the way, always a child brightening your day.

Children
by Gena Heraty

Always a child showing the way
always a child brightening your day.
Always a smile shining on you
always a child there loving you.
The years come and go
grey hairs replace brown,
so many problems around
easy to feel down.
But you stop for a while
and you look all around
and you see all that love
waiting to be found.
Its there in the kids
whole fountains of hope
these innocent children
how do they cope?
No mothers and fathers
to hold them at night,
no cuddles and kisses
no arms holding them tight.
Bright shining eyes
look straight to your soul,
dare you open your heart
dare you become whole?
For these kids are your teachers
they have so much to say
they�ll mold and they�ll shape you
til you find a new way.
They may not say a word
but their message is clear
just open your heart
you have nothing to fear.
These kids will see through you
through the masks that you wear
they will reach right to your center
Listen to them if you dare.
Here in these mountains
where the air is so clear
hundreds of children
so cute and so dear.
Hundreds of children
reaching out to you in love
wrapping their arms about you,
like angels from above.
They don�t care about your profession,
or if you drive a fancy car,
they don�t care where you come from
be it from near or afar.
They just want to sit and touch you,
run their fingers through your hair.
Tell you that your are beautiful
or maybe you are hairy as a bear.
�Your nose is oh so pretty
but really it is so long
and your belly is very big
and sure let us entertain you with a song.
Will you please take our photo
sand show us how we look?
Next time you visit
will you bring me a present � even a book?
Will you tell me about your life
and the world where you live?
will you ask about mine
will you receive what I give?
Will you be a part of my life
even though you are not here?
will you spare me a thought
when I am far and you�re not near?
Will you help me grow up
help me survive in my life?
help me see many tomorrows
despite the troubles and strife?
You see I am your family
I just need a chance
I will make you so proud
so happy you will dance.
I will reach for the stars
and say hi to the moon
I will be a witness to your friendship
morning night and noon.
O what is their future
in this troubled land?
who will walk the way with them?
Who will lend a helping hand?
I look at their laughing faces
watch them as they play
and I thank God for NPFS
for the joy they know today.
And I try not to worry
about what tomorrow has in store
some things are out of our control
But I will always wish for more.
I will always wish for these children
that they have a chance in life
to enjoy this time of childhood
before the world unloads its strife.
I pray people will stand behind us
support us every day
help us help these children.
Educate them and guide the way.
I thank god for all the donors
that support us through the years.
Without them we can do nothing
we�d never move beyond the tears.
And life is surely a mystery
some things just make no sense
and yet helping little children
Is for sure a good defense.
Defense against the injustice
that sure likes to have its way.
Defense against the darkness
that could pervade each day.
So as we think of these wonderful children
entrusted in our care.
Lets pray for strength and guidance
lets offer up our worries in prayer.
Lets keep our hearts so open
and our minds full of hope.
Though the budgets are causing us stress
lets believe we will cope.
Lets keep our faith firmly planted
in the arms of God above
Lets continue in our mission
as we try to be a people of love.
Lets listen to the children
as they smile through every day.
In their smiles are valuable lessons
a smile lights up the darkest way.

Work of Love

Below is a story from dedicated Friend, Liz Wisnasky from Illinois, who has worked on a wonderful project benefiting the children in Haiti.

The burial cloth project was started before the earthquake in Haiti. I met Father Rick at the International Meeting in Mexico when Betty Gildae and I were helping Friends of the Orphans Midwest Region on their board. After a trip to Haiti, before the earthquake, John Shattuck came back and asked us if we could make burial cloths from pillowcases and sheets. We had made 5,000 and then the earthquake hit. We have 13 churches, schools and charity organizations helping us with the project, and we have expanded to also making reusable cloth diapers, little girls' dresses and boys' shorts. The Children of Abraham heard of this project and they so kindly sent our donations in containers down to Haiti and some recently to Peru. Father Rick has received over 25,850 burial cloths and a few thousand dresses for the orphans in Haiti. We made a beautiful banner for his church when we saw he used one of our burial cloths to cover a large crack in his church wall. An 86 year old angel from Incarnation Church has cut out over 45,000 crosses from material that we glue on to each burial cloth. The Sisters of Charity open our burial pall boxes when they arrive in Haiti, and they say you can feel the love in each one. At St. Dennis in Lockport, IL Father Justin Dike was deeply moved when he saw our work of love. He said, "Making these burial cloths is such a gift of love and corporal mercy for the parents who have nothing to bury their precious children in. I believe this project will go world wide as it is needed everywhere."

If you are interested in joining this project or learning more please contact Liz Wisnasky at 708-614-6475.

Gifts of Love: Meaningful Gift-Giving

Below is an article shared by Marcia Mendola, who has helped head up the Haiti Initiative at St. Louis Church in Pittsford, NY for over 20 years. Please read to learn about the amazing relationship between St. Louis, Friends of the Orphans and NPFS Haiti and the great work they are doing together to help children in need.


Over the past 20 years, St. Louis Catholic Church in Pittsford has enjoyed a special relationship with Fr. Rick and his staff. They say he is a �real saint in the making� and appreciate his incredible work for the betterment of mankind. They are especially grateful to him for providing a direct route of service to the suffering in Haiti, and have complete confidence in his work knowing that every cent is put to the best possible use. When the 2010 earthquake hit last year, St. Louis Parish was poised to help with several fundraisers (in addition to the regular tithing commitment to Friends of the Orphans): the 39th Annual Corn Sale, St. Louis School�s Dress-Down and Bake Sale days, a World Hunger Banquet event, the Sunday Stroll for Haiti and the famous annual Christmas Ornament Sale. In addition, the church committee manned a fundraising and informational booth at the fall and spring town celebrations; a local musician tied to the committee created, performed and sold a song about Haiti (http://www.mangotreeforhaiti.com/); and a local restaurant owner and parishioner offered Italian sauce for the cause.


This September, St. Louis celebrated its 40th Annual Corn Sale. For forty years the Powers Family, who run an area farm market, have planted, harvested and delivered wagon loads of fresh corn for parishioners to sell before and after masses on the weekend after Labor Day.


During the coming Holiday Season, St. Louis will conduct its 30th Annual Ornament Sale. Over the past 20 years the money raised has been sent to Fr. Rick�s efforts with the Haiti Initiative. From Halloween until New Year�s Day the beautiful, uniquely different every year, white ceramic ornaments will be available at 4 area churches and 26 merchants around the Greater Rochester area. (Donations of $6 each are requested). Purchase sites, pictures of the ornaments, and more information is available on the parish website: http://www.stlouischurch.org/.


The story behind this Ornament Sale is a wonderful one! These works of art are made by the �Special People� at the School of the Holy Childhood (http://www.holychildhood.org/). Throughout the school year, these developmentally challenged students work as part of their curriculum to create 2,600 masterpieces. In the summer months, the school�s workshop students gift-package the ornaments for St. Louis. Holy Childhood students, despite their personal life challenges, are proud and happy to be of help to children not as fortunate as they. This year, in 2011, the 30th edition proudly features the �Angel of Music� and �Peace Doves.� This project is aptly named �Works of Love�. From the creation of the ornament to its packaging, the children�s love is plainly evident. The purchasers buy the gift out of love for the recipient, and the recipient loves to be remembered in such a thoughtful, meaningful way. All involved find this a way to show their love for the beneficiaries: the poor of Haiti.

Kathleen McMahon (Pastoral Associate of the Social Ministry and Justice at St. Louis Church in Pittsford, NY) adds: It is only within the last eighteen months that I have had the privilege of working with Marcia Mendola, Bob McNamara and Jennifer Rayno to assist with their amazing efforts on behalf of Fr. Rick, Our Little Brothers and Sisters organization in Haiti (NPFS Haiti) and Friends of the Orphans.  It is an honor to be involved with their devoted labors.