Skate4Haiti

Please join us at the Skate4Haiti event on Saturday, November 13th, 6pm to 9pm, at the newly renovated Purcellville Roller Rink (now called the Bush Tabernacle) at 250 South Nursery Avenue.

The purpose of the event is to raise funds to provide school scholarships to Haitian children.

Did you know?

• The average Haitian family income is less than $500/year.


• Less than 15% of Haitian schools are public and free.


• More than 85% of Haitian schools are privately owned and change fees (~$100 per year).


• More than 35% of Haitian children are unable to go to primary school, because their family can't afford it.

On November 13th, please bring a generous heart, a gently used stuffed animal, and your skates (if you have them) and help send a Haitian child to school.

Another Milestone Reached!

This past weekend, with help from Jim Wishmyer, Kim Kadesch, Ray Ginman and several other volunteers, the 48 large boxes and 25 buckets of tents, supplies and tools we purchased and collected over the past several months were put on one of two trucks bound for Miami, Florida, courtesy of Community Coalition for Haiti (CCH). From there the trucks will be put into a shipping container and shipped directly to Haiti. As soon as our truck navigants its way through Haiti Customs, it will be driven directly to Jacmel, Haiti. And once the truck reaches Jacmel, I hope to return with several volunteers to distribute our collected supplies to our Haitian neighbors. More details to follow.

One Step Closer!

On 9/27, we dropped off 48 large boxes and 25 buckets of supplies at a local storage unit, which is being rented by the Community Coalition for Haiti (CCH). Here is a photo of some of our packers. The items we dropped off included tents, tarps, tools, musical instruments, shoes, clothes, toiletries, school supplies, soccer balls, toys and more. CCH is in the process of trying to secure a shipping container to deliver our (and CCH's) supplies to Jacmel, Haiti. I haven't heard any details about the shipping container yet, but we should know soon. Unfortunately, it could take months for the supplies to reach Jacmel. UGH! Once we have more details, we can start kicking around dates for a return trip to Haiti.

Homer Goes to Haiti!

There is currently a big push in Haiti to try to move people displaced by January's 7.0 earthquake from tents to more permanent forms of shelter. Many homes are damaged beyond repair, but some are fixable. That's where Homer comes in. No, not Homer Simpson, but rather Homer from Home Depot. Jerry Michaels, the manager of Leesburg's Home Depot and his staff helped us assemble Shelter Repair Kits for some of Haiti's homeless. Each Kit, which costs about $300, includes dozens of basic tools and supplies that can be used to repair existing homes. Home Depot also provided us with a generous discount on the tools and supplies, which was much appreciated. These Kits will be on there way to Haiti soon.