Boca Grande Commits to Rebuilding Haiti, One Brick at a Time

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 24, 2017) Fundraising for 50 new homes for Haiti will continue with the Boca Grande Hope For Haitians annual cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception at the Gasparilla Inn Beach Club in Boca Grande, Fla., on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. The theme for the event is “Rebuilding Haiti, One Brick at a Time.”

Guests attending the event will hear a firsthand account from keynote speaker Lesly Clervil, Haiti Project Manager of Food For The Poor, about growing up in Haiti and how the earthquake of 2010 has forever changed his life. Clervil also will share how lives are being transformed by Boca Grande’s generosity of rebuilding lives, especially the lives of children, in his homeland.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to speak with a group of people who are compassionate about helping others become self-sufficient,” said Clervil. “I know the focus of this event is to raise money to help Haiti, but I want them to understand the people and what life is like there and that what they are doing is not in vain, but it is impactful. I admire, I am inspired and I appreciate everything that the Boca Grande Committee is doing to help Haiti.”

There also will be an exclusive silent auction of Haitian artwork, including a painting by a well-known Haitian artist that was purchased in 1976 by friends of Ben and Louise Scott who have decided to donate the artwork for the auction.

Boca Grande Hope For Haitians got an early start on its fundraising goal for 130 homes in Gressier, Haiti, when native son Ben Scott emceed “A Home for the Holidays” fundraiser sponsored by the Rotary Club in his hometown of Piqua, Ohio, in December.

“That event gave us a good start leading up to our annual Boca Grande Hope For Haitians annual reception in Boca Grande, Fla., next month,” said Scott. “We have raised enough money at the Piqua event to build 15 homes and because of a housing match, that’s a total of 30 homes for these families. I am confident that we will reach our goal.”

The housing match for the 50 homes goal at next month’s event in Boca Grande would equate to 100 new homes, which will meet the Boca Grande Hope For Haitians’ goal of 130 homes.

In September, Scott, Co-Chairman of Boca Grande Hope For Haitians, returned to Haiti with Food For The Poor and visited an area known as Alpha Village, which is located on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. It’s a harsh community of makeshift structures that’s situated between a polluted body of water and an active landfill. The goal for Boca Grande Hope For Haitians is to relocate 130 families out of these inhumane conditions.

“The Boca Grande Hope For Haitians Committee has done and continues to do outstanding work by helping families to literally rebuild their lives one brick at a time,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “The work of our dedicated donors is amazing to witness, and the result in Gressier by Boca Grande will be one of their most astonishing projects to date.”

Committee members include: Chairpersons Ben and Louise Scott, the Rev. Gary Beatty, the Rev. Jerome Carosella, the Rev. Michelle Robertshaw, the Rev. Matthew M. Williams, Henry and Ginny Bryant, George and Lois Castrucci, Patricia Chapman, Charlie and Florita Field, Lou and Corie Fusz, Stephen and Susan Jansen, Mick and Susan Johnson, Tom and Nancy Lorden, Colvin and Madelaine McCrady, and Peter and Elsa Soderberg.

Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. Over the last 10 years, fundraising and other administrative costs averaged less than 5 percent of our expenses; more than 95 percent of all donations went directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Wanda Wright

Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
[email protected]