Boca Grande’s Hope For Haitians is Making a Difference in Haiti
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 23, 2016) On Tuesday, Feb. 16, Ben Scott addressed Boca Grande Committee members and nearly 100 guests at the historic Gasparilla Inn Beach Club in Boca Grande, Fla., for their annual fundraising event. The committee chairman shared plans for the completion of Friendship Village VI with Food For The Poor for families in Gressier, Haiti.
“Our goal is to build an additional 27 two-room homes and a community center, which also will serve as a church. These homes will be built in the same village as the 33 homes the Boca Grande Committee built last year,” said Scott, Chairman of Boca Grande Hope for Haitians. “It’s important to point out that each family will be given solar-powered light kits, and that each of these houses will have a kitchenette, sanitation unit and water cistern. Our community should be very proud of what it has accomplished in Haiti.”
Guests who attended the Boca Grande Committee cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception had the opportunity to donate toward the sixth home building project. They also participated in a silent auction that featured beautifully handcrafted artwork from Haiti, all of which sold. The guests also got to hear a firsthand survivor story from the 2010 Haiti earthquake that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
“As a survivor of the Haiti earthquake, I welcome the opportunities to share this amazing story. I figure this is part of the reason I am still alive,” said Leann Chong, Food For The Poor’s Director of Missions. “I believe my story represents hope in the midst of tragedy and despair. We cannot give up helping the people of Haiti, because there is life and new beginnings in what may appear hopeless.”
Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director, traveled to Haiti with Scott, his wife Louise and Boca Grande Committee members, Lou and Corie Fusz in January. He provided additional insight into the struggles of daily life and the successes of the Haitian families who have received new houses because of their loving generosity.
“These families are not looking for a handout, but for an opportunity. The majority of these families lost their worldly possessions during the Haiti earthquake, and it’s truly humbling to witness the literal transformation of entire families after they receive their new homes. To date, Boca Grande has built 200 homes in Haiti with the help of Food For The Poor. They’re truly making a difference in people’s lives,” said Aloma.
Committee members include: Chairmen Ben and Louise Scott, the Rev. Gary Beatty, the Rev. Michelle Robertshaw, the Rev. Matthew M. Williams, Henry and Ginny Bryant, Jerome Carosella, 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, Peter and Elsa Soderberg.
To experience the Journey of Hope to Haiti 2016 mission trip with Ben and Louise Scott click: www.foodforthepoor.org/bocagrande2016
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 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, with more than 95 percent of all donations going 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]