Dreams Past & Present, Daughter’s Legacy Lives On Through Education
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Oct. 7, 2019) The dream of expanding a severely overcrowded school in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti, is one step closer to reality. Thanks to the loving support of Chicago-area donors, 400 students attending Ecole Notre Dame De La Sagesse soon will have more space to learn.
Family, friends and supporters were among the intimate group of 125 who attended the 14th Annual Dreams, Past & Present, Julie’s Legacy event with Food For The Poor on Sept. 27. Hosted by Andrew and Florette Sokulski, and Fr. Medard Laz, the dinner was held at the Stonegate Conference & Banquet Centre, in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma, who has traveled to Haiti many times with Fr. Laz and the Sokulskis, spoke about the Sokulskis’ commitment to helping the poor and their dedication to their daughter, Julie Sokulski-Hesser, who died 13 years ago at the age of 32.
“The Sokulskis have made many contributions on behalf of the poor in Haiti in Julie’s honor, they’ve built schools and they’ve funded and continue to fund medical projects at Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince,” Aloma said. “Now, their loving generosity will build three additional buildings to a nine-classroom school in Lizon, Croix des Bouquets, a priceless gift that will benefit hundreds of students for years to come.”
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of this year’s Lifetime of Giving Award to Terrence and Maureen Taylor by Fr. Medard Laz. The couple has supported various projects in Haiti for more than a decade, and was presented with a small-scale version of the life-sized sculpture of “Jesus the Beggar.” The sculpture is a dominant feature in the lobby of Food For The Poor’s Florida headquarters.
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, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for orphaned or abandoned children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Wanda Wright
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
[email protected]