A devastating earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, killing over 200,000 people in Port-au-Prince alone. The earthquake buried people alive, trapping them underneath tons of cement. Piles of dirt, debris and rubble replaced the already poorly constructed buildings. Pollution and trash blackened the water, worsening the already severe water shortage.
The Community School has a long-term relationship with a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince called Assemblée Voisinage de Jaké through a Ketchum-based nonprofit organization called Honor and Respect Foundation. The foundation helps Haitians create grassroots movement for social justice within neighborhood groups of Port-au-Prince. Our local connections with it are strong. Reed Lindsey is the founder of the Honor and Respect Foundation and a graduate of The Community School. Several teachers and locals are members of the board and help with finances. Two of our middle school teachers designed and taught the teacher education program in Assemblée Voisinage de Jaké in Port-au-Prince.
Our fundraising efforts support a free school, a free lunch program, a literacy program, neighborhood cleanup and a teacher education seminar. Over the last four years, students and faculty have worked hard at a variety of jobs to raise thousands of dollars for the Honor and Respect Foundation. Our recent coin drive netted over $5,000 in four days.
Now, Haiti needs your help more than ever. Please consider the Honor and Respect Foundation in your donations to Haiti. One hundred percent of donations go directly to helping Haitians stay alive. Thank you for your time and consideration. Visit the Web site www.Honor and Respect Foundationhaiti.org and send donations to Honor and Respect Foundation, Box 1674, Hailey, ID, 83333-1674. Merci pour le Haiti!
The eighth-grade french class of The Community School:
Taylor Adler, Jolie Blair, Hannah Dies, Whitney Engelmann, Chloe François, Reyna Kelly, Hayley Murach, Joel Otzoy, Lena Perenchio, Arielle Rawlings
