Greetings from New York. As You may know, we are planning a special volunteer service project to Haiti for our high school students. At the request of our second generation students, we have been working on this project since last fall, but because of various church activities, we could not run the project at Christmas and Spring Break as we had planned.
However, we now have a firm set of dates and the project is on. The following letter/application can be Xeroxed and handed out to any of your high school students who might wish to participate in this project. The project will run from June 29, 1996 to July 8, 1996. All of the details are in the letter, including costs of the project.
Because I do not have an address list of our high school students, I am faxing this to your center. I would be most appreciative if You would distribute the letter to any eligible students in your district. The project is safe, exciting, and an invaluable reaming experience for our young men and women. While almost all of the participants will be second generation, should You have any families with high school children who are close to the church and who are interested, contact me and we can consider accepting those applications.
Should anyone have any questions or need more information, don't hesitate to contact me at. (213) 869-2614, office or (212) 222-5189, home. We are hoping to be able to send about 20-25 young people to this project. It will be a marvelous introduction into international service and our tradition of living for the sake of others.
Thank You for your help in this matter,
ITN,
Kathy Winings
Greetings from New York. well, finally, I have been able to prepare this project information letter for You. As You have heard, we have been trying to prepare a short volunteer project outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The project site is the Haitian Academy - a marvelous facility which is a boarding school as well as a day school for grades 1 to 12 at this point. within the next year, this will be expanded to include university classes also. The school is directed by Dr. Marie Rene, a dynamic and caring woman, who had a vision to provide not only intellectual education but also vital spiritual and moral education for young men and women of Haitian descent.
As You may know, this project is the third group to go to Haiti. In January of this year, the Religious Youth Service conducted a project there as did the World CARP Academy, Both groups had a tremendous experience. Not only were they able to work on the physical construction of the Academy, but they also had an opportunity to work with the children and develop a loving relationship with them. At the same time, the volunteers learned a great deal about the country and culture of Haiti - both the strengths of the culture as well as the problems and poverty. Overall, both projects were an unforgettable experience for the students.
Therefore we wish to organize another volunteer group. At the request of many of our second generation young men and women, we decided to organize an 8-day program for high school students. This program will run from Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, July 8, 1996. Volunteers will gather in New York for a one-day orientation/training session on Saturday, June 29, 1996. We will offer insights into service, the people of Haiti, as well as the rules and regulations of the project. Volunteers will then leave New York on Sunday June 30, 1996 for Port-au-Prince. The volunteers will then help with the physical construction of the school's facilities, meet the students at the Academy, see the important sites of Haiti, experience Haitian culture, as well as learn about the heart of serving and living for the sake of others. Volunteers will then return to New York on Sunday, July 8,1996. The final dates are based on the airfare and seat availability, but they seem pretty clear at this point.
It is our hope tat through this program, organized jointly by IRFF and RYS, that the volunteers will have a brief but dynamic experience. We will provide site directors and chaperones as well as offer a series of programs while the volunteers are in Haiti. These programs will feature discussions about Haiti and Haitian culture, the meaning of living for the sake of others, and living in a global community as men and women of God.
We have tried our best to keep the costs down so that more young men and women can participate in this vital and exciting program. The cost per volunteer will be the round-trip airfare plus an additional $150.00. At this point in time, we have received an airfare quote Of $380.00. However, we are still working on finding a lower fare. The additional $150.00 is to go toward the costs of food, local transportation and project costs. It is our hope that approximately 20-25 students will wish to volunteer for this program. In that way, we can provide an exciting project.
Some WFWP chapters, inspired by the project, have indicated that they would like to try and help with the costs or sponsor some students. That is a possibility that You may wish to pursue in your community, along with other departments and organizations.
We have designed the Haiti project to be ideal for high school students. We have tried to keep the costs manageable, the work challenging enough, the length of time short and appropriate with benefits that last beyond the summer. The Haitian Academy is directed by a mature couple who are also deeply religious - making the project a safe one for young adults.
Enclosed is an application form Please fill out the form and either fax or Mail the application back to New York as soon as possible. At the latest, we need the applications in New York by June 1, 1996. Further information packets about the project, what to pack, and details concerning travel to Haiti will then be mailed out immediately after June 1, 1996. Should You have further questions, please do not hesitate to call me at: (212) 869-2614 or (212) 222-5189. Don't forget, if You do not have a passport, please apply for one now so that You will be ready in June .
We certainly hope that You will be able to participate in this exciting program. I look forward to hearing from You. Until then, may God continue to bless You and your family.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kathy Winings
Executive Director
Haiti Summer Project Application Form Name: _______ Age: _______ Address: ____________________________~___~___________ Phone: ____ Passport Number __ . Questions; 1. Do You have any health situations we should know about? 2 Have You done any volunteer work or service project before? If so, please describe briefly what it involved. 3. Why would you like to work on the Haiti project?Please mail finished application form to: Dr. Kathy Winings, IRFF, 4 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. If You need further information or more application forms, please call (212) 869-2614 or (212) 222-5189