Dear Family, Friends, and Perspective Sponsors,
Through an opportunity provided to us by Duke University, our group of seven Duke undergraduates spent this past summer in Leogane, Haiti volunteering for Family Health Ministries.
We volunteered with FHM for two months, from June 1, 2009 – August 1, 2009. During this time we did everything from conducting surveys on women’s health needs to teaching preventative health techniques. The experience was not only inspiring and eye-opening, but is allowed us to see first-hand the many challenges still facing Haiti.
During our two months in Leogane, we also developed a deep connection with the town and the people with whom we lived.
When the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on January 12, it was almost as if our own home had been hit.
The earthquake’s epicenter was in the heart of Leogane, the town where we lived. In this already impoverished community, the earthquake destroyed 80% - 90% of buildings, including the house where we lived and the clinic where we worked. Fortunately, many of our friends escaped the disaster with their lives; however, many others were not quite as fortunate.
Immediately after the disaster we all felt powerless and anxious. But our team has decided to funnel this energy positively by organizing a 5-K charity walk/run. All the proceeds will go directly to FHM in its ongoing effort to specifically help our friends in the community of Leogane.
Through this website, we would like to provide you with an opportunity to help this cause that is so close to us. Even if you are physically unable to attend the event, by simply donating through this page, you will be able to directly improve the quality of life of one of our Haitian friend’s affected by this tragedy.
We appreciate your support in this time of need.
Sincerely,
Matthew Gay, Johnny Lai, Laura Ferraro, Sunita Saith, Juyon Kang, Maxwell Kligerman, and Kevin Chen
