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Going Strong in Haiti –
On a sunny afternoon, in three-digit temperatures, a dozen laughing children jump into a waiting truck, ready for a swim. Four Roosevelt Islanders have invited them to their hotel pool, and the children have gotten ready in minutes. Once there, three of the older girls – good swimmers – jump into the pool immediately. Two older boys, not as good in the water, follow. Roosevelt Island’s Jim Luce, the only adult in the pool at the time, has his hands full sorting the good swimmers from those not so good. Two older boys, Stenford and Frantzy, have no interest in the kiddie pool – they jump on Jim and he swims around the pool with them. This is Gonaives, Haiti, the second week in July, and the delegation from America has flown in to meet with the local Board of Directors of Orphans International, review the educational program, and discuss plans for the future. In addition to the writer, who serves as an OI advisor, we include Rosa Suárez, immediate past president of Orphans International America; Jim Luce, founder and current president of OI Worldwide; and Yuri Suarez, OIWW Programs Officer. With us, we’ve brought some 80 pounds of French books donated by another Roosevelt Island resident, Raya Barut, and a dozen math workbooks donated by PS/IS 217. The workbooks will make it easier to individualize instruction – essential when the range of skill varies as much as it does here. But for this day, there are the delighted shouts, laughter, squeals, jumping, and splashing of twelve happy children. Afterward, there is pizza and spaghetti and, unlike many American children, these youngsters have no complaints about ingredients; they are polite and appreciative. They don’t ask for seconds, but happily accept them, politely, when they are offered. Our day at the pool with these OI kids was as much fun for the adults as for the children. We hated to leave.
The next day, two summer-school teachers worked hard to prepare the children for the fall school term. The primary school children will attend the local school; the pre-school children will be taught on the OI campus. A few local children will be invited to participate. Even the older children knew little more than the alphabet when they arrived at the orphanage last October. All of them now read and can do math at 2nd or 3rd grade level. Even so, the older children will enter classes 1-2 years below their age-appropriate class. The plan is to move them forward with supplemental individualized instruction during the school term, and with summer school this year and in the future.
In founding Orphans International, Jim Luce has provided Roosevelt Islanders and others with an opportunity to make a difference. "By becoming a sponsor," he says, "you provide immediate aid to some of the world’s most disadvantaged children. More than that, you will help develop a child through education and vocational opportunities." Child sponsorship opportunities with OI include membership in a Sponsorship Circle at $100 per year, regular child sponsorship at $600 per year (or $50 per month), and full sponsorship at $2,400 per year. Each child has up to four sponsors, and contributions are tax-deductible. The following Roosevelt Islanders are among the many sponsors of OI children: Laurence Brodsky, Marguerite Camaiore, Mary Camper-Titsing, Doris and Nina Chernik, Eric and Beth Chernik, John Dougherty, Esther Dyer, Erin Feely-Nahem, Vicki Feinmel, Marlene Flom, Bonnie Goodman, Cathy Grimm, Linda Heimer, Carol Hoskins, Vera Kirilcuk, Claude Lestelle, Steve Marcus, Joyce Mincheff, Lindsay Mure, Nurit Marcus, Ethel Grodzins Romm, Ron and Jennifer Schuppert, Anne Sullivan Smith, Margie Smith, Alan Ulick, Ron and Fay Vass, Ron and Marilyn Walter, Nancy Wells, and Nina Wintringham. Roosevelt Island-related institutions and businesses that support Orphans International include Accountable Financial Management, The Grodzins Fund, The Main Street WIRE, New York National Bank, PS/IS 217, Roosevelt Island Cleaners, Roosevelt Island Disabled Association, Roosevelt Island Senior Association, Roosevelt Island Quranic Society, Roosevelt Island Talmud Study, Trellis, and The Waterside Group. On the other side of the world are more Roosevelt Island connections: On the campus of OI Sumatera in Indonesia sits The Romm Family Community Health Center, Ethel Grodzins House, Anne Grodzins House, and The Roosevelt Island House, featuring the Carolyn B. Maloney Room and Armida Heimerdinger Room. Lena Lutz House is planned for construction in 2007. The Board and committees include many Islanders: Luce lives in Eastwood; Westview resident Rosa Suarez serves as Secretary; Manhattan Park resident Lynn Chambers, a CPA, is treasurer. Also involved are Dr. Anne Sullivan Smith and Felicia Nair of Manhattan Park, Bonnie Goodman of Rivercross, Marlene Flom of Westview, and Southtown resident Carol Hoskins, RN. Roosevelt Islanders interested in the project, now in its sixth active year, can get a copy of the OIWW Sponsorship Opportunities booklet – digital or paper – by e-mailing info@oiww.org, calling 212-755-7285, or dropping off a request at 540 Main Street, Apt. 418. |
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