Grace and St James' mission to Haiti

Click on link to check on the first steps: fitting the kids with uniforms

https://youtu.be/UwTzwGUWsh4

for your splendidly generous response to our annual back-to-school appeal – “Uniforms 2024-5”

Bonnie Vigeland (convener Haiti ministry) on station, Lorie Healy with pen & check book – thank you Lorie! TV behind: students tell of their lives and their school with thanks.

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On average, American families plan to spend $565 per child this year for back-to-school clothes, shoes, and supplies, plus $309 on electronics (National Retail Federation). Can you spare $75 for one Haitian child?

Thank you for supporting 221 students already – only 29 to go!

To donate, please see us at coffee hour; send a check made out to Grace Episcopal Church, with “Haiti Ministry – uniforms” in the memo line; or go to the church website, click “give,” choose “Haiti” from the drop-down menu, and note “uniforms.”. Any amount is welcome. For more details, visit graceinhaiti.org.

For a news roundup from L’Ecole St. Matthieu, check out the latest Grace Notes! Grants, solar energy, teaching materials … there’s a lot to be happy about. Follow the link and scroll down to page 11, or visit the church website and click on the “quick link” at the bottom.

Please help us continue the good work by contributing toward school uniforms and supplies. Thank you for supporting 125 children so far, out of 250. Halfway there! $75 provides for one student; any amount is welcome.

To donate, see us at coffee hour; or send a check made out to Grace Episcopal Church, with “Haiti Ministry – uniforms” in the memo line; or go to the church website, click “Give,” choose “Haiti” from the drop-down menu, and note “uniforms.” Thank you again!

Imagine … if you had to wash your child’s school clothes by hand in a tub or basin. That’s what the families in Bayonnais do! Can you support them by providing one uniform for a child?

Many thanks to all who have donated. We’ve now provided for almost 70 students, with 180 to go. $75 covers a uniform and school supplies; any amount is welcome. To give: please see us at coffee hour; or write a check to Grace Episcopal Church with “Haiti Ministry – uniforms” in the memo line; or go to the church website, click “give,” go to “Haiti Ministry” in the dropdown, and mention uniforms in the “note” space.

Watch this blog for more stories.

Donations have reached a total of $3000! That’s enough to support 40 students. Another 210 will still need school clothes and supplies. The students and staff at St. Matthieu have persevered through great adversity. Let’s do what we can to help.

$75 provides a uniform and supplies for one student. Any amount you can give is valuable. To donate: please see us at coffee hour after the Sunday Eucharist; or write a check to Grace Episcopal Church with “Haiti Ministry – uniforms” in the memo line; or go to the church website, click “give,” go to “Haiti Ministry” in the dropdown, and mention uniforms in the “note” space.

For more stories, follow this blog.

# 1 in a series of glances back as we look forward to setting up the kids for the coming school year 2024-2025

2008: first visit, 35-40 children, 5 grades, 5 chalkboards

St. Matthieu’s School is finishing a successful academic year in the face of enormous obstacles. And now the Haiti Ministry is looking ahead to the coming year. Beginning June 2, we are raising funds for school uniforms and supplies for St. Matthieu’s 250 students. We need your help to support their brave, everyday effort to build a better future.

Every contribution is valuable. We recommend $50 for the cost of a uniform and $25 for supplies for one student. Other amounts help toward these goals and provide a hedge against unstable prices.

How to donate: write a check to Grace Episcopal Church with “Haiti Ministry – uniforms” in the subject line; or go to the church website, click “give,” go to “Haiti Ministry” in the dropdown, and mention uniforms in the “note” space; or go to coffee hour on Sundays after June 2, where we’ll be ready to meet you. Mèsi anpil!

May 18th, fete du drapeau, is a national holiday in Haiti commemorating the the ripping of the central white section from the French Tricolor to form Haiti’s blue and red flag in 1803. Independence followed in January 1804

And an occasion for fun at St Matthieu : click to see

• dance
  • sack race
    • musical chairs
      • capture