Haiti is not too unfamiliar with being in the spotlight.  And it’s usually for something scandalous that is often infused with an undercurrent of negativity.  With its political travails and social and economic unrest, the American news media just can’t seem to get enough of Haiti’s calamities.  You must have heard the popular adage “No news is good news.”  Well it does not have to be true today, because, for a change, there’s good news about Haiti!

Most people have either heard of or know the world-renowned Dr. Paul Farmer personally.  But to those of you who don’t know this miraculous and inspirational soul, you are in for a treat!

The ubiquitous Dr. Farmer wears many hats. He is a Harvard University professor, a practicing physician, author and founder of Partners in Health (PIH).  PIH is a Boston-based organization that supports in part Dr. Farmer’s hospital in Haiti, which is free to all patients. Among his many honors is a “genius” grant from the MacArthur Foundation. 

“Dr. Farmer is known for his support of the preferential option for the poor, a central tenet of Liberation Theology,” writes Walk for Haiti Publicity Coordinator Karen Fritsche. “His approach to practice in Haiti, Peru and Russia has its basis in ethnographic analysis and real world practicality.”  In her book Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Could Cure the World, Tracy Kidder details Farmer’s work in Haiti and abroad.

Ms. Fritsche is a French teacher at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Recently she offered her perspective on some of the positive actions currently taking place in Haiti, which the U.S. media fails to tell you about. 

She spoke of an orphanage in Haiti called Cité De Soleil (City of the Sun), located in the worst slum of Port-au-Prince. In this orphanage, the children make cards that are sent to the U.S. and the proceeds from the sales boomerang back to them in Haiti.  The cards are mainly sold to the kids at the Lincoln-Sudbury high school as well as to the teachers and local churches.  According to Ms. Fritsche, the revenue from the card selling business mounted to as much as $4000!  And this has been going on for 18 years!

With bemused fondness, she related the story of how the Annual Walk for Haiti began with one of her former students.  Gerald McElroy, then a tenth grader, told Ms. Fritsche that he was no longer satisfied with the card selling or collecting money in shoe boxes in the Lincoln-Sudbury area.  He said he wanted to take the matter a step further. 

He suggested that the French Club should launch a walk to raise money and help support the philanthropic initiatives of Dr. Farmer.  She thought it was a good idea and wanted to give it some thought, but Gerald said abruptly, “You have to do it! I’ve already charged $400 on my father’s credit card for T-Shirts for the walkers, aren’t they lovely? I designed them myself.” 

Her reaction was both exhilaration and trepidation of what young McElroy’s actions implied.

So began the annual Urban Walk for Haiti, a community event aimed at raising money and awareness for the western hemisphere’s poorest country.  McElroy, who today is 19 years old and a freshman at Yale University, remains actively involved with the walk on a variety of levels, including constructing and maintaining the website www.changeforhaiti.org.

Ms. Fritsche emphasized that absolutely 100 percent of the proceeds from the walk would go to the projects that are housed by Partners in Health.  No administrative costs whatsoever, since all who participate in this function do so voluntarily. The walk has raised as much as $55000 in the past.

These funds have been used for anything from installing a lighting system and setting up new equipment in operating rooms, to more ambitious projects like building a new fully-equipped school in Haiti—based on the earnings of this year’s walk! 

Finding a place to host the event was yet another matter that would prove impossible to put on the back burner.      In searching for a place to host the event, Ms. Fristche wanted to find the most cost effective way possible. Father Sheehan of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Cambridge agreed to let her use the gymnasium, courtyard, and sound system. Yet another “Alleluiaî moment”!

This event has gone beyond the involvement of the French club to a broader spectrum of eager participants from a multitude of cities including Somerville, Cambridge and the Greater Boston area.  Last year over 800 marched and this year “We’re expecting a thousand,” says Ms. Fristche.

Individuals are invited to bear witness to greatness in local communities.  Come celebrate the music, dance lessons, poetic and musical performances, cuisine and crafts.  Come and familiarize yourself with an unfamiliar country.

Stanley Porter, a local singer/songwriter and owner of 412 Records, will serenade the youthful crowd with his musical ingenuity!  He will most likely perform some music from his latest and critically acclaimed album Grace Amazing.  Mr. Porter states that his mission is to “promote Christian values through music.” He also provides learning opportunities for talented voices and artists of tomorrow through internships and so forth.  And to top it all off, he even offers a small monetary compensation to what he calls his Street Team!  He has also offered to sponsor me as a walker.  For more information go to www.412records.unimstores.com.

Lynette Laveau Saxe, dramatist, theatre, costume and fashion consultant and CEO of International Express and the Laveau Look will also be present as a possible vendor and walker.  She purports that her company supports “community activities that help to promote change and growth through personal expressions.”  Their motto is “If you can envision it, we can actualize it.”  The ideology fairs very well with the mission of the walkers embodying a vision for a better Haiti. Ms. Saxe has also agreed to be one of my sponsors. For more information email her at: LSaxe15685@aol.com.

Bill Cunningham of The Bridge staff, who admits to having heard of Dr. Farmer and who eagerly stated upon me asking “I’ll sponsor you!”  And “Alleluia yet again!”

And now, I am coming to you, the reader. I would be most grateful and so would the people in Haiti, if you would not mind taking them under your gentle wings by sponsoring me for this very important walk and this very important cause.  If you ever felt the need to make a difference in the world but felt overwhelmed by such an ambitious prospect, well this is your chance to make it happen!  Please make a tax-deductible check or money order from $5 and up payable to: Partners in Health Walk for Haiti, 641 Huntington Ave. 1st Floor, and Boston, MA. 02115! Be sure to note that you are “sponsoring Jacques Fleury” on your checks or money orders. 

I have also been invited to perform some of my poetry at this event, which I will write exclusively for the show!!  At that time, I will have my newly published poetry book titled Sparks in the Dark for sale, which is meshed with colorful references of Haitian folklore.

God bless of you, the unsung heroes of everyday life, particularly during these times of strife!  Hope to see most of you, if not all of you, at the FABULOUS yet thought provoking Urban Walk for Haiti party!   You can also email me with questions or comments at: haitianfirefly@yahoo.com.    Also, make your sponsor check or money order payable to:

Partners in Health walk for Haiti

and in the memo  write:

sponsoring Jacques Fleury! 

Thank you so much for your support!  We can make arrangements for me to pick up the check somehow.   peace, love = safe doves the fly Jacques thehaitianfirefly Fleury