From a Jacob's Fund Mom

Cameron and Landon, Jacob's Fund kids

Only a week ago we honored our mothers on Mother’s Day. Since Jacob’s Fund’s work not only affects the children receiving therapy, but also their entire families, we thought you’d like to from a Jacob’s Fund mom.

Cameron and Landon received riderships from Jacob’s Fund earlier this year so they could continue their hippotherapy at McKenna Farms. Here’s what their mother, Melissa, has to say about their progress:

Cameron is not the same boy he was last year. His speech defect was downgraded from severe to mild in all areas!

What a joy it is to be able to have a conversation with my son! I have gotten to know him on a much deeper level since his therapy began. Now he can tell me “I like that” or “I don’t like that.” He no longer screams bloody murder when we brush his teeth or hair or try to put lotion on him. He does these things on his own!

At the beginning of August 2012 he wouldn’t even attempt to play with other children. If you could only see him now! I have to make Cameron leave when he is interacting with other kids. We rejoice over the tiniest victories because each one demonstrates the progress he is making.

Landon has also made great strides. He can communicate basic needs now. His teacher even videotaped him singing with his class the other day. We recently took him back to a developmental pediatrician who prescribed new medication for him. Within a short time he was playing with toys again for the first time in a week. Small victories!

I thank God for lighting my path last year. At a friend’s barb-b-que I met Shelly who told me of McKenna Farms and hippotherapy. I met Jesse, director of the farm, who introduced me to Jacob’s Fund. Through the help of all these angels, we are getting to see our real sons shine through.

Please continue to pray for our family. Every day is a new journey and we take leaps of faith along... but I know God will supply our needs. He has thus far. Thank you so much for the opportunities Jacob’s Fund has given my children, for helping to restore a broken family who is enjoying getting to know their very special sons.

We will continue to keep you updated on the twins’ progress. Your support continues to help make this possible through either one-time or continuing gifts.

CAMP JAKE - Wish list

Jean enjoying some free time at camp in Jan 2012

People continue to ask how they can support Camp Jake 2013. Here is another opportunity! Below is a list of items that are needed for camp that will be re-used year after year.

APPAREL

70 – pairs swim shoes
70 – backpacks - DONATED - THANK YOU!
70 – 100% cotton beach towels - DONATED - THANK YOU!

Claurrician working on a masterpiece!

ART SUPPLIES

30 – bottles Deco Art Americana 2 oz. acrylic paint -

various colors of your choice
10 – digital cameras

10 – sets Crayola markers - DONATED - THANK YOU!

Older campers always enjoy playing cards

GAMES

3 – THE GAME OF SET cards

3 – sets pick up sticks

3 – playing cards - DONATED - THANK YOU!

3 – UNO cards - DONATED - THANK YOU!

3 – sets dice - DONATED - THANK YOU!

3 – sets jacks - DONATED - THANK YOU!

Moise loves everything and anything that has to do with a ball

SPORTS

3 – inflatable basket balls

3 – inflatable soccer balls

3 – inflatable volley balls

3 – inflatable red rubber balls

no footballs or baseballs, please

One of the many jam sessions from Camp Jake July 2012

MUSIC

1 – portable karaoke machine

any type of musical instrument that can be hand-carried

MAKE-UP

appropriate for dark skin tones

If you or an organization you know is interested in donating any of the items listed, please email Kathy to specify what you'd like to donate and the quantity. Kathy will supply a shipping address for these items. Please do not ship to our Havertown address. We will be dividing up the supplies among our counselors from across the states who will be hand-carrying everything into Haiti for camp in July. Thank you for your continued support.

CAMP JAKE - Camper gift list

Mackenson receiving his backpack full of supplies from Camp Jake / July 2012

For those who have asked how they can support Camp Jake 2013—a summer camp experience for Haitians with disabilities—here is the perfect opportunity! Below is a list of items that will be gifts to the campers for use at camp and beyond:

70 – athletic exercise shorts - adult & child size

70 – pairs ankle socks: adult & child size - DONATED - THANK YOU!

70 – containers of shea / cocoa butter - DONATED - THANK YOU!

70 – stainless steel water bottles - DONATED - THANK YOU!

70 – toothbrushes - DONATED - THANK YOU!

70 – tooth paste - DONATED - THANK YOU!

70 – small toiletry bags

55 – digital wrist watches

35 – bottles of sunscreen

30 – deodorant sticks - DONATED - THANK YOU!

30 – compact mirrors

15 – braille wrist watches

If you or an organization you know is interested in donating any of the items listed, please email Kathy to specify what you'd like to donate and the quantity. Kathy will supply a shipping address for these items. Please do not ship to our Havertown address. We will be dividing up the supplies among our counselors from across the states who will be hand-carrying everything into Haiti for camp in July. Thank you for your continued support.

CAMP JAKE - Invaluable partnerships

Mary, from Physicians for Peace, feeding Yolen, one of our campers
from St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children during the
first session of Camp Jake (Jan 2012). We are hopeful that representatives
from Physicians for Peace will join us again this summer for the 3rd session!

Thank you Physicians for Peace for once again teaming with The Red Thread Promise to bring a meaningful, educational and therapeutic experience to St. Vincent's students through Camp Jake 2013! Your generous donation of time, talents and resources will help the TRTP team bring more medical professionals to camp, additional camper support, and help purchase much needed supplies. We value your partnership!

EDITORIAL: Reconciling my inner turmoil

“Enough.”

How much is enough?
What we have? A little more? A lot more?
Can we even define it? 
Do we care?
Should we care?

In my mind, ENOUGH means:

• Enough fresh water.
• Enough food.
• Enough shelter.
• Enough education.

Just plain enough. Enough of the essentials to sustain life AND to flourish.

Speaking for myself, I can’t even remember not having enough. I’ve always had clean water to quench my thirst, food to fill my belly, a roof over my head and a respectable school. I was even fortunate enough to earn a degree after high school.

Sure, I’ve endured “tough times” like:

• Being teased at school for my hand-sewn clothing 
• Boxed mac-n-cheese with SPAM or squirrel pie (honest!) for countless dinners 
• Drafty windows that made the house—especially my bedroom—very cold
• Riding the bus to school instead of driving a car
• Struggling over bills and credit card payments

Looking back, I am still thankful …

• Thankful for the fabric and buttons that held my clothes together and for the hands that made them (even if not high fashion)
• Thankful for the simple groceries that filled our pantry and the hands that prepared meals every day (even if not steak and lobster)
• Thankful to live in a house and for the income that paid the mortgage (even if not a new house)
• Thankful my education (even if not from an Ivy League college)

For those of you who have traveled to developing countries, my guess is that you can relate to the inner turmoil I feel after every trip there and home again.

I hold a firm belief that the world has enough resources for everyone. What I think is lacking is our distribution of it.

“Enough,” as I see it, is wrapped up in “more” and “I deserve this” and “I earned this.” For many of us, “enough” lacks compassion and forethought to walk in someone else’s shoes.

Oh, sure, “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is great—in theory. But for those trying to break the cycle of generational poverty, “trying harder” usually isn’t enough to make a change—and perhaps never will be.

So what is our obligation to others? 
To our fellow human beings? 
Do we simply relish in our “we are so blessed” feelings?
Or, dare I say it, do we work together to make a real and lasting difference?

This is one of the reasons that I got involved with The Red Thread Promise: the desire to make a difference. Whether it's fundraising for a Chinese baby's surgery, working hands-on in Haiti at Camp Jake, or volunteering at a hippotherapy farm, I pray everyday that in some tiny way, I can be a part of positive change in the world.

~ Sonya, Vice President, The Red Thread Promise

Haiti Happenings, Part 8 - HOLY TRINITY & ST. VINCENT'S

Holy Trinity Symphony

Only blocks away from the empty palace grounds are what remain of Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. Our team and others from the Haiti Connection conference toured their large temporary sanctuary and school that take up all of the usable property. Both the music school and classes continue for students. 

Holy Trinity students listening to the symphony

We were fortunate enough to arrive when Les Petite Chanteaurs (Boys Choir) and Holy Trinity Symphony Orchestra were practicing for an upcoming event. What a treat it was to enjoy their music! 

Sadly, a HUGE cathedral bell—one of the only remaining artifacts from the original cathedral—was recently stolen. How the thieves were able to move such a massive bell is unimaginable. The bells have now been walled in with cement to prevent further theft until the cathedral is rebuilt in years to come. 

The bells from Holy Trinity (photo from 2011)

Last, but certainly not least, St. Vincent’s is steadily showing signs of rebirth:

• St. Vincent’s now has its very own library which is slowly being stocked with books
• Kathy tested out the new sound-proof audiology booth that is set up in a dedicated space to serve the deaf children
• The storage room that we cleaned out and organized two years ago has been converted to a music room that will soon be shared with computer lab The Red Thread is helping to establish
• The water purification system is up and running 

Claurrician, a student at St. Vincent's operating St. Vincent's new gift shop,
and John, a friend from West Tennessee Haiti Partnership.
The shop sell's student's work, including jewelry, artwork and handbags

Journeyman working in the new brace shop

The brace shop

The brace shop shares space with the new clinic

The building will house an expanded pharmacy and multiple clinic rooms

As soon as these areas are furnished and stocked, it will be open for business,
serving St. Vincent's students, staff and the community

The new facility will house both permanent and visiting medical teams year round

Looking into a clinic room

The view from inside the clinic looking out

And, to our delight, the children are growing up! They are each a year older and happy. New faces abound as well. The school is now running at full capacity for the current space. And yet there are still children waiting to get in the doors of this very special place in the heart of Port-au-Prince.

Haiti Happenings, part 7 - CHANGE IS GOOD!

Colorful Haitian public transportation vehicles
called TapTaps bustling through the city

Take a quick look at the progress we observed in Port-au-Prince in April 2013. Change may not be at the rate we are accustomed to, but it was wonderful to finally see some notable progress.

Setting foot on the ground at the Toussaint Louverture Airport was a pleasant surprise:

• After deplaning, we were guided into an air conditioned (!!!) walkway on the 2nd level that is now complete with well-lit immigration stations, a big step up from the dark, dingy wooden booths of previous trips 
• The bathroom facilities were modern, a refreshing change from years past when we warned every Red Thread traveler to use the bathroom on the plane BEFORE deplaning (amusingly enough, a red-eyed Sonya walked right into the men’s room!)
• The baggage area held the most profound changes, now boasting not 1... not 2... but 3 fully-functioning baggage carousels in a clean air conditioned space

Old immigration stations
(and irritated-looking immigration officers!)

Previously, baggage was tossed in a heap on the concrete
in a dark warehouse area where everyone sifted through the pile
 in sweaty pursuit of their personal belongings

The new and much improved baggage claim area

Three carousels! 

The crisp clean duty free shop

Outside the airport were other significant changes:

• There were open spaces that were previously filled with 1,000s of tents and 10s of 1,000s of people and lines of port-a-johns; there wasn’t a tent to be found
• Fences have been erected to keep people from creating new encampments
• We saw sculptures and artwork that had previously been hidden behind temporary structures, tent cities and scores of displaced people
• There were more open shops 
• Less people asked for handouts on the streets
• Two recognizable landmarks—the Presidential Palace and Ministry of Finance—have been leveled and cleared, preparing for rebuilding

Tall cranes and other large equipment dotted the downtown area,
showing signs of rebuilding efforts

Life in Port-au-Prince

Cleaner streets with fewer piles of burning trash
and fewer animals sifting through the rubbish

The road to St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children

The once stunning Catholic Cathedral still stands behind tall fences;
all of the stained glass has been removed and we assume
they are preparing to demolish what remains of the structure
(photo reposted from BBC News) 

We are encouraged by these signs of progress in the city. We are hopeful that the Haitian people will renew themselves as well.