CAMP JAKE :: St. Paul's Music Director Goes To Haiti

Dr. Caroline Carson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


July 3, 2012: Dr. Caroline Carson (pictured below), Director of Music at St. Paul’s Episcopal and Director of Choral Studies at The University of New Orleans, has the chance of a lifetime this July 2012. While she has traveled internationally and taught overseas in academic situations, Caroline jumped at the opportunity to go to and make a difference in the lives of others in a non- tourist location: Port-au-Prince, Haiti with the Red Thread Promise (www.redthreadpromise.org ). She applied and was accepted.


Why Haiti? Moving to New Orleans after Katrina and seeing the city re-grow over the past six years has helped her witness what a determined community can do with each others’ help. Working at St. Paul’s Episcopal for the past four years and volunteering with The Homecoming Center’s seniors program has shown her many opportunities for service and introduced her to the movers and shakers of service in New Orleans. After Caroline learned about the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, she heard about The Red Thread Promise's work there. She wanted to do something....so she and the members of Inconspicuous 8, a local professional women’s choir, gave a benefit concert for the organization and its work. Since that time, she has kept a close eye on happenings in Haiti and approached Kathy Korge Albergate (President of The Red Thread Promise) and her husband, Rev. Dr. Scott Albergate (rector of St. Paul’s) about applying for the trip this July. Caroline is the second person from St. Paul’s to go to Haiti with the organization. The first was Mr. John Joseph, Sexton of St. Paul’s, in January 2011. In talking to Caroline about the trip, she says: “I’m absolutely thrilled to go and I know our team will have a blast with the kids. I believe it’s equally important to put your time where your mouth is when you say you want to make a difference...and I believe volunteering is something we all need to try and find time for.”


Camp Jake is an annual summer camp designed to meet the special needs of handicapped children from the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The team consists of 16 counselors and one photographer who will be working with 44 campers—who are blind, deaf or non-ambulatory - for a week on the Haitian coast. The children are from St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children. The camp removes physical and emotional barriers, giving participating children the chance to engage in creative arts, as well as physical and social activities under the supervision of a team of volunteer counselors, artists, musicians, mentors and healthcare professionals. Photo at left of Diana in her new all terrain wheelchair donated by Episcopal Church Women across the US.


"The concept for Camp Jake was inspired by my 13-year-old nephew, Jacob Richard, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative terminal illness,” said Tom Landry II, director of Camp Jake and a member of The Red Thread board. “Our camp will bring Jacob's selfless, energetic spirit to the orphaned children of St. Vincent's. We believe every child deserves the most life has to offer, regardless of disability, class, race or circumstance. Camp Jake will assure that physical limitations are left behind and replaced with endless opportunities for emotional and physical development in a fun-filled atmosphere."


ABOUT THE RED THREAD PROMISE
The Red Thread Promise (TRTP) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide hope and healing for needy and orphaned children—children who have no one to advocate for them and cannot advocate for themselves. Our program exists to improve the quality of life for these children. We provide them with the treatment they need so that they can each lead a life with dignity, health and hope. Find us online at www.redthreadpromise.org. Follow us on Facebook: The Red Thread Promise or on Twitter: Red Thread Promise.

Check us out on PBS!

Yep. The Red Thread was featured on PBS today! Since we've been in Haiti, we didn't find out until after the segment ran. Thankfully, you can see it on PBS's website and hopefully below as well. We are posting from Haiti and can't even watch it ourselves to see if the link works. Please let us know!.

Watch Red Thread Promise on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

Easter challenge and beyond

Wade examining one of St. Vincent's students

When we visited St. Vincent's in mid March, 2011, many of the children complained of abdominal pain during their examination. It didn't take the physicians long to determine that they were not sick—but hungry. Many were very thin and underweight, although they didn't display some of the tell-tale signs of malnourishment, such as the tips of their hair being red instead of black. We trust that it is because of the arsenal of vitamins at St. Vincent's clinic being distributed on a daily basis that is helping in this manner. However, it is very disturbing to see these children suffering from something as vital as insufficient food.

As a result of the earthquake, essential funding for St. Vincent's program was lost. Unfortunately, this has come with a high price for the 185 children in their care, 90 of which live at St. Vincent's. Hard decisions have to be made, such as:

• Do we buy water or food for the students today?
• How many times can we afford to feed them all this week?

It is with this in mind that we have reached out to many of our large donors and organizations that have supported our programs in the past.

Recently, The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia (Washington state) has taken up this cause and partnered with us to feed St. Vincent's children. The Diocese of Olympia has challenged the Diocese of Louisiana to have every member of their respective organizations donate $10 to buy food for St. Vincent's.

Ten dollars can make a world of difference to these children. $10 will feed 1 child for 2 weeks, a minimum of 2 meals per day. Who would have thought that for the price of 2 or 3 gourmet coffees that you could feed a child in Haiti for 2 weeks. What a blessing to be able to give so little and make such a huge impact on a child!

Today, we challenge you to do the same.

We ask you to consider sponsoring one of these precious children for two weeks, a month or a year. For the price of a few runs through your favorite drive-thru, you can provide 2 or meals per day for a child for an extended period of time.

• $10 - 2 weeks of food for a child
• $20 - 1 month of food for a child
• $240 - 1 year of food for a child
• $3500 - 1 month of food for all 185 children

Please contact The Red Thread Promise to make your pledge today. You can use our PayPal link above for a one-time gift. If you are interested in sponsoring a child for an extended period of time, please contact Kathy by email at kathy@redthreadpromise.org or call 817.320.6522.

Thank you!

IN THE NEWS, part 2

Thanks to the reader who caught this article in which we are mentioned as well.

Great quote from the Times Picayune:

"Empathy is one thing. Taking the step to actually help someone else in need is the true spirit of the season."

IN THE NEWS

Times Picayune, New Orleans, 12-17-10

Times Picayune, New Orleans, 1-14-11

Thanks to the Times Picayune in New Orleans, TRTP has made it into the newspaper twice over the past month. (Just click on either of the articles to enlarge.)

Thank you, St. Paul's!

Some of the gorgeous windows at St. Paul's

The sanctuary at St. Paul's

The partners: Randa El gayar, Sally Carlson,

Sadoni Leon (Director of St. Vincent’s), Tom Landry II,

Kathy Korge Albergate, Scott Albergate,

Sonya Yencer at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church–Lakeview

Meeting with Fr. Sadoni to discuss the future of St. Vincent's

(from left to right, Fr. Sadoni, Kathy, Tom)

Back in October, we announced our partnership with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church-Lakeview (New Orleans, LA) and the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana to help rebuild St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children School and Clinic in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As 2010 comes to a close and totals are tallied, we are thrilled with the first fruits of this partnership and excited for what this means for St. Vincent's.

Churches and parishioners from AR, AZ, CA, HI, LA, MA, MD, NJ, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, the UK, UT, VA, VT and WI have donated funds in excess of $33,000 to help send All Terrain Wheelchairs, canes, crutches, tarps and medical equipment to St. Vincent’s.

In addition to the donations mentioned above, some of the same churches and parishioners have donated to The Red Thread Promise to support Rivers of Hope orphanage in Haiti, ensuring that the little ones have food, clean water and the medical attention they need year-round. Their generosity goes farther still in support of the babies at Swallows Nest Children's Home in China, providing special needs orphans with spina bifida surgery, formula and ongoing medical care.

Small donations come together to form large donations that make a big difference in the lives of these exceptional children, from Haiti to China. If you are one of these donors, please give yourself a huge hug from all of us at The Red Thread Promise.

We also ask that you continue to keep us and St. Vincent’s in your thoughts and prayers. Our work there has only begun. Based on the request of Fr. Sadoni, Director of St. Vincent's, our resources have gone to supplies for the center. In time, we will focus on equipping their clinics and partnering to rebuild part of the facility.

In the meantime, we continue to raise funds and awareness for St. Vincent’s for wheelchairs ($325 each), equipment for the blind (approximately $20,000) and clinics, along with clean water and food on a regular basis. Quite a lofty goal, but we together can do it!

In the news, again!

Some of the deaf students from St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children

School & Medical Facility prior to the earthquake on January 12, 2010

The partners: Randa El gayar, Sally Carlson, Sadoni Leon

(Director of St. Vincent’s), Tom Landry II, Kathy Korge Albergate, Scott Albergate,

Sonya Yencer at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church–Lakeview

St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children School & Medical Facility

before the earthquake on January 12, 2010

The same building after the earthquake on January 12, 2010

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We are excited to share this great news with our loyal friends, volunteers and donors. Late last week, the following press release went out to approximately 2,500 Episcopal churches across the United States as well as local media in Washington state and Louisiana.

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CONTACT

The Rev. Dr. Scott P. Albergate

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church-Lakeview

225.615.0065

The Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson, Jr.

Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana

504.895.2401

Kathy Korge Albergate, President

The Red Thread Promise

817.320.6522

Date: Sept. 23, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HELP FOR HAITI: DIOCESES AND THE RED THREAD PROMISE

RALLY TO REBUILD SPECIAL NEEDS FACILITY

New Orleans, LA — It’s been nine months since the devastating earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. But the physical and psychological rubble left by the natural disaster lingers for some of the country’s most needy; namely the young people who rely on the St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children School & Medical Facility.

To support the children and restore their hope and dignity, the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, Seattle, the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, New Orleans, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Lakeview, New Orleans, announced a new partnership with The Red Thread Promise, a 501(c)(3) organization based in New Orleans.

Together with interior architects Tom Landry, II (New Orleans) and Randa El gayar (Montreal), who are experts in sustainable building practices, these organizations have combined their compassion for children with their talents and resources to rebuild the much-needed facility.

“St. Vincent’s is the center of these children’s lives,” says Kathy Korge Albergate, president of The Red Thread Promise. “It’s where they flourish and where they learn to take care of themselves, including acquiring skills to become productive members of society.”

Prior to the earthquake, St. Vincent’s served approximately 250 children with special needs, including the hearing- and sight-impaired. The former facility housed classrooms; general, dental, eye and audiology clinics; surgery and recovery rooms; a pharmacy; a prosthetic and orthotic workshop; kitchen; cafeteria; dormitories; administrative offices; and guest quarters.

Only three rooms of the original structure remain, so the team will work closely with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti as well as St. Vincent’s engineers and architects to finalize plans for the new facility. Guided by best practices in accessibility, safety and sustainability, the new facility will be constructed to be both hurricane and earthquake resistant.

“Building a facility to help the children is our number one priority,” says The Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana. “But we also want to do it in a way that leverages the lessons we learned from Hurricane Katrina while also incorporating the latest in sustainability practices.”

The partners have been raising both funds and awareness for the rebuilding and refurnishing project. They’ve also funded a full shipping container of all-terrain wheelchairs and medical equipment, including scales, instrument sanitizers, canes, crutches, blood pressure cuffs, cast cutters, typewriters and other medical supplies needed for the new St. Vincent’s medical facility.

“St. Paul’s has been blessed by the friendship developed with the Diocese of Olympia over the past 5 years since Hurricane Katrina. This project is the ideal opportunity for St. Paul’s to continue nurturing this relationship while making a positive impact on the lives of these most vulnerable children in Haiti” states The Rev. Dr. Scott P. Albergate, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church-Lakeview, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Giving and other information can be found at www.redthreadpromise.org or by emailing Kathy@redthreadpromise.org.

# # #

New Orleans, Day 1

Fr. Sadoni, Director of St. Vincent's,

with Kathy, President of The Red Thread Promise

Tuesday, 9/14 – Late in the afternoon, we all arrived safe and sound in The Big Easy: Sally from Washington state, Sonya from Ohio, Randa from Canada and Fr. Sadoni from Haiti. Tom and Kathy, our local counterparts, greeted us at the airport, exchanging hugs and kisses with friends old and new. The group gathered around a well-used wooden table at an airport café for quite some time as we began drafting a press release announcing the partnership of the Episcopal Dioceses of Olympia and Louisiana, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church-Lakeview and The Red Thread Promise to support the children and rebuilding efforts of St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children School & Medical Facility.

Following some traffic meant to give us all a lesson it patience, we made it to our hotel where we unpacked and freshened up for dinner. Since Fr. Sadoni, director of St. Vincent’s, had never been to New Orleans, we made time for a super-condensed tour of New Orleans, driving through the French Quarter, Central Business, Warehouse and Garden Districts and Uptown, all in about 45 min! The architecture, or what we could see of it in the dark, was fantastic. Stories of Hurricane Katrina were shared as we looked on at the water lines still evident on many buildings. New Orleans has made great progress in the last 5 years, but so much still needs to be done to restore the city to its former glory.

The beautiful chandelier in the hotel's vestibule

Our work began again at dinner that evening, getting to know each other and building a personal relationship with Fr. Sadoni.

Born in Gramonde, Fr. Sadoni grew up in Port-au-Prince. He studied management at the Episcopal University (which was destroyed by the quake) and simultaneously went to seminary. Sadoni has worked in schools, hospitals and churches in different parts of Haiti since he completed his studies 5 years ago. Prior to the earthquake, he was appointed Priest in Charge of Ephiphanie Church and Director of St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children School & Medical Facility.

The Center was founded in 1945 by Sister Joan Margaret to care for handicapped children, who were (and still are) treated as sub-human in Haitian society. The sisters traveled through Haiti and brought these little ones to St. Vincent’s for medical care and to receive an education, an innovative idea in Haiti.

Sixty-five years ago and to this day, there is little hope for anyone born with a disability in Haiti. Often neglected or abused by their families, handicapped children are literally left in a corner by themselves in their own homes, isolated from the rest of the family. The fortunate ones might receive an education after all other healthy siblings have been to school. It is also common practice for parents to abandon their special needs children, discarding them in bathrooms, on the streets, in front of buildings – so much that hospitals have a special area for abandoned babies. Some are even given to Voodoo priests so people can engage in sexual intercourse with them to bring good luck, according to Haitian belief.

Sadoni, a soft-spoken man of few but deliberate words, showed his passion for these children when he firmly stated that he “wants to change the children’s lives AND to change Haitian’s perception of people with disabilities.”

Our discussion then turned toward Voodoo, how it is an integral part of Haitian culture and is intermixed with nearly every other faith, especially Roman Catholicism. Interestingly enough, people of the Catholic denomination commonly practice Voodoo openly while those in other denominations tend to practice in secret.

New Orleans has an “underground” Voodoo subculture that boasts many similarities to that of its Haitian counterparts. Many practices are the same in both countries. However, there are some fundamental differences as well, including who practices the religion. In Haiti, Voodoo is primarily practiced by less educated people and there appears to be a direct correlation between level of education and the practice. In New Orleans, however, it is sometimes practiced by those who are very educated and is deemed more a cult than part of the culture.

We ended the evening on a positive note as we celebrated Sadoni’s upcoming wedding, wishing the couple good luck and a life of happiness together. As we rode back to the hotel, we considered the heavy agenda for Wednesday: gathering detailed information about St. Vincent’s needs since the earthquake; identifying and prioritizing their immediate needs; and fleshing out an action plan for the partnership to move forward and begin supporting the children of St. Vincent’s.

(Author's note: Exhausted after a day of traveling, meeting new people, and ending with a very long and late dinner, we had some comic relief at 11:00 pm that night when I was unable to view the MANY photos I had taken that afternoon and evening. Puzzled, I started examining the camera more closely and, after further investigation, realized that I had forgotten to put in the memory card. Thankfully we were all able to laugh it off, however we did ensure that the card was there every time I pulled the camera out the rest of the trip! So, the photos shown were actually taken on Wednesday, but I'm sure you won't tell anyone.)

Keeping the momentum rolling, St. Paul's!

The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) of St. Paul's Episcopal Church-Lakeview (Louisiana) have been actively supporting The Red Thread's Wheelchair Promise Program over the past several months.

The program provides All Terrain Wheelchairs (ATWs) to disabled Haitians. ATWs enable immobile individuals to attend school, return to jobs and further support themselves and their families. These specialized chairs are perfectly suited to traverse Haiti's rough terrain.

To date, St. Paul's ECW has raised $14,251

to purchase 43 wheelchairs for Haiti!

One hundred wheelchairs are needed to fill a container before it can set course for Port au Prince. If you would like to support St. Paul's and the Wheelchair Promise Program, please send your tax deductible donation to the The Red Thread Promise at the address on the upper right or contribute via PayPal. Please mark "wheelchair" in the memo line.

A special thank you to the churches that St. Paul's ECW has reached out to who have laready contributed generously to the Wheelchair Promise Program:

• All Saint’s Episcopal - Hershey, PA
• Christ Church Episcopal - Kealakekua, HI
• Church of the Annunciation Episcopal - New Orleans, LA
• Episcopal Church of the Advent - Medfield, MA
• St. Francis Episcopal - Denham Springs, LA
• St. James Episcopal Church - Eureka Springs, AR
• St. Mark’s Episcopal Church - Harvey, LA
• St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal - Baton Rouge, LA
• St. Paul’s Episcopal - Payson, AZ
• St. Paul’s Episcopal Church - Gainesville, TX
• St. Paul’s Episcopal Church - North Andover, MA
• St. Paul’s Episcopal Church - Salt Lake City, UT
• St. Paul’s Episcopal Church-Lakeview - New Orleans, LA
• St. Stephen’s Episcopal - Ridgeway, SC
• St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church - Longview, WA
• St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church - LaPlace, LA

Go St. Paul's! Keep the momentum rolling.

TRTP in the news - PRESS RELEASE

St. Paul's Episcopal Church in New Orleans issued the following press release regarding their Haiti: New Orleans Will Stand By You outreach campaign on 3/2/10.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

The Rev. Dr. Scott P. Albergate, Rector

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

504.488.3749

salbergate@stpauls-lakeview.org

Kathy Korge Albergate, President

The Red Thread Promise

817.320.6522

kathy@redthreadpromise.org

Lisa Davis, Director of Institutional Advancement

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

504.488.3749

ldavis@stpauls-lakeview.org

ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND THE RED THREAD PROMISE

SEND HOPE TO HAITI

Organizations prepare to send their first Haiti relief team to the devastated area.

NEW ORLEANS - (March 1, 2010) Immediately following the devastating earthquakes in Haiti, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and The Red Thread Promise (TRTP) joined together in support of the people of Haiti by establishing the “Haiti: New Orleans Will Stand By You” outreach campaign. In the weeks following, organizers have been working hard to assemble a group to travel to the region to assist in their relief efforts. Through connections locally and nationally, a Haiti relief team has been formed and the group will make their first trip to the devastated area departing, Saturday, March 6th from New Orleans National Airport at 6:00 am arriving in Port-au-Prince at noon.

The Haiti relief team is a dedicated group of volunteer professionals with a passion for helping the people in the region and offering hope to those in the area who desperately need it. The group will be working with two Haitian organizations, Mountain Top Ministries (MTM), located in the town of Gramothe. MTM is an organization serving three mountain top communities providing a school, medical clinic, and church to the approximately 1,500 children. Since the devastation, MTM is also serving countless earthquake victims and Rivers of Hope orphanage, also located in Gramothe, which provides a home and care for 15 Haitian orphans.

The seven member team offers a wide-range of experience and expertise all sharing in the unified goal of helping Haitians with their recovery in both the short and long term. The team’s focus for this trip and future trips will be on helping to support the community’s medical, rebuilding, and educational needs. The group is also raising funds to support the disabled by providing All Terrain Wheelchairs to the handicapped. Team Leader, Kathy Korge Albergate, president of The Red Thread Promise (an organization dedicated to providing medical care to orphans across the world) has made several trips to Haiti before the earthquake working with the above mentioned organizations and brings years of experience working with orphans and children in foreign countries. On this trip, Albergate will serve as the group’s mentor and guide in the region while working with the Haitians to access their rebuilding needs and supplies. She will also spend time teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to kindergarten and 1st graders at the MTM school.

Joining Albergate are:

• Erin Hardin, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church member and The Red Thread Promise, board member. Hardin is a child advocate and will be working with Rivers of Hope orphanage to organize food donations, medical supplies, and long term care for the residing orphans.
• Tom Landry II, Interior Architect, will work with Mountain Top Ministries consulting on their needs for an extension of their medical clinic to include a surgical building. Landry will be on a fact finding mission taking extensive notes, photographs, and interviews. This will equip him with the knowledge and understanding needed to begin the design work and fundraising for the facility.
• Wade Shields, Physician Assistant, serves on the medical team and will be assisting the thousands of Haitians in need of medical care at Mountain Top Ministries clinic. He brings his experience of similar mission trips taken to Nicaragua.
• Three New Orleans medical residents bring much enthusiasm and talents to the table. They will be working five very full days at Mountain Top Ministries seeing patients as needed.

Through Albergate’s Haitian connections her team will have immediate access to the Haitians and a direct link to helping those whose needs are so high. The entire team is excited and devoted to making an impact in Haiti and feel fortunate to have the opportunity to share their talents and expertise with the people in the region. When the group returns from their first Haiti mission, they will work together to evaluate, access, and plan the future steps to continuing their service and commitment to the people of Haiti. Funds are being raised to help support the “Haiti: New Orleans Will Stand By You” campaign and can be made by visiting www.redthreadpromise.org. There is a PayPal button on the website as well as TRTP's mailing address. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. You can also send checks payable to The Red Thread Promise and mailed to:

Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund

c/o St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

6249 Canal Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70124

100% of all financial donations earmarked Haiti Relief will go directly to provide earthquake relief.