Help for Haiti Babies.

Poststructural Pub
1

Hello All,

As many of you know, I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Haiti where I was doing some administrative work for our little orphanage Foyer de Sion. I paid for the trip myself as I’m unwilling to use donations monies for my own travel and take food from the tummies of “my kids”.

We are caring for about 275 little ones down there. The children and people working with them are wonderful.

Sadly, our financial situation is difficult right now. Due to some difficulties within the Haitian government, adoptions have been very slow the past 18 months. Most of our operations funding comes from adoption fees. No one in the organization receives any salary except those we employ in Haiti to work with the children (average salaries are $75 to $150 per month plus food and, for some, housing at the orphanage). Every cent received in donations goes into the belly of a child or Haitian employee working with the children. We are in the process of constructing an orphanage for the children. They are currently living in three rented houses. The completion of the new building will decrease our expenses by about $20,000 per year in rent. The cost of completing the project is about $300,000. The new orphanage will be much safer and more comfortable for the children. Two of the three houses we rent have no electricity or running water. The third house has running water (not safe to drink) and has electricity for about two hours a night.

At this time of year, as folks are considering charitable giving, I would ask that you be mindful of these precious little souls living in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

Foyer de Sion, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation. All contributions are fully tax deductible.

Donations may be sent to:

Foyer de Sion, Inc.
PO Box 518
Shelley, ID 83274

or via Paypal through donations@foyerdesion.org

Our website is foyerdesion.com

Also, if anyone has an instrument they’d like to contribute for sale through irishflutestore.com in behalf of the kids, please contact me via email or PM. Such contributions are also tax deductible.

Thanks, and happy holidays to all.

Doc :slight_smile:

2

Let me express the hope that we will adopt
this cause collectively, make it a ‘board cause.’
It is about as closely associated with the
music and instruments that we love
as a charitable work of this importance could be. We can actually
donate via sending good used whistles’flutes to Doc.
Or unused money.

And what could be better than helping orphans in a
terribly poor country? I was an orphan, so
I say this with some personal
feeling. I know what Doc’s
work means to children and what it’s like for a child not
to receive it.

It’s Christmas, Hannukah, The Buddha’s Birthday
(reborn so often that’s every day). Everybody
on this board, realize it or not, enjoys a
standard of living most people on this planet
can hardly imagine.

Please, let’s help these kids.

3

:confused: unused :confused:

Done. :smiley:

4

Keep it to yourself, thx. I will choose my own.

djm

5

Amen, jim…

Thank you for the kind words…i couldn’t have stated it any better.

:confused: :frowning:


And, back to you Doc…thank you for posting this…i was planning on funding another business through Kiva this season, but, children have a special spot in my heart, and this a wonderful alternative…I will be making a Paypal donation shortly.

God bless you in all that you do for these children and this orphanage.

6

Somebody asked for pictures of the kids on the Thanksgiving thread.

This is Belgarde.

He’s about 8…been in the orphanage a little over a year. Nice little guy. Sat next to me every night and sang along as I played my Hammy Practice flute after the rest of the kids went to bed.
Definitely an odd experience to be playing Christmas songs in 90 degrees and 100% humidity. Didn’t slow him down any though…he was really belting them out.

About the third night, after we were done horsing around with songs, he said to me. “Eske ou vle se papa’m?” Rough translation: “So, how would you like to be my dad?” I told him I didn’t know if I could be his dad or not but that I sure liked being his friend. He smiled his smile and said “Wi, bon zanmi mwe”…“Yeah, my good friend”…and we did a few more songs.

We started the adoption papers a couple of days after I got back. Three of my kids grew up and moved away this year. It’s gettin’ kinda quiet around here.

Doc

7

I’m happy to lend my full approval and support for this to be a board cause (except for djm, of course.)

8

Much appreciated Dale. :slight_smile:

The kids couldn’t ask for a nicer bunch of uncles and aunties IMO

Doc

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Frikin Doc!!!

Now you went and made me get all choked up!!! Gave me a wonderful shiver down my spine just reading that..

You have a grand soul.

10

Nope, it’s just a “standard issue” soul near as I can tell. I think lots of the really grand ones got poked into little brown bodies in Haiti.

My soul would have been too much of a sissy to keep smiling through the kind of experience they have.

Doc

11

My husband’s cousin devotes much of her life to helping run a home for children in Tijuana, and our mailbox is graced with their smiling faces on a regular basis. I continue to be grateful for people who’ve discovered such a life calling.

12

DOC

Is there other stuff that we could collect and ship there (or wherever you tell us to)

Fully understand that funds are #1 - but our crowd could easily collect just about anything the kids could use if there was a way of getting it to them.

pastorkeith

13

Hi Keith,

We send a big container (like a boxcar) full of stuff to Haiti about every quarter. Baby formula is a big need as are children’s vitamins. I’ll put together a list later tonight or tomorrow. Thanks. :slight_smile:

Doc

14

This is a wonderful idea. This is truly a worthy cause to support. I may have to take some funds earmarked for the Heifer Fund and sidetrack it…

15

I just wanted to congratulate you, Doc Jones, for your big heart. I don’t know you, but what I have read about you is enough to know that if all the people were like you, the world it would be much better.

My congratulates to you!
Regards,
Martin

16

Payday is Monday and a check will be in the mail to you, Doc. It’s so great to be able to give to a cause and actually trust it–rather than hoping that at least something of my donation will go to something other than administrative costs!

Susan

17

Not sure why someone would post to a thread about a charity to say that they don’t support the charity. Keep it to yourself, bub.

Also, just out of curiousity, how would value be determined for tax-refundable purposes if someone would to donate an item (not just as it applies to whistles but any item in general)?

18

My holidays are already brighter. Thanks for the opportunity to share, Doc, and for all you do on behalf of these kids.

19

Yeah, Doc. Thank you for posting and sharing this thread of information. Some of us may be new to the C&F forum but, old as dirt in caring for children and their future. We’ll look for your list and give what we can. You bet :slight_smile: .

Dennis

20

When someone sends me a flute (or whatever) I sell it and then send them a receipt for the value for the item. Actually, the treasurer will send the receipt but you get the idea. :slight_smile:

Doc