A Community's Commitment

On a recent sunny Sunday afternoon, members of the Dover Church gathered for food, drink, and a presentation from Jim Ansara, the new chair of HEI/SBH’s board. Our work was not news to this congregation, as they have been supporting us for more than two years now. The gathering was a celebration, a thank you, and a commitment all at once, for a church that has a great connection to HEI/SBH, especially the satellite clinic in Villa, Haiti.

Several members had visited SBH’s campus in Fond des Blancs, and had been bringing back stories of their visits to their the rest of the congregation. Their enthusiasm had brought the church to commit to an annual gift to support the clinic in Villa. Beyond financial support, the Dover Church community has found other ways to support HEI/SBH, including leveraging the expertise of individual members and helping us make beneficial connections with other organizations and people. The youth of the community have also started the Kids for Timoun (“Kids for Kids”) program, raising money for Haitian schools by selling Haitian honey in Massachusetts.

Jim and Conor Shapiro, HEI/SBH’s president, came to Dover on that sunny afternoon to both acknowledge the diverse and committed support of the congregation, and ask for their continued effort. The hope is not only that the Dover community continues in its enthusiasm, but that it serves as an example of creative fundraising for other groups that want to support public health efforts in Haiti however they can. There are many ways to support the work HEI/SBH does, and the Dover Church has done well finding many ways to do it.