Toy Sale for Haiti School

One person can really make a difference

By: Savannah Teegarden

When the Roemer family decided to put on a toy sale to raise funds for an elementary school in Haiti, it wasn’t an impulsive decision. The idea to help Haiti sparked when the family’s church came to an economic slump and needed help from the parish.

Eleven years ago, St. Francis of Assisi Parish twinned with St. Michaels Parish in Plaisance, Haiti. The pairing helps provide medical teams and money for teacher’s salaries and food for the school. However due to a lack of funding, St. Francis had to cut out sending the $1,000 a month to provide the school’s meals.

“It was really upsetting,” said Father John Keifer of St. Francis. “We had to tell them, ‘I’m sorry—we just can’t do it’, and that was really hard.”

The elementary school serves the "poorest-of-the-poor" Haitian children. Students are able to go to the school, but the meal the students receive for lunch is likely their only meal of the day.

Knowing that St. Francis is now unable to send money for food, the parish encouraged others in the congregation to help out.

"The priest had said, maybe a kid who's having a birthday could donate the money from that,” said Kathy Roemer, the mother of the family.

Roemer’s two kids immediately thought of ways they could help. Alexander, 9, asked his friends to bring monetary donations to his birthday party instead of presents. Roemer’s five-year-old daughter, Kate, just had a birthday. Kate decided she could sell toys to raise money.

Fr. Keifer said the Roemer family is a good reminder for others that a small thing can make a change.

“It’s easy to feel powerless in the sight of the poorest country in the world,” Keifer said. “But one person can and has made a difference. It’s just touching to see how someone so young felt strong enough to help…and really was.”

*Facts about Haiti:

· 80% of all Haitians are illiterate

· 3% of Haiti's rural children finish grade school

· 5% attend high school

· The average daily wage is $3.00

· 27 of every 100 children die before the age of 5

· One Haitian child dies every five minutes from malnutrition, dehydration, and diarrhea

· One doctor for every 50,000 people

· 80% of all Haitians are Catholic

*courtesy of www.stfrancisnewman.org