Cumberland Kiwanis
Minutes of April 26, 2010
Speaker: Julie Blackaller, Cumberland School
District
Topic: Haiti Orphanage Relief Efforts
Ms. Blackaller, who
coordinates the district Restorative Justice program for the school district,
gave a moving account of her several trips to Haiti to provide assistance to
the SOAM Orphanage, including the most recent one from which she returned just
last Saturday. She has directed
local efforts to raise some $17,000 to help feed and clothe the dozens of
children who have come to the orphanage following the Haiti earthquake.
When the quake occurred, the
orphanage was one of the few buildings left standing. Designed for about 75 kids, it housed many more people after
the quake. Many of Ms. BlackallerŐs
slides showed the near total destruction of the buildings around the orphanage,
including an adjacent school. Despite
the disaster, the faces of the children showed optimism, but much need for love
and support. As time goes on,
there is an effort to reunite children with their families, although it is
difficult for many to leave the orphanage.