March 19,2010

Thanks to all of you, 434 backpacks and additional hygiene and school items are now on their way to the children of Haiti. All My Sons Moving Company picked up the 48 boxes yesterday (Thursday, March 18) evening and are now transporting them to New Jersey from where they will be put on a container ship for Haiti. We will be following the transport of the container and give updates when we get them regarding the arrival of the cargo in Haiti.

The second phase to our project is to visit Haiti in late summer or early fall. We hope to eventually have final photos of the project when the backpacks are in the hands of the children of Haiti.

To us, this has been an incredible experience. Since we started the project in late January, we have witnessed so many acts of kindness and generosity that it has oftentimes led us to tears. As many of you have heard us say, this is a beautiful story about the COMMUNITY of Hilton Head Island/ Bluffton.
The success of this grassroots initiative is the result not of the work of a specific group or neighborhood or church or school BUT of the overall enthusiastic participation of the COMMUNITY: private, public, home schools, service organizations, local businesses, individuals (rich, poor, old, and young), our family and friends.

The principals, staffs, and students at Sea Pines Montessori Academy, Hilton Head Baccalaureate Elementary, Hilton Head Creative Arts Elementary, the Hilton Head Early Childhood Center, and the Cross School, and Home Schooled Families (combined) prepared 225 backpacks and provided colorful and thoughtful messages to their Haitian counterparts.

The students at Hilton Head Preparatory held several fund raisers to earn $1500 to cover the cost of the backpacks. Literacy Volunteers of the Low Country’s English-as-a-Second Language Class at the St. Francis School site prepared 11 backpacks and made a contribution.The children in the After School Program at the Island Rec Center collected items, colored pictures, and sent photographs.

Representatives from local businesses, Clearwater Creek, Rollers, and Wise Guys played an active part as well. Members of the Kiwanis Club supported the project with more items and backpacks.

Excellent coverage and promotion on local TV and radio– Jaime Dailey WTOC-TV, Holly Bounds (WSAV-TV) and Monty Jett (Adventure Radio)– brought our project to an even bigger spotlight.

It’s been said “It takes a village!” No clearer evidence of that is with all of the volunteers and supporters that came forth for a few hours or days to assist in this project. To name them all would take up pages. But please know that every gesture big or small was valued.

Whether it was filling a backpack, coordinating a school or group to fill backpacks, forwarding emails to friends, putting on one’s Facebook, collecting/distributing backpacks, sorting through items, writing articles, rallying support among neighbors, donating money, transporting backpacks from the schools, writing press releases, removing packaging, sizing clothes, shopping, making phone calls, giving helpful suggestions and support, assembling the boxes, channeling birthday gifts of money to the project, shopping, sizing clothes, researching transportation and orphanage options, offering help in any way….WE COULD NOT HAVE SUCCEEDED WITHOUT YOU!!

One of the notes a child wrote for the Backpack was in the form of two big red hearts next to each other and in Bold Bright letters written in crayon it said “From our Heart to your Heart.”

We couldn’t say it any better… from “Our Hearts to your Heart “ we say Thank you,
Diane Fornari & Donne Paine

MESSAGE FROM DAYSPRING, OUR HAITI CONTACT

To Our Awesome Dayspring Friends in the Hilton Head Area,

I am overwhelmed by your very gracious and generous response to the needs of our friends in Haiti.  Your friend and mine, Diane Fornari, has told me about the many ways each of you have worked and sacrificed to fill backpacks with your love and special gifts for the children in Haiti.  I know that each child will be so excited and grateful when they receive one!

There are so many children and families that have been left homeless by the earthquake and have lost everything they have ever owned.  Many of them are living in parks or soccer fields or on a small patches of land along the side of a road.

Here’s a young girl who’s happy to have a bowl of rice as she sits in her new home where the walls are made of sheets.  She will be very excited to receive one of your backpacks! (PICTURE UNABLE TO COPY IN)

Each of these children sitting with me will also receive one of your backpacks.  These girls are happy because they are living in My Father’s House Orphanage where they eat and sleep and play together.  (PICTURE UNABLE TO COPY IN)

All of your gifts to these children will be gratefully received and cherished for a long time.  The backpacks may wear out eventually, but the memory of your love and concern will stay with them forever.  The children can’t thank you themselves, so on their behalf I say a big Thank You to everyone!

God bless you all,
Carol Hawthorne

Carol Hawthorne ~ Executive Director
Dayspring Ministries
200 Lamerson Road Chester, NJ 07930
908-879-6116
DayspringMinistriesHaiti.org