Initiatives in Connecticut
As part of its mission, Sister Cities Essex Haiti works to provide opportunities for residents of Essex to learn about the people of Deschapelles and their distinct culture by holding or supporting events either singly or in cooperation with area organizations. Sister Cities Essex Haiti is only able to support Hospital Albert Schweitzer and work on the projects in Haiti through the support and enthusiasm of the community of Essex and its environs. Since its inception, the following events have been held. Sister Cities Essex Haiti gives a heartfelt thank-you to all the organizations, presenters and supporters of these initiatives.
2012 Initiatives
Sister Cities Essex Haiti supporters
Sister Cities Essex Haiti held its second Have a Heart for Haiti fundraiser on Friday, March 2, 2012, at the Left Bank Gallery on Main Street in Essex. Thanks to all our supporters, it was a great success!! The best part of the evening was the outpouring of support from the community for Haiti, Hospital Albert Schweitzer, and Sister Cities Essex Haiti projects in Deschapelles. Thank you to all who came, donated, volunteered and supported SCEH. To learn more about the fundraiser, please click here.
Region 4 School District Initiative
The schools of Chester, Deep River, Essex and Region 4 are raising money for the Sister Cities Essex Haiti Early Education Teacher Training project!
Pringles cans decorated and filled with school supplies by Deep River Elementary School students
Deep River Elementary School students decorated over 100 Pringles cans and filled them with school supplies for Deschapelles pre-school students. They are also holding a “Tip a Teacher” benefit at Oliver’s Tavern in Essex on Wednesday, June 13, from 5-9. Please come and join the fun! Essex Elementary School conducted a “Helping Hands for Haiti” initiative whereby students raised money by doing services for family, friends and neighbors. Chester Elementary School held a Service Learning Project entitled, “From Our Village to Theirs – Helping to Rebuild the Schools in Deschapelles, Haiti” that raised money for school supplies in Deschapelles. John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School held a bake sale on May 12 and raised $552 to support the Early Education Teacher Training Project. In addition, John Winthrop Middle School held a Talent Show in the Spring of 2012 that raised $400 to buy books for Deschapelles children. To learn more about these exciting initiatives, please click here.
2011 Initiatives
On January 12, 2011, Bells were rung for 35 seconds at St. John’s Church and elsewhere, the duration of the Haiti “trambleman” to commemorate the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. To learn more, click here.
Jazz at St. John's in support of Sister Cities Essex Haiti
In February, 2011, St. John’s Church’s annual Shrove Tuesday Jazz Concert free will offering was donated to the SCEH Library Project. To learn more, click here.
Essex Girl Scouts
Girl Scout Troop 62041 have been very active supporting SCEH. They volunteered as servers at the October 2010 fundraiser, and, after learning more about Haiti, they chose to present Haiti at the Girl Scout World Thinking Day colloquium at the Essex Town Hall. To learn more about World Thinking Day, click here. They also began a pen pal program with teens in Haiti. To learn more, click here.
Tri-Club Rotary International hosted a dinner to raise funds for Hospital Albert Schweitzer in February of 2010, just after the earthquake. In the Fall of 2010, they committed to donating 1,000 books for the Deschapelles library. They invited Terry Smith, chair of the Library Committee, to speak at their annual Tri-Club International dinner, and in March 2011, they again held a very successful fund-raiser for SCEH’s efforts. To learn more, please click here.
In May and June 2011, Essex Meadows Lifecare Retirement Community hosted an art show featuring Haitian art. Featured art works included imaginative pieces of metal art work created out of cast-off oil drums and paintings by artists from the Artibonite area of Deschapelles. All profits from the art sale supported not only Sister Cities Essex Haiti and Hospital Albert Schweitzer but also all of the artists who were able to sell their art work in the Essex area. To learn more, please click here.
Essex Consort
On May 15, 2011, Karen Birch Blundell, Adam De Sorgo and Kristen Leitterman launched their musical group, Essex Consort, with an oboe concert at the Essex Congregational Church. The free will offering was designated for SCEH. Additionally, Karen Birch Blundell introduced SCEH to her Musical Fraternity, Sigma Alpha Iota’s Person to Person outreach program. They have a special fund to support musical efforts in Haiti, and they accepted SCEH’s Musical Project as a partner. This enabled us to purchase musical instruments, music and music stands for the musicians. Click here to learn more.
David Evangelisti, Dan Taylor-Stypa and Denise D'Avella gratefully accept a check from Essex Elementary School students
In April 2010, the Essex Elementary School initiated a Read-a-Thon with proceeds to go to the SCEH Library. On June 21, 2011, Essex Elementary School presented Sister Cities Essex Haiti with a check for $8,275 to support the proposed library/community center in Deschapelles, Haiti. The students raised the funds during a three-week Read-a-Thon in which 107 students read 34,448 pages in a total of 727 books.To learn more about this amazing effort, please click here.
The Gallery Committee of Essex Meadows Lifecare Retirement Community invited Sister Cities Essex Haiti to install a second Haiti art exhibit as the first one last Spring was so well received. The art was available for viewing from September 14 through October 8, 2011. They were especially eager to have additional opportunities to purchase some of the metal art work. For some wonderful color, beautiful hand painted silk scarves with Haitian motifs, all created on the Haitian island of La Gonave, were also included. The artists are all paid in advance for their work, and the profits support Hospital Albert Schweitzer. The Show was dedicated to the memory of Mary Lee Robertson, a resident of Essex Meadows, an acomplished artist and an enthusiastic supporter of Hospital Albert Schweitzer and Sister Cities Essex Haiti.
Essex Savings Bank
In September 2011, Essex Savings Bank chose Sister Cities Essex Haiti as its featured “Business of the Month.” Sister Cities Essex Haiti was able to present a display showcasing its initiatives in and around southeastern Connecticut and its support of Hospital Albert Schweitzer and its various community projects it has undertaken in Deschapelles in collaboration with ODES.
Sister Cities Essex Haiti: "Business of the Month"
We are grateful to Essex Savings Bank for providing this opportunity to inform more people about our organization and our initiatives.
2010 Initiatives
Original efforts began as “Have a Heart for Haiti” awareness and fund-raising for Hospital Albert Schweitzer through publicity and support such as the dedication of the February 14, 2010 Essex Winter Series Valentine’s Day Concert to Hospital Albert Schweitzer.
In September, 2010, SCEH was invited to establish a designated fund account with Middlesex County Community Foundation to enable donors to make tax deductible contributions to SCEH. To learn more, click here.
Have a Heart for Haiti Fundraiser
In October 2010, SCEH held a fundraiser at the Connecticut River Museum which involved over 40 volunteers and raised over $35,000 for Hospital Albert Schweitzer and the Library Project. Friends of Sister Cities Essex Haiti and Hospital Albert Schweitzer enjoyed Haitian music, art and food. To learn more and to get the recipes from the Haitian fare served at the fundraiser, click here.
Merchants displaying Haiti information and goods
In October 2010, as part of an initiative to bring greater awareness of Haiti, Hospital Albert Schweitzer and Sister Cities Essex Haiti to southeastern Connecticut, the merchants of downtown Essex participated in “Haiti Week”. To learn more, please click here.
