Greetings!
Below is an email that contains the Gift of Water Training Report that was sent to our Chair Mike Mercurio on Monday. I did eliminate some of the copy in the email and made a few small edits here and there..
You will also find a bit of news on the International Shipment so please read on and...Enjoy!
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Gift of Water Training
Hello,
My name is Laura Moehling, I am working with Pete Murphy with Gift of Water.
I assisted Lamothe Lormier and the Master Technicians with the training of the technicians in Port Au Prince a few weeks ago.
I have to first say what an honor it was to spend the week with your technicians. They truly are bright, hard working and passionate men and women. They were eager to learn, participate, study and return home to teach their families what they have learned.
I have a degree in Biochemistry and was honestly a bit worried at the level to which Lamothe suggested we teach the class. I am happy to say, that I was wrong. Each one of the technicians not only paid attention and took notes during class, but studied outside the classroom as well.
Each afternoon session consisted of not only hands on use of the purifiers but also an opportunity for each technician to "teach" the group as well... Demonstrating his or her's knowledge of the material and how they would present that to their families. I sat with a smile on my face and wished that each of you could be there. I was very impressed at their level of intelligence and their understanding of the material.
The group dynamics were great; the technicians had time to play dominoes and talk in the evening. The experienced technicians shared information with each other and with the new technicians (I thought this was invaluable). With members of the GOW Board (myself and Karen Jung), the Country Liaison; Lamothe and the 3 Master Technicians as well as the 11 technicians all coming together for the week it made for a real sense of unity and excitement in the role each of us plays in bringing clean water to the people we serve.
Again, I thought of each of you and how you belonged in that venue as well.. adding the final piece of the puzzle! No one of us can bring clean water to Haiti... It takes each one of us, playing our role to make this vision a reality.
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International Shipment
FYI - The forms for this year's International Shipment have arrived. Mike Mercurio tells me that that we should be gearing up for this effort very soon. Stay tuned!
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Share the Blog
If you cross paths with someone who is interested in some of the activities we are involved with our sister parish in Haiti, please have them come visit the blog.
http://www.stmaryhaiti.blogspot.com
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Bye for now,
Andy
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Letter from Chair MikeM to Father Bertrand
Greetings!
My apologies for being delinquent in updating the blog. Below is the letter that Mike Mercurio wrote to Father Bertrand. Valerie Carlson translated the letter into French.
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Dear Father,
I hope you and the parishioners of Ste. Therese are doing as well as can be expected. I am glad to know cholera has not spread to Marbial. I am happy to advise you of the following:
During the week of February 7, St. Mary will be sending to you $6,500 intended specifically for education. This brings our four year total for education to $24,303.
As you know, we recently provided Ste. Therese 225 water purification systems to be distributed as determined by you. It is my understanding that Lamont visited your parish during December and that last week your local technician was trained in Port-Au-Prince. Please know that St. Mary has authorized a second technician from Marbial to be trained later this month. We are very excited to be working with Gift of Water, and it is our hope to continue providing clean water systems to our sister parish for many years to come.
We were most disappointed to delay our second medical mission due to our concerns regarding cholera. We were very concerned that surgical patients returning from Jacmel to Marbial might bring with them this serious disease. We could simply not take that chance. We will return during January or February of 2012.
We will be, once again, sending to you a shipment of various items which should arrive during June. I will be asking Domond for suggestions--please let him know what items you may need most.
As for a new vehicle (SUV) I remember when Dr. Garvey, Joan, and I first visited Ste. Therese you told us of an organization in Germany (similar to Catholic Relief Services) which would provide funds equal to seventy-five percent of the cost of a new vehicle if the local priest could provide the remaining twenty-five percent. Considering how generous the people of St. Mary have been to date I feel, at this time, I do not want to actively solicit contributions for a new vehicle: however, I do want to help you obtain one. If you will kindly provide me with the name and address of this organization I will solicit private donations for this important undertaking.
Lastly, and MOST importantly, on behalf of Father Cronin and the St. Mary Twinning Committee, I would like to extend to you a warm invitation to visit St. Mary. sometime during the Lenten Season (April 7 thru April 11). I know you and Domond are not fond of cold weather but temperatures in CT should be moderate during this period. Please know that we feel it is most important that we visit you once a year or you visit us once a year so that we can continue and extend the generosity St. Mary has displayed for Ste. Therese.
May God always bless you and the Haitian people.
With warmest regards and respect,
Mike
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My apologies for being delinquent in updating the blog. Below is the letter that Mike Mercurio wrote to Father Bertrand. Valerie Carlson translated the letter into French.
----------------------
Dear Father,
I hope you and the parishioners of Ste. Therese are doing as well as can be expected. I am glad to know cholera has not spread to Marbial. I am happy to advise you of the following:
During the week of February 7, St. Mary will be sending to you $6,500 intended specifically for education. This brings our four year total for education to $24,303.
As you know, we recently provided Ste. Therese 225 water purification systems to be distributed as determined by you. It is my understanding that Lamont visited your parish during December and that last week your local technician was trained in Port-Au-Prince. Please know that St. Mary has authorized a second technician from Marbial to be trained later this month. We are very excited to be working with Gift of Water, and it is our hope to continue providing clean water systems to our sister parish for many years to come.
We were most disappointed to delay our second medical mission due to our concerns regarding cholera. We were very concerned that surgical patients returning from Jacmel to Marbial might bring with them this serious disease. We could simply not take that chance. We will return during January or February of 2012.
We will be, once again, sending to you a shipment of various items which should arrive during June. I will be asking Domond for suggestions--please let him know what items you may need most.
As for a new vehicle (SUV) I remember when Dr. Garvey, Joan, and I first visited Ste. Therese you told us of an organization in Germany (similar to Catholic Relief Services) which would provide funds equal to seventy-five percent of the cost of a new vehicle if the local priest could provide the remaining twenty-five percent. Considering how generous the people of St. Mary have been to date I feel, at this time, I do not want to actively solicit contributions for a new vehicle: however, I do want to help you obtain one. If you will kindly provide me with the name and address of this organization I will solicit private donations for this important undertaking.
Lastly, and MOST importantly, on behalf of Father Cronin and the St. Mary Twinning Committee, I would like to extend to you a warm invitation to visit St. Mary. sometime during the Lenten Season (April 7 thru April 11). I know you and Domond are not fond of cold weather but temperatures in CT should be moderate during this period. Please know that we feel it is most important that we visit you once a year or you visit us once a year so that we can continue and extend the generosity St. Mary has displayed for Ste. Therese.
May God always bless you and the Haitian people.
With warmest regards and respect,
Mike
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