Crew teams’ Lenten generosity helps parish outreach project in Haiti

Like many others, Frank Almeida had his own prejudices about Brown students, but the donations given by the men’s and women’s crew teams to help educate children in Haiti proved him wrong.

Almeida, who works for Facilities Management at the boathouse, helps his parish at the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul collect money for its Providence Haitian Outreach, a program that provides Haitian children with an education. This year, much to his surprise, the crew teams collected and donated $150 in change and bills toward the outreach program.

"A lot of people think these kids are spoiled," said Almeida, but they are mistaken. His experience has shown that "there are students who are generous and realize how privileged they are."

Last year for Lent, Almeida decided to place a collection box in the boathouse. "I saw all these kids spending money on bottled water at a dollar a pop and figured, why not?" Contributions totaled $75.

This year on Ash Wednesday, Almeida put the collection box in the boathouse again. By Palm Sunday, $150 had been collected — enough to send 250 Haitian children to school for a month, according to Father Giudici, director of the parish’s program. "It’s amazing, the level of poverty you see there," he said. "That’s how far our money goes."

Almeida felt the Brown students deserved recognition for their generosity and thought they should present the money to Father Guidici on Palm Sunday. Luke Cunningham ’01 and Sheila Walsh ’01, representing their crew teams, each handed over a check for $75.

"I really believe that we are a very unified team that enjoys challenges, and when Frank presented us with the challenge to help those less fortunate than ourselves, we rose to meet that goal," said Walsh.

She had seen the destitution in Haiti firsthand when she accompanied the Diocese of Worcester on a mission to the poverty-stricken country the summer before her senior year of high school.

"Many Haitians live without the luxuries that we have become accustomed to, such as reliable running water and electricity. The infrastructure there is minimal and the political situation volatile, making progress and change difficult," she noted.

Debbi Atwell, a member of the parish’s Haitian outreach project, was thrilled by the crew teams’ donation. "This is about everyone working together and you see how much you can do," she said.

Funds raised by the parish over the last 10 years have financed the construction of the first and only school in the town of Marigot, a remote village on the southern coast of the Island of Hispaniola.

This year, Atwell will see the first class graduate on to junior high school. The crew teams can take pride in knowing that they are helping the less fortunate have a primary education — something many take for granted.

"I know that many members of the team expressed a sense of accomplishment when we saw the contribution thermometer that was on the bulletin board in the boathouse reach the top. We were very happy to help in any small way that we could," said Walsh.