Vegreville News Advertiser - November 18, 2020

Page 10

PAGE 10

News Advertiser

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

www.NewsAdvertiser.com

Humanitarian Efforts Help Rebuild the Lives of Haitians Michelle Pinon News Advertiser Ryley resident and humanitarian Margaret Jones is helping to rebuild the lives of Haitians who are the poorest people in the Western Hemisphere.

Margaret is not alone in her efforts as she heads up a team of volunteers who are members of the Haiti ARISE (Actively Raising Individuals to Serve and Evangelize). She recently wrapped up her Haiti ARISE fall fundraiser

for preschool to post-secondary students, a food distribution program to hungry families, disaster relief (hurricanes and earthquakes), agricultural programs, judicial assistance (the prison system in Haiti is atrocious), a medical clinic, child rescue, and recently a birthing centre. Whenever they can, they hire local Haitians to help with these programs. The cost of the programs is funded by donations from individuals and organizations and the financial support that teams bring when they visit. No teams have returned since early 2019 so Haiti ARISE has a fundraising campaign going on right now to raise funds to continue these programs. As far as fundraising for my team’s house-building project, I plan to hold another used clothing drive in the Spring.” Margaret first travelled to Haiti in 2013 to help Samaritan’s Purse with recovery after the 2010 earthquake. “That trip changed my life. The Haitians have so little and struggle to meet their basic needs. There is just something about Haiti that grabbed my heart. The country is beautiful but the people struggle from a corrupt government, natural disasters, and poor living conditions. It is so fulfilling to be able to go and help them. Something as simple as a oneroom house is life-changing for a Haitian family. I returned to Haiti in 2015 to assist with a dental clinic at an orphanage. In 2017, I was looking for another organization to volunteer with and I discovered Haiti ARISE. Haiti had just suffered from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and the country was devastated. When I travelled to Haiti in 2017 and helped build four homes, I knew that I had to return and build more houses. I went back in 2018 and 2019 to help with other projects and when I talked to Marc, (founder of Haiti ARISE) about house-building in 2019, he indicated that the house-building fund was depleted and more money was needed before they could continue.” Margaret can’t wait to travel to Haiti again and bring back photos of the “house that the Beaver Region NOTICE TO built.” But for CREDITORS AND now, she will keep the faith and keep CLAIMANTS working to create a better future for ESTATE OF BRADLEY JOHN BEREZAN, the people of also known as Haiti.

which netted $3,178 for the non-profit Christian organization. Altogether 26,630 lbs. of clothing, shoes, housewares, books, and toys were donated by fellow residents in the Beaver County region for the Haiti ARISE 2020 construction project. “I learned about this fundraiser from a random e-mail I received from Value Village. It’s called a FunDrive and doesn’t cost anyone anything. People donate used clothes, toys, housewares, and books, and Value Village sends a cheque to Haiti ARISE based on the weight of the goods delivered. It’s a win-win-win-win situation: win for the environment, win for the people who need to get rid of their unwanted items, win for Value Village, and win for the charity.” This was the third time Margaret has held a used clothing drive fundraiser. Other fundraisers included Mom’s Pantry and the Ryley Market Lunch as well as shovelling snow for neighbours in the winter. “My team has a goal to raise $30,000. So far we have raised $20,400. We plan to build hurricane shelter homes for Haitian families. Each home is one room and costs $3,000 - $3,500.” She explained that “Due to political unrest in early 2019 and COVID in 2020, Haiti ARISE is struggling to continue its programs. They build and establish churches, provide schooling

BRAD BEREZAN who died on October 31, 2019

If you have a claim against this estate you must file your claim by December 29, 2020 and must provide details of your claim to:

Kuzyk & Mol Law Office Barristers and Solicitors Postal Drawer 929 5038-50 Avenue Vegreville, Alberta T9C 1S1 If you do not file by the date above, the estate property can lawfully be distributed without regard to any claim you may have.

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