A lady in the row ahead of me
asked if I’d like to change seats. I’m
nothing if not considerate. The soul of
kindness. I moved up a row; she moved
back and drinks arrived. Scotch,
thanks. Rocks. Smiles.
Glasses. None of that plastic
crap.
The nice looking, middle aged
guy next to me, tie still on, suit jacket in the overhead, gave off that vibe
of excess energy and soon we were locked in animated conversation. Politics. Religion. All those verboten things that on that day
flowed with alacrity and smoothness. We
moved effortlessly into “Where ya been, whatcha been doin’?”
Turned out he’d just returned
from Haiti. Worked at an orphanage,
building this and that. “Oh, so you’re
in construction?” said I.
Laughter. “No, I’m an accountant.” He wasn’t joking. That begged a million questions, but it took
only one match to get the fire roaring.
“What made you go to Haiti?”
The story that burst out of
him intrigued me and it began with a name:
Britany Gengal. A young woman who went to Haiti, saw the
poverty, the hopelessness, and wrote to her parents, saying she thought she
could make a difference and wanted to start an orphanage. Unfortunately, the 7.0 earthquake that rocked
Haiti in 2010 took her life and would have put an end to her dreams, except…
To honor their daughter,
Brit’s parents took up the challenge and developed the orphanage. It’s small scale, with only 33 boys and 33
girls, but has made a difference in these children’s lives and as it grows,
more and more children will be helped.
My conversationalist friend
told me how overwhelmed he was with the joy and caring he’d experienced first
hand.
“So, you’d never done any
building before this?”
“Didn’t know a hammer from a nail. When I asked my wife about going to Haiti and
donating my time, she wasn’t enthusiastic.
We discussed and discussed
until she finally told me, “Look, I know you’re going to go, so why are we even
talking about this? Just go.”
“So, I did.”
I wanted to know what the
orphanage does for the kids.
Everything. Provides a home and
school, and a safe environment, plus medical care. Evidently, medical people come down and
provide voluntary healthcare. My new
friend related how he was wandering around and chanced upon a child who
obviously needed some extensive help. He
told Brit’s mother who said she knew about the boy, but the work he needed
couldn’t be performed on site and they were arranging for him to go back to the
states for treatment. “Don’t worry,” she
said, “We’ve got him covered.”
I wanted to know, “What’s the
end game?” Haiti is a deep well of
almost unimaginable poverty.
“The orphanage is training
Haiti’s future leaders.”
I’m not a guy who is easily
impressed. I’ve lived around the world
and have a built-in nonsense detector.
How many times have you and I heard, “It’s about helping the children?”
To be honest, that is seldom true, although that is often the intent. Too often bureaucracy spreads its dark wings
and casts a shadow over the dream. This
time, the effort is personal and private.
My companion was so energized
from his trip that I caught his enthusiasm.
Be Like Brit is not a charity
that deals in millions of dollars, nor is it so esoteric that I can’t
relate. It’s something I can understand
and is right now making a difference to 66 kids.
I want to help. There
are so many ways for you to join the effort, all described on the web
site. Money is always welcome, but the
orphanage also posts a wish list of items they need, or you may want to join my
airline buddy and do some building. Check it out.
Here’s the web site. https://belikebrit.org AND be
sure to post a link to this blog or to the website on any social media you
use. Help spread the word about this
very worthwhile effort!
“Be Like Brit is proud to
be a Gold Participant with the Guide Star Exchange. Be Like Brit is a U.S.A.
registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which operates a 19,000sf earthquake
proof orphanage in Grand Goave, Haiti. The orphanage was built in loving memory
of 19 year old Britney Gengel who perished in the Haiti Earthquake while on a
service trip with her college, Lynn University. Today there are 66 beautiful
children living and thriving in the orphanage. Hundreds of people, from all
over the world, come visit the orphanage to volunteer and thousands of
individuals are part of the Be Like Brit Family.”
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