By Kathy Kurtz Ferrari
Staff Writer
2/18/10
With efforts continuing to support victims of the earthquake that shook Haiti on Jan. 12, many residents of Milton are watching closely. The town has a significant, close-knit Haitian community, with many members having relatives affected by the disaster. Others in Milton have traveled to Haiti in the past to volunteer as teachers or health professionals, or in other ways.
Registered nurse Ruth Adomunes has worked at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital for 30 years. But she may be better known locally as an advocate for Haiti, as she has been raising funds for the impoverished nation for years through sales of her handcrafted jewelry. Adomunes’ Designs by Ruth collection helps a village in Haiti, and her efforts continue, both creatively and professionally. She also volunteers with the Haitian Health Foundation, which supports the Center of Hope, a health clinic in the mountain city of Jérémie.
As thousands of survivors continue to flee the hardest-hit areas around Port au Prince in the wake of the earthquake, they are flooding into Jérémie, about 100 miles west. The foundation has turned up its efforts, and Adomunes speaks with passion about the ongoing struggle the Haitian people face.
“I was there in September, before the earthquake, and it was life-changing,” Adomunes said in a recent phone conversation. “I can’t imagine what they are going through now. They are such proud people, but they have so much more on their plate now.”
Adomunes stressed that with so many groups appealing for funding to support Haiti, many friends have felt comfortable giving money to the HHF knowing that she is affiliated with it. She plans to return to Haiti in June and offer her services as a nurse with HHF. She said that 93 cents of every dollar go directly to Haiti.
In addition, current proceeds from the sale of her bracelets sold at Glory Daze, the consignment boutique at 588 Randolph Ave., will go directly to supporting Haiti.
For more information or to donate to HHF, visit www.haitianhealthfoundation.org. To see video footage of Adomunes’ trip to Haiti with HHF, click here: “Haiti Relief.”
Another registered nurse who has been intimately involved in the plight of Haiti, well before the earthquake, is resident Catherine Liberles. As a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, she is part of the team organized by Partners in Health and Project Hope. Liberles is serving as a nurse aboard the USS Comfort, the floating hospital currently stationed off the shore of Port au Prince. She is scheduled to return home this week, after about a three-and-a-half week stint. A few days before she left, she shared some of her thoughts.
“I’m sure it’s going to be intense,” she said, as she waited for word that her team would leave. “I’m glad to be a part of it, but this will be a long-term effort. It’s been a part of my life for a long time.”
Liberles also serves as a board member of the St. Rock Haiti Foundation, which supports a health clinic in the mountains above Port au Prince. The clinic is where many parishioners from the Church of St. Agatha have volunteered, one group returning home just days before the quake hit. Liberles has traveled there many times, beginning in 2004.
Colleagues have sent word that while the clinic did survive, the church and school in the region of St. Rock were damaged. Most residents in the area lost their homes. Liberles was not planning on traveling to St. Rock during her current trip, concentrating her efforts on her duties aboard the USS Comfort. She plans to share her story with the Milton Times when she returns.
“I’m nervous, but I’m not afraid because I’ll be on the ship,” she added before her departure. “You want to do anything you can. …I’m really glad I’m going down.”
To donate to the St. Rock Haiti Foundation, visit www.saintrock.org.
Gabrielle Rene, a Milton Rotary Club member who grew up in Haiti, has very personal reasons to offer her help. She still has many relatives there, including her father and brother. After receiving word that they were OK after the earthquake, she has been trying to find a way to get some of them to safety in the United States.
Her knowledge of the continuing plight of the country helped the Rotary Club decide to send funds to purchase shelter boxes containing items like tents, water purifiers and first aid supplies.
“It’s sad. I’m hearing from friends who are all on the streets. They are afraid to go inside,” Rene said, as she explained the need for safe shelter. “There are aftershocks, and people are living under trees or whatever they can find. …Imagine having no bed at night, and spending all day walking around. There is a great psychological factor.”
Before the earthquake, Rene was already raising awareness of the needs of the Haitian people through her work with FATEM, a nonprofit organization that helps build schools and bring educational supplies to the town of Mirebalais, about 20 miles north of Port au Prince. Since the disaster, FATEM is working to distribute food to the schools’ students and staff members in the region.
“Right now they are seeing thousands of people lining up for food,” Rene said, adding that the organization has set up a station inside a hotel to give out food.
To find out more about the efforts of FATEM, visit www.FATEM.org.
Other residents are also doing what they can to help. Stacey Brady and her 19-year-old son, Costa Karellas, put out the word they were collecting clothing to send in containers to the stricken nation. Brady, who is executive director of Quincy Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, has organized bins at her place of work at 11 McGrath Highway in Quincy, where many on her staff are of Haitian descent. Karellas, a recent graduate of Milton High School, sent text messages to some of his friends and within days a massive collection of clothing appeared on their doorstep.
Fund-raisers have been held and collection bins have been placed at the Milton public schools, looking for donations of clothing and other items. Town Hall has placed a drop-off bin for donations of light clothing in the lobby, at 525 Canton Ave., as Health Inspector Nelly Browne-Janga has worked in conjunction with Milton Academy. Another collection is taking place inside the office of RE/MAX Landmark Realtors, located at 450 Granite Ave. Donations of many different items are sought.
Funds were also raised at Fitness Unlimited, as members recently donated $1,750 to Partners in Health. Various efforts throughout the town will continue, as residents are aware the recovery for the people of Haiti will be a long process.