Dear Friends,

The last 6 months have brought about so many changes!  The Youth Development Center kicked off its' new programming in Puerto Plata, and the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti prompted the "Dove Helping Haiti" Relief.

First, I would like to thank the people who helped us this past year with their many gifts and talents and helped kick off our center!  Lisa Mastain and Nikki Cochrane were a tremendous help in organizing and creating the structure of the Youth Development center and Cathy Flynn served as the Club Director.  Everyone who knows Melissa Bazely, our Volunteer Coordinator, loves the incredible job she has done with our volunteer project and this summer as Field Director.  Jochy Guerrero  our music teacher is doing an incredible job with the music program, Ernestina Vance Vaughn is our new director and Gymps (sounds like James) Sunel is our Haiti Director, along with doing a tremendous job with our older boys program in Puerto Plata.  I want to thank them and the many volunteers, too many to list, who helped along the way.  It is proof to me that if every person does something, together we can do great things. 

As you may already know, the many 80 plus children we serve live in horrible conditions and the families usually send them into the streets to work instead of going to school.  We are in the top countries for sex tourism, and many children end up in prostitution, drugs or jail, so working on the streets is certainly a prescription for trouble.  Plus, the education system here was rated 16^th out of the 17^th Latin American countries surveyed.   As the problems for these poor children mount, our Youth Development Center is providing hope for the future of these young people. 

We have music, theater, dance, arts and crafts, jewelry making, sports and a weight room program to foster self esteem, teamwork, discipline and organizational skills along with programs for the mothers to provide food through our food voucher program and reading and writing classes.  My desire is to take this to the next level and start our vocational training programming.  I have seen miracles in the lives of the people we are serving and give thanks to God for this opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child.  I am asking you to participate in this success by making a financial commitment to help us reach our goal of opening a career training center.  It will provide hands on skills such as cosmetology, sewing classes and apprenticeship job training programs. 

Haiti has so much opportunity for us to make a difference in the midst of such tragic and helpless circumstances.  It is the plight of poor children, who were born into their circumstance with no choices or future that prompted me to do mission work.  Haiti has changed me forever.  There are so many children in crisis that it is the most catastrophic disaster of our lifetime.  I have been working north of the earthquake zone with the people who were able to get out of Port au Prince and try to find a new life.  The entire island is in crisis. Our plans to open an orphanage have been answered, as we have partnered with Fr Andre in Cap Haitian to open an orphanage in a rented house until we can raise enough money to purchase the land needed.  We have construction and volunteer opportunities for our specific orphanage where you can help Haiti too!  Please help us with the long term commitment we have made to Haiti and its children with your financial support.   Please, don't forget Haiti.  The work has just started!

May God pour his blessings upon you,