2014 Hope Award Winners

November, 2014 (New York). The Center of Hope (Haiti), Inc. held its 10th Anniversary Gala at the Tent At Bryant Park Grill. Our children and our staff received our Hope Award in honor of their commitment to the mission of COHH and their dedication over the years to making a difference in their lives and that of others. We are indeed extremely proud of the outstanding jobs they have done amidst incredible conditions.

The evening opened with a “Skype” introduction from Hinche, Haiti featuring Will Frager, our Executive Administrator in Hinche with some of our staff and orphans. Will held a separate ceremony in Hinche where the staff and children were presented with Hope Award Certificates.

COHH Chairman, Emmanuel St. Juste provided a report wherein he advised the Gala guests that after 10 years, much has been accomplished and much remains to be accomplished.  He went on to note that “Today we have a campus where at the beginning there was only land. We now have 55 children in grades 1-4 and 15 staff members, including teachers, caregivers, administrative workers and security. We are achieving the vision we set over 10 years ago in Stamford, CT.” He concluded saying, “We know that our efforts in Haiti may be only a drop in a big bucket of despair and poverty. However, we firmly believe that if we can help make a difference in the lives of a few children, our efforts will not have been in vain.”

Mark Newton, President of COHH provided a report on the orphanage and school. He reviewed the school year, noting the passing of one of our teachers, Marie Chalm, and the growth in the number of children requiring us to build more classroom space. Mark also noted that, “We are grateful for the volunteer services we received from various professionals that visited our site during the year. This past year, we were visited by dentists, medical doctors, ophthalmologists, nurses and nurses’ assistants. We had volunteers from churches and from schools. We even scheduled a yoga session but it had to be re-scheduled. We are also grateful for our local volunteers who come to the site to assist with maintenance and other chores. Volunteers are essential for our continued growth and momentum to achieve our vision. “ After his report, Mark the introduced our video for the evening, “The Children Are The Future.”

Highlights of the Gala and guests can be seen on the Annual Gala page at http://www.centerofhope-haiti.org/gala.