“There were paraplegics lying on the streets, sleeping
on hard surfaces. There was no one even to help take them to a bathroom,”
Beauzile said. “It was a very sad situation.”
Beauzile and the others spent their time at make-shift hospitals. He said
those who survived suffered so many losses. There was one 12-year-old boy
whose parents died in the quake. The boy developed amnesia, to forget what
had happened. His depression was so overwhelming, he jumped off a two-story
building and broke his leg.
Beauzile worked with this boy until he was stable enough to go to an
orphanage.
“It was very painful,” Beauzile said.
This group of medical professionals slept in tents near the airport. Like
other volunteers, their purpose was to unselfishly give their expertise.
It didn’t go unnoticed by the press. The group was captured by a Newsday
photographer and Beauzile also made the cover of the February 7 issue.
Beauzile said the main thing now is the Haitian people need ongoing support.
“They will need prayers and financial assistance for a long time.”
An
ongoing effort
Marie-Carmelle Souffrant, a PEF Executive Board member and a native of
Haiti, said Division 257 members at the state Office of Mental Retardation
and Developmental Disabilities in Albany raised more than $2,000 for the Red
Cross in Haiti. They also are collecting crutches and clothing to be
shipped.
Souffrant has a brother, sister and two nephews living there. A cousin
perished in the quake.
“The quake affected a lot more areas than we hear about on the news. My home
in Leogane was destroyed. Ninety percent of the town was destroyed,”
Souffrant said.
“My brother escaped just by minutes. It took two days to learn if he was
alive. It took two weeks to reach him by phone. He escaped Leogane and moved
to the countryside.”
Souffrant and PEF’s Carribean American Committee are working with the
Haitian Student Association at the State University of New York in Albany on
another fundraiser – a gala to be held March 6 at Century House in Latham at
8 p.m. The cost is $20.
She said it is important for people to stay with this relief effort for the
long haul.
“There are different needs at different stages,” Souffrant said. “We have to
recognize help is also needed outside Port-au-Prince.”
Ethnic lunches raise money
Beauzile’s co-workers in PEF Division 178 at Sagamore CPC wanted to do their
part.
Susan Valentine-Williamson spearheaded a “Heartful Haiti Fund” with Civil
Service Employees Association member Debbie Archer, and has raised more than
$2,500 so far.
The money was raised by union members who held bake sales and prepared
ethnic lunches for the staff out of a small kitchen at the facility.
Division 178 Council Leader Ann Rosenthal said many of the Haitian staff at
Sagamore lost family members.
“This is our way to support them,” she said.
Williamson said the money raised will go to St. John’s Haitian Society, for
medical supplies, and to reputable Haitian relief organizations known by
Baeuzile, and Dr. Franz Moise. He is a former PEF member who works at
Sagamore and also volunteered in Haiti.
A
night to remember
In Binghamton, PEF Division 399 member Sherrie Rinker pulled together a fund
raiser in just a few days that earned $3,000 for the Catholic Charities
Haiti Relief Fund.
Rinker, a disability analyst in Endicott, said she met with friends after
the earthquake hit the news. Soon, their ideas for helping became reality.
“We started to spread the word,” Rinker said. “One person called another,
and we reached more than 100 people in nine days. We were able to get a
wonderful location in the Art Walk section of Binghamton. Everything was
donated, items and talent. We had 12 musicians, poets, a silent auction and
lots of food.”
PEF has contributed $1,000 to the Haiti Relief Fund, and PEF President Ken
Brynien said the Service Employees International Union donated $100,000.
PEF’s Carribean American Committee donated $500.
There is a link on PEF’s Web site where you can donate.
