Desperately needed shelter for volunteers assisting refugees in earthquake-ravaged Haiti is closer to reality, thanks to a $7,000 donation from Christian Life Center in Bensalem, Pa.
Christian Life Center will also provide a team of workers to help with construction on a guest dormitory at the Hope Alive! Mariani Clinic, located six miles from the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake.
The generous donation was presented by Christian Life Center Missions Coordinator Pastor Dan Corbisello and Construction Coordinator Joel Lepore to Hope Alive! President Frank Jacobs and Vice President Leslee Jacobs during a recent Hope Alive! board meeting.
“I want to let you know that as a congregation and as a board, we are behind you 100 percent on your Haiti initiative,” Pastor Corbisello told HopeAlive’s board. “On behalf of Christian Life Center congregation and our Missions Board we would like to present you with matching funds to build your dormitory in Haiti. This check represents $7,000, which is 50 percent of what it costs. We hope for a long, long fruitful relationship with (Hope Alive!).”
Currently volunteers stay in one of three local hotels which were damaged during the earthquake. The guest quarters will be a welcome refuge for visiting doctors, dentists, nurses, and numerous volunteers with a willing heart to help Haitians in need. The dormitory will accommodate 18 twin beds, and will have movable room dividers for added flexibility.
Supplies for the project will be bought in Haiti or shipped from the United States. Haitians will do the actual construction, and the Christian Life Center team will assist, building furniture, installing plumbing, electrical work and painting.
Pastor Corbisello and Mr. Lepore discussed construction details with the Hope Alive! board and offered their group’s help in securing construction materials, linens and outfitting a full kitchen in the Mariani Clinic.
“We praise God for the folks who are offering their time and talents to help the Haitian people. The Hope Alive! clinics’ services would not be possible without this ongoing support. Their giving will make a world of difference,” said Leslee Jacobs, who co-founded and operates the organization along with her husband, Frank Jacobs, of Medford.
Hope Alive! continues to collect donations for Haiti. The critical items on the Hope Alive! list are Monistat, children and infant multivitamins, infant formula, children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen (no aspirin, please), eye drops (antibiotic and Visine), topical creams (antibiotic, antifungal, hydrocortisone), crop seeds for planting (corn, peas, beans, tomato), generators and funds to purchase medicine and food, to pay medical salaries in the clinics in Haiti, and to build replacement housing for our Haitian staff. (At this time, Hope Alive! can not accept bottled water, crutches, walkers, wheel chairs, clothes, shoes, or blankets.)
If you are interested in joining a team headed to Haiti, there are several medical and dental trips planned for 2012. You don’t have to be a medical professional. Volunteers are needed to hold flashlights for the medical teams, distribute food and medicine, repair building and provide a comforting embrace to a troubled nation.
Hope Alive! clinic ministries, which is NGO certified in Haiti and has operated continuously since 1998, has five medical clinics along with medicine and food distribution facilities throughout Haiti. The organization is headed by Frank and Leslee Jacobs who coordinate the entire operation from Medford.
They can be reached at (609) 914–1385 or [email protected] 100% of all monies and donations to Hope Alive! are used directly to benefit the Haitian people. There are no salaries paid to any US members of the organization.
