Building Hope Together: Voices of Saint Rock raised over $400,000 for Saint Rock Haiti Foundation

Tenth annual gala was held to benefit Haiti

Over 350 people gathered in the Granite Links Golf Club Ballroom in Quincy on Thursday, March 1, 2018, for the tenth annual gala to raise money for the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation (SRHF).

The event, Building Hope Together: Voices of Saint Rock, raised over $400,000 to support the ongoing operations of the foundation’s center in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

Much of the success of the evening rested on a generous matching grant from the Flatley Foundation. Other major sponsors included Saint Agatha Parish (Milton/Quincy) Global Outreach Ministry, an anonymous donor, the Wessling Family, Cathartes, the Cole Family, Ginny and Frank Corcoran, Jack Corcoran, the Gemma Family, and Turner Construction. Longtime SRHF supporters, Hugh and Beth Anne Cole, served as honorary chairs of the event.

Master of Ceremonies Eileen Curran narrated a new video titled Voices of Saint Rock that focused on a day in the life of the clinic there. Eileen recorded most of the footage during a trip she recently took to Saint Rock.

During the evening, Eileen Curran asked the crowd to help fund a new ambulance for SRHF that will be used for the mobile clinic and will be more suitable transportation to local hospitals than the currently used pick-up truck. Guests lifted their bid numbers to donate close to $50,000.

Jocelyn Bresnahan, President of SRHF, expressed her thanks to all who supported the event. “The funds raised will allow the foundation to continue the critically important work taking place in partnership with our Haitian colleagues. More people will receive dignified heath care, more children will go to school, and more families will be nourished and drink clean water. I remain deeply grateful to our friends, neighbors, donors, and sponsors for continuing to understand the need and respond.”

Minaud Dacius of Vitamin Angels traveled from Haiti to be the keynote speaker of the evening. Vitamin Angels partners with SRHF to provide vitamins and other nutrition supplements to members of the Saint Rock community. After an introduction by Bruce Ring, a physician and frequent traveler to Saint Rock, Dr. Dacius shared some grim statistics on malnutrition and the intergenerational cycle of poverty in Haiti. By providing micronutrients as well as training to SRHF, Vitamin Angels hopes to interrupt the cycle of undernutrition in that community.

Dr. Jean Kenes Eloy, Saint Rock Centre de Santé Medical Director, visiting from Saint Rock, Haiti, was introduced by SRHF board member Dr. Jon Cronin, and thanked the crowd and the foundation for their support.

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For more information about the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation, go to www.saintrock.org.