by Jonathan Lamare

Hello from Haiti! I realized this past week that it's been a while since I've written a blog update! With my travel to the U.S. for our annual Fall Gala, which was held on November 7, 2015 at the DCU Center in Worcester, followed by a week-long vacation for me, I'm long overdue to share with you what is happening with us here at BLB in Haiti!

As I said, our annual Fall Gala was recently held this month at the DCU Center in Worcester. This was a first for us, as our previous Gala's have been held at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Now that the Operations Center has been up and running for a year, we recognized our base in the Worcester area. The venue choice of the DCU Center allowed us to accommodate more guests, and ideally made the event more accessible for our base - much of whom are from areas closer to Worcester than to Boston. We were thrilled with an incredible turn out of almost 350 people! This is more than double what this event usually hosts, and what an amazing night we had celebrating our BLB Family - you all included - in a spirit that Britney would have greatly approved of!

As always, our good friend and Board Member Susan Wornick emceed the event for us. We were honored to have as Honorary Co-Chairs Mark and Jan Fuller, as well as Congressman Jim McGovern with his wife Lisa. The Fullers and the McGoverns have been instrumental in so many ways - from getting Len into Haiti just 10 days after the earthquake, flying down with the Congressman through the State Department, and to our growth and expansion as an organization through support from the Fuller Foundation (along with others), our theme of the night - "We Are Family" rang true as we reflected on the previous year and years as an organization.

We were honored that Mayor Joseph Petty attended the event, as well as Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito! It's so nice to have the support of local representatives, and we are grateful for their commitment and support of our efforts.

With almost 350 people in attendance for our Gala, we were able to raise a great amount of money to directly support the 66 children here at Brit's Orphanage in Haiti! We also were able to have quite a bit of fun, too! With so many of our former Britsionarys in attendance, along with friends, family, and volunteers from the United States, we really celebrated the accomplishments that we have made and the growth of the organization in not just the past year, but the past 5+ years. I personally was surprised by a group from my hometown, who successfully managed to get to Worcester without my knowing it, as well as many Britsionarys - faces I hadn't seen since their time in Haiti - who came to show their support and celebrate our accomplishments. Keep in mind, when I say "our" accomplishments, I mean all of us and all of you, as collectively, this is how everything we do is possible!

Each year, Len and Cherylann recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond in their dedication to the work we do here at Be Like Brit with their Star Award. Len and Cherylann never share with any of us at BLB whom they have chosen for the award, and so it's always a time of anticipation for all of us when they get to that point in the evening. This year, as I stood along the side of the floor with Melissa, our USA Coordinator, we whispered to each other, "who is it going to be"? Len starts his talk about the first recipient, and Melissa and I are filled with joy as we realize it is our very own Kristin Hervey - BLB's first intern, employee, and Executive Director! Kristin recently moved on but has and will forever remain a part of the BLB family. We were so happy to see her incredible work recognized!

Imagine my surprise as Len began to talk about who the second recipient of the Star Award was. As Len spoke, Melissa sort of jabbed me in the side and said, "Oh my God! That's you!" While officially the rule is that employees and family are not eligible for the award, Len and Cherylann are never ones to follow the rules. I humbly accepted the Star Award that night, proud that my father was in the audience. It's so hard to communicate to family the work that I am doing through BLB here, and for them to be there to see first-hand what we do here, and to have their support as Len and Cherylann recognized my work was truly incredible. Hearing my father exclaim, "That's my boy" Len and Cherylann presented the award was even more so. What a fabulous night!!!

We did have to talk about a new first for us at Be Like Brit. For the first time in our history, we were forced to cancel a Britsionary trip to Haiti, scheduled to have arrived on Sunday, November 8, 2015. You see, Haiti has recently held nation-wide elections, voting for not only the President and Senatorial seats, but local level governments, too. As you might imagine, as with any elections, there are claims of fraud, foul play, and manipulation. This is especially so in a country who has a dicey history of politics, with violence often surrounding elections at any and every level. 

As the country waited for the electoral authorities to announce winners and those who would be advancing to runoff rounds, the country became a bit "hotter" than normal. By 'hot' we mean tense. While in every country you have protesting and people who are unhappy with results, our concern for Haiti is that the situation could have intensified at any moment. While the areas where protests occurred were outside of Grand Goâve and largely removed from the route we would drive to get from the airport to Brit's Orphanage, we decided to err on the side of caution. As Len and Cherylann have said, they lost a daughter in this country, and so safety is paramount, and they are not willing to take any risks when it comes to issues around safety and security. 

Some of the protests are against one of the candidates for President, who is a businessman working in agriculture - specifically in the production and selling of plantains. Images like the one you see below, burning plantains in the streets, really leave no room to question how some feel about this possibility. More serious protests involve blocking roads and burning tires, throwing rocks, etc. Please join us in sending thoughts, well-wishes, and prayers to the people of Haiti, that they may find some peace in this process. At the very least, for the safety of the people...

We keep a watchful eye on our world, as we have seen so much sadness befall so many innocent people. We are united in Keeping the Faith in Haiti and the USA, and we are united in making this world a better place. Thank you for helping us help the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit. Let's all pause for a moment and reflect on the work we have all done collectively. What a remarkable force for good in humanity...