by Jonathan

Every week, we end our blog with the same line: "Thank you for helping us help the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit!" We do this because there are so many of you who support us in so many different ways! Len and Cherylann are not shy about the fact that for them to ask for help is not easy, as they had always been so accustomed to helping others. Yet in this journey, we know we rely on the kindness of friends and strangers alike. This past week, we were overwhelmed by the generosity of so many!

 

Our Diesel Generator, the one that has been powering Brit's Orphanage for more than two years, blew a piston. Knowing a repair wasn't possible given the lack of parts available here in Haiti, we had to make the decision to invest in a new machine. These are big ticket items no matter where you are, but here in Haiti, where generators are necessary for the daily operation and functioning of homes, businesses, and more, they are especially expensive. The $23,000 dollar price tag was a major hit in our pocket, and we were left wondering what we would have to cut from the budget for the year to make up the difference...

 

Knowing how great our supporters are, we put out the word and the cavalry came. Indeed, as our friends and supporters circled their wagons around us, we began to see just how committed so many of our ambassadors are. In the first day alone, donations rolled in. From some people who are already committed to Be Like Brit, and from so many new and first-time donors, we were and are overwhelmed with your generosity. We were then contacted by Mark and Jan Fuller of The Fuller Foundation, who agreed to match any amount up to $10,000.00!!! Thanks to the collective efforts of so many, we were able to cover almost 100% the cost of the generator. We are forever grateful, and when we say thank you for helping us help the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit, we mean it in more ways than you could ever know.

 

 

Of course, you don't have to give money to help us continue the compassion of Britney Gengel! You don't even have to travel to Haiti, like our last Britsionary Group from Worcester State did this past week! By following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, and Pinterest, you can like us, share our story, and help us reach more people! We have more than 21,000 followers on Facebook, and that's just amazing! Help us continue to increase that number by liking and sharing our posts! 

 

Our group from Worcester this past week was incredible! With four returning Britsionarys on the trip and 7 first-timers, we were excited to have them here and look forward to the week ahead! As our groups always do, a family in need was identified, and the group worked the course of the week building a home for a single mother and her two children. She's also expecting a third child soon, and so we knew that this home would find a family truly in need!

 

 

The group was able to get some time in with the children, too! With small projects in and around Be Like Brit, the Britsionarys and children had a great week together here in Haiti! We're thankful for the artistic talents of the group who helped us to make our ABC Mouse room a little bit prettier! Now the children will be even more excited to spend time in Madame Amanda's office and classroom!

 

 

We were also fortunate to have our Medical Director, Susan Johnson, here with us over the course of the week! Susan was here to make some local connections with other clinics and hospitals, so that our medical volunteers and UMASS practitioners would have vetted community outreach opportunities! With our children being in school all mornings, we want to be sure that anyone visiting Haiti through Be Like Brit as a medical professional has the opportunity to do outreach in other settings! This is how we continue the compassion - by sharing our resources with others and extending services to those who are so desperately in need!

Susan was also here to do some housekeeping on our end ~ as I have been the liaison between the children's medical needs and Susan, she wanted to be here near the end of my tenure to address any issues. Part of her work included putting all of the medical records into an electronic medical records system, so that information is not only backed up, but available to our medical team and personnel in the United States, too! We were grateful to the Worcester State group, who had among them several nursing students, who helped Susan get all of this information uploaded to our newest EMR system!

 

 

We were also blessed this week to have among our group Louise! Louise is a nurse with Partners in Boston, and it was wonderful to have her here as a medical Britsionary! Louise got to see staff and children who had specific issues arise in the week between medical personnel being present, and was also able to work with the Mission of Hope International Team, conducting community clinics in the nearby area of Petit Paradis! Louise was a great addition to the group and we loved having her here ~ especially with the number of nursing students we had with us in the Worcester State group! 

 

 

Things continue to be very busy for us, but we are feeling more and more blessed with every day! The support from our friends and from strangers alike has been overwhelming - even in the earliest days 5 years ago, as Len and Cherylann recount their experience with the money that poured in the days after the quake, encouraging them to set out on this mission and bring Brit's dream to fruition. We continue to be humbled every day. Indeed, we are blessed.

 

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Spotlight on a Child: Asline

 

Meet Asline! Many of you may remember that we took Asline on a temporary basis, as the government entity in charge of children, IBESR asked us to help. We have done that, and we are so happy that we have! Many of you who have visited as Britsionarys have had the pleasure to meet Asline, and you know how amazing and wonderful she is! At 16, Asline has endured far more hardship than any child should, yet her spirit and her positive attitude is infectious. We simply love her, and while we don't know what the future will hold for her, we know she will always be at home here at Be Like Brit.

 

Most recently, we received approval to enroll Asline in school, where she was prior to coming to us, but was prevented from attending because of her situation. Asline begged us every day to let her go to school, and it broke our hearts to tell her "not yet". We did our best to keep her up on her studies here with our incredible teaching staff, and announced proudly when the all-clear was given for her to return. 

 

Many people have asked about helping to support Asline. There are some real costs associated with her care. We haven't added her to a list of children eligible to be sponsored, simply because we can't know how long she will be with us. If you are interested in supported Asline on a one-time sort of basis, please email me! Jon@BeLikeBrit.org  

 

I can give you information on the costs associated with her schooling, uniforms, books, supplies, exam fees, and more. Of course, we'll provide for Asline everything she needs to succeed, as we do for all of our children! Yet with the giving and generous spirit of our friends and followers, we know many would love the opportunity to help Asline!

 

 

With my time nearing an end in a formal role with Be Like Brit, I look forward to each and every day with these children and with my staff. I wanted to thank everyone for their words of encouragement and support in my announcement of leaving! I am very honored and humbled by the praises offered to me. These children are very precious to me, and when I say thank you for helping us help the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit, it comes from a very sacred place in my heart. 

 

God Bless, and have a great week!