by Jonathan

Wow! When did it become October?! It seems like just yesterday we were busy getting ready to dedicate and open Brit's Orphanage, and here we are - 9 months on - a very busy place! The children started back to school last week, got to celebrate the city's official holiday, and of course had lots of great visitors this past week!







We were so very excited to have Len and Cherylann fly in last week, and along with them bring journalists Karen Duva and Doug Grindle. For those of you who have read the book or know the story, Karen was a key figure in helping Len and Cherylann navigate the media and press in their darkest time following the earthquake and the uncertainty and confusion that followed. As a freelance producer and journalist, Karen not only lent her skills to help keep the story on the front pages, and to keep efforts and pressure on the U.S. to exert more energy and resources to the recovery efforts, she also became a precious friend. Karen has wanted to come to Haiti to see Brit's Orphanage, and we are so glad that she was finally able to!







Doug Grindle is a seasoned journalist, too - having covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for nearly a decade. He reached out to Len and Cherylann and expressed his interest in doing a documentary project to chronicle the events following January 12, 2010, and more so to provide a resource to tell people what is going on now at Be Like Brit - our day to day operations, how we make certain decisions, and really allowing people to get a better understanding of what life is like in Haiti and at Be Like Brit. Doug is from central Massachusetts, and the local connection and offering of his time and skills is appreciated! Be sure to stay tuned!















Of course, it was great to have Len and Cherylann here for the first day of school! There's nothing like seeing first-hand the effects and the impact of your efforts, and the first day of school is one of those special times that is so exciting for the children! While Len and Cherylann were busy helping our staff tie shoes, button up shirts and dresses, tying ribbons into hair, tucking in shirts and straightening out belts, I couldn't help but think of how significant a moment this was. To me, this was the totality of Brit's dream - her text message translated in to reality - and indeed, Be Like Brit is home where children do grow, where children do learn, and where children do thrive.















We have been busy in lots of other ways, too! Our interns from Tulane University, Lauren and Zakiyyah, have been hard at work helping me to put in to place the foundations and frameworks for some some points in our programming. It has been so great to have these two ladies with us, and it's hard to believe they have been with us for a month already! Now that they have adjusted well and laid the groundwork to really dive in to their respective projects, we anticipate great results for the children here - and systems that will be in place and operating long after they leave us!







Whenever Len and Cherylann are here together - which is tough to do as they are both so busy - we take advantage of it by having a full staff meeting! We employ 47 people full-time to keep Be Like Brit running safely and effectively. We know that sounds like a lot - people often say, "wait, you have more employees than you do children!?" and we answer proudly, YES! This staff includes not only caregivers - who are employed at a 1 adult for every 5 children ratio - but extends to every other area of need. Security, maintenance, painters, cooks, laundry (it's all done by hand!) caregiver assistants, landscaping and grounds, drivers, housekeepers - we have an amazing team at Be Like Brit that is so critical to keeping things up and running smoothly. It's quite a sight when we are all gathered together for a meeting, but the way the staff responds to having words of encouragement and praise from "Boss Len" and "Madame Len" is truly nothing short of awesome.

Throughout the meeting, the staff applauds, cheers, and stands up to deliver passionate words of thanks and gratitude - and knowing that this is the result of Len and Cherylann's hard work and commitment to not only building an orphanage but building back a community is indeed awe inspiring.















We have four of our children who will be starting their first day of school at the St. Francois d'Assisi school in downtown Grand Goâve tomorrow! These four preschoolers got a chance to tour their new school this past week, and again, it was awesome to have Len and Cherylann on hand to show them around. We started by going to a mass celebrating the holiday of the patron Saint, and then toured the school grounds. It was cute when one of the boys pointed at the classroom labeled "Preschool 3? and asked, "my new classroom?" to which I said yes - only to point at a bright, shiny SUV parked next to it and asking just as seriously, "my new car?" 















Our weeks are now busier than ever with getting the children up and ready for school. Classes start at 7am, and so getting 35 children up, washed, dressed, fed, and out the door takes some time! We start waking up the oldest of the children as early as 5:15am - and try to let the littlest ones sleep as late as possible! With any amount of luck and perhaps a bit of God's grace, we are ready and at the breakfast table by 6:15am. The children eat, wipe off their faces, and get in line to get on the bus to take them down to the Mission of Hope School, where we have 31 of our children enrolled and a few children from outside Be Like Brit, too. We even have some staff who attend school there, and the children were very excited to move this year in to the brand new school building, designed by architect Paul Fallon, the same architect who worked with Len on Brit's Orphanage.







The new school is impressive - and it's so great to see the children each in their own classrooms, proudly working from their desks! We stopped by with our documentary crew on the first day, and visited the 3rd grade classroom where we have 8 children. We even caught a glimpse of Dalandya working on the chalkboard! It's so nice to see a group of young children genuinely excited and enjoying school! Coming from the States, it's easy to take something like education for granted - but these children are different. They know what a gift this is and embrace it and cherish it - it is indeed a heartwarming reality!















October is sure to be a busy month! With a Britsionary group, two members of our Program Committee coming for staff training and professional development, a visit from Tulane University's Director of Field Placements, and a few other friends and guests, we won't be surprised when we look up and it's November!







Please know we truly appreciate all of the support we get from our friends! We know that not everyone can help in terms of a financial contribution or through donations of items, but we want EVERYONE to know that you can still help! By liking us on Facebook, liking posts, commenting on posts, and sharing posts, you are spreading the word about Be Like Brit! The farther our reach the better - and so please share us with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube! The power of social media is huge, and we recognize that! We are blessed to have almost 15,000 followers on facebook!!! Surely through that base we can reach thousands more, and encourage others to "Be Like Brit!"







Thanks for all you do!