by Jonathan LaMare
Greetings from Worcester, MA! On Thursday, I made my way out of Haiti and up to Miami for an overnight connection, and was greeted happily by Melissa at Logan International on Friday, September 11. Melissa met me as I exited the concourse with her usual smile and joyful self - a sight that was well received (and needed!) by me after what turned out to be a very difficult week in Haiti...
As most of you know, the Be Like Brit family suffered a tragic loss this past week, as our employee and friend, Francklin, lost his life in a moto accident on Route National 2 just down the road from our driveway. Francklin was one of our 12 overnight caregivers, and was adored by the children at BLB, especially the five boys he took care of in Room 3: Shasha, Obenson, Malorie, Mackenlove, and Devidson. While we did everything we could to try to get Francklin to Port-au-Prince to a trauma hospital who was ready and waiting for us to arrive with him, sadly, he died en route. We grieve for our friend and for his wife and young daughter, who surely all feel the absence of such a wonderful man.
I was so grateful that Len happened to be in Haiti last week for a few days, and sought his guidance and advice on how to handle this and how to tell the children. The staff all knew, as word in Haiti tends to spread rather easily and rather quickly, even if not always accurate. When I arrived at the hospital, crowds of people were locked outside the gate, all of them crying and screaming of Francklin's death, even though he hadn't yet passed. Even once I got inside the hospital grounds, people were telling me that he had died. It wasn't yet the case, though, and so when we decided to talk to our children about what had happened, Francklin was still with us.
We gathered all of our children and all of our staff in the courtyard in front of the Fr. Bob Lord Chapel at Be Like Brit on Wednesday evening at around 5:00pm. Len informed everyone that Francklin had been involved in a serious accident. He asked everyone to pray together for our friend. The children, staff, and Britsionarys all shared a moment of prayer together...
It was then that I realized something. Len had asked me what did I think we needed to do in terms of a response to this. Should we try to set up a response similar to something that might happen at a school in the United States, bringing in social workers and grief counselors for the children and staff? Should we do one-on-ones with the boys in Francklin's room? What was the appropriate response? I realized in that moment of prayer that for our staff and our children, they simply needed each other and their faith. I realized that, unfortunately, death is commonplace in Haiti, and when life is so fleeting, resilience and faith take over. There was no need to stage a formal therapeutic intervention - that would be our way. Instead, while making ourselves and bringing our Haitian social worker in on an emergency shift, we allowed our children to go off with their caregivers, where they could grieve and pray together.
We realize we will be dealing with the effects of Francklin's loss for a long time, and that perhaps we haven't even seen the worst of it yet. As the funeral arrangements are made, the reality that our friend is gone will set in. We are blessed to be surrounded by friends and family both in Haiti and in the USA to help us handle this loss a little easier.
Psalm 144:4 says, "Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow." We know we will remember Francklin in our hearts forever, and know that he is now resting peacefully with his God.
I can't possibly write about Francklin without expressing my most sincere and heartfelt overwhelming gratitude for the response to his death and our fundraising efforts for him and his family. Francklin's young cousin was also killed in the accident, and so two families are faced with the burden of burying their children. As I write this, we are just shy of $4000.00 raised for these expenses. We take great comfort in knowing they each will have a proper Christian burial, and we will have money left to give to the family in this great time of need. We are blessed, and are reminded of it every day. Thank you.
Our 4th Annual Be Like Brit Walk at Elm Park in Worcester yesterday was a HUGE success. I was so happy to get to attend this event for the first time, and see so many of you who I get to see in Haiti! It is overwhelming to see the amount of love and support that this community brings us, and as I mentioned at the Walk yesterday, it is sometimes easy to forget that all of this happens in the USA, making the work we do in Haiti possible. Yesterday was an incredible reminder of just how awesome our supporters are - at just how much like family we are - and at just how generous and kind and good people really are. Knowing that we are held up in love and in solidarity with our BLB Family in the USA and in Haiti brings great comfort in our challenging times. Thank you all for that reminder yesterday. What an incredible group of people Be Like Brit is surrounded by...
It is so important that we acknowledge all of the tremendous work that Cherylann and our BLB Staff and Volunteers put into making this event happen! Handling these events is a hue responsibility and without them, we simply wouldn't be able to operate the orphange in Haiti. Let's all thank Cherylann for all of the work that lead up to such a wonderfully successful event here in Worcester!!!
Our most recent Britsionary Group, Team "Small but Mighty" traveled back to the USA yesterday. I hated to leave the group in Haiti ahead of their own departure, but knew that they would be in capable hands! It was great to see the work they were doing through the eyes of Facebook rather than first-hand! I was especially happy when I saw that the group traveled to the local park - the place where the children play regularly - and did a neighborhood clean-up!!! There are little services in Haiti in terms of waste removal, and so litter and trash are quite literally everywhere. This group took it upon themselves to make the space where our children play cleaner and safer, and we are so grateful! This is definitely a practice that our own children will begin to do, fostering a sense of social responsibility and reciprocity in the minds of our children. What a wonderful example this group has set for our children to follow!
The group worked hard all week, and was able to renovate a home for one of our employees, whose house was in need of repair after weathering too many elements. As this group was small in numbers, this renovation project was ideal, and with the funds they raised in excess, the group was able to provide the food and supplies to Francklin's family, needed for the large gatherings that followed the accident. The family will continue to have large gatherings to mourn together and share their grief, and we know that because of our Team, they will be able to do so without the stress and worry of how they might buy food and drink.
The group enjoyed a much-deserved day at the beach on Friday, and I think it's safe to say that hard work really does pay off!
This week, I will be busy working at the Operations Center here in Worcester, alongside Cherylann, Melissa, Alycia, Shelby, Doreen, and more! We have some exciting news coming this week, and I hope that I will be able to bring that news to you on Facebook as things develop! I will be meeting with many people this week and later traveling to Plattsburgh, NY (my hometown) for an event at SUNY Plattsburgh. I am excited to brings the news of Be Like Brit to my alma mater, and share with my community the work we are all doing in Haiti. If you are in the Worcester area, stop by and visit!
We truly are overwhelmed at the love and support expressed and shown to us following Francklin's death, but we are overwhelmed by it every day, too. There are no words adequate to express that gratitude. I simply want to say Thank You - and thank you for helping us help the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit.
Have a great week, everybody!
