CROC SHOES DONATED

This picture puts a face to the haunting reality that most children in Haiti do not have basic needs such as water, clothes, food to eat, and a pair of shoes to protect their feet. Alecia Settle has put together a book of images, and statistics of Haiti.
When the Croc Shoe company saw this picture they donated hundreds of shoes to Alecia.
In December 2007 our school children will all be receiving a pair of these shoes. We are so grateful for this gift and recognize the importance, indeed the basic right for every child to have safety and health.
If you would like to order the book (all proceeds go to Haitian Charities) or look at more images please go to her website.

http://visualizepublishing.com/

Article in Ogden Standard Examiner about HR

Haitian Roots helps children abroad

BY JAMIE LAMPROS Standard-Examiner correspondent
RIVERDALE — After adopting their son from Haiti in 2004, Jason and Shannon Cox made a vow to help the people of his country. The couple returned to Riverdale and organized the nonprofit charitable foundation Haitian Roots, a sponsorship aimed at educating children of the impoverished country. The foundation funds schooling for over 100 children and is working on building a new school in the area. “For a long time, I felt a strange connection to Haiti and would tease my husband that one day we would adopt a son from there,” Shannon Cox said. “About the time I became really fascinated with Haiti was in February of 2004 when a coup was taking place.” The Coxes’ soon-to-be-son’s birth mother had just become pregnant at that time and was due in October of that year. Knowing the adoption process could take up to a year, the couple decided to visit him in December. “That was our first trip to Haiti,” Cox said. “We had spent time in very poor areas. I had seen documentaries and horrible photos of places in Africa and I thought I was prepared for the poverty I would see … It’s like if you took 20,000 people to a landfill or garbage dump and just told them to live there. To make home with whatever they can find and live in that garbage.” She wasn’t ready for the experience, she said. The poverty was absolutely staggering, especially due to the political unrest and violence. At the time, Cox said, World Health Organization statistics said the only countries with an average daily caloric intake lower than Haiti were Somalia and Afghanistan. “We visited again before bringing our son home. The problems seemed so overwhelming that we thought there was not much we could do, but Jason first came up with the idea that maybe we could help some children through education,” she said. “We brought Andre home in July of 2005 and were determined not to just bring him home and forget about all of the others suffering in Haiti that we had left behind.” Cox said the foundation is running a sponsorship program and sends children to most of the local schools in Haiti. The cost is approximately $250 for one child to attend school for one year in the Port au Prince area. The first year, the foundation sent 23 children to school. The second year, 53 got to go and this year 113 attended. “We know that the best way to help these children will be to have our own school and we hope our first school will just be one of many,” Cox said. “We have the blueprints ready and it will be an excellent elementary school for at least 500 students and will serve as the head administrative offices for Haitian Roots in Haiti.” Land has already been offered in several locations and will be donated by the Haitian government, Cox said. Construction and administrative costs for the first year should reach $1 million. “This school will not be a one-room school house but will be designed after some of the nicest schools here in the U.S,” she said. “It will include a computer lab, volunteer headquarters, auditorium, kitchen, library and many other amenities that will allow us to reach out to the community in many ways other than the initial goal of educating children.” Cox said she hopes the school will be completed within three years. She said she will be looking for volunteer teachers to go over at that time to train Haitian educators. Several people in the community have already pitched in, Cox said. One South Ogden neighborhood has decided to stop giving gifts to each other at Christmastime, and instead, give the money they would have spent to the foundation. Bonneville High School has also adopted the foundation for its Make A Difference Week this year. “One young family put together a candy and soda pop stand in their front yard and raised money to send. Two boys organized a huge yard sale for their Eagle Scout project and raised over $2,000 for Haitian Roots. Another family decided to make fleece scarves last year. They sold them throughout their neighborhood and earned enough money to send three children to school,” Cox said. Chareyl Moyes of South Ogden is a foundation board member. She said the only hope for poverty-stricken countries is to provide the people with education. “You look at these beautiful people and you want to give them something to look forward to, something to hold onto,” she said. “An education will last forever and will give them a foundation and will open the doors to make it a better place.” Moyes said the Haitian government has been very open and excited about the goals of the foundation. She said the foundation also provides children with school supplies each year. Cox said she hopes people will remember the children of Haiti as they are sending their own children off to school this year. She said parents and children in this country are lucky to have such a wonderful educational system. She said education means everything to the Haitian people. “Our coordinators in Haiti have been overwhelmed with pressure as parents have begged, cried and pleaded for them to accept their children into our program and give them the opportunity,” she said. One hundred percent of the funds raised go to the charitable purpose, Cox said. If you would like to donate, send a check to Haitian Roots, 609 W. 3850 South, Riverdale, UT. 84405. You can also make a donation at www.haitianroots. com. The foundation is 5013c tax-exempt through the IRS.

One Note: We have been very pleased about the response to this article. We just want to point out that we are not a foundation. We are a non profit charity. And, although there is plenty of poverty to go around in Haiti it also has the most incredible beauty to capture anyones heart.

AN INTRODUCTION

As a board at Haitian Roots we want everyone to know what is going on in our organization as much as possible. Through this blog we hope to be able to share important things that are happening to enhance the lives of Haitian Children. When walking the paths of Haiti you can feel the sense of hope for the future. Through education we know we can give people the tools they need to change their country.

Earvin Johnson said, "ALL KIDS NEED IS A LITTLE HELP, A LITTLE HOPE AND SOMEBODY WHO BELIEVES IN THEM."

We do believe in, and have hope for the Children of Haiti. Every child who gains an education through our organization, will be one more adult who can change the cycle of poverty in Haiti.