Kym Meehan just returned to Park City after spending a week in Haiti.
Meehan, the Haiti project director for the Hope Alliance, a nonprofit organization that helps people who live in impoverished parts of the world create sustainable change in their lives and communities, and a group of volunteers worked from Oct. 10 to Oct. 17 to help three villages with a list of the following projects:
“We had an amazing expedition that was so focused on the Hope Alliance’s vision of transforming critical needs into sustainable change,” Meehan told The Park Record. “We did so much homework before we left Park City that we had everything ready and in-country when we arrived.
“We even had all the roofing material in place and the laborers were ready for us to hire,” she said. “We had multiple things being prepared even before we got there.”
That made it easy for the volunteers to do their jobs.
“Everyone knew what they needed to do and were highly focused,” Meehan said. “The boys helped with the construction and repairs and the girls helped with setting up the micro-business and leading the infant and prenatal seminars.”
In addition to the construction and seminars, the group visited schools in three communities — Camatin, Tiapon and Fonnaboth — and distributed backpacks, school supplies and shoes, Meehan said.
They also prepared 420 hot meals for the students in Camatin and Fonnaboth.
“Visiting the schools was an amazing thing and kind of like a little break for us,” she said. “We were able to get into the relief part of the mission, which was great because we were able to mingle with the kids.”
Park City residents donated the backpacks, shoes and some of the supplies and shoes earlier this month.
“We had more than enough to hand out one backpack for each of the students in the three schools we went to, and we were able to fill the packs with pencils, pens, erasers, and all the fun things school students need,” Meehan said. “We also were able to purchase some of the heavier items — such as notebooks — in-country and put them in the backpacks as well.”
Meehan also gave bags of shoes to community leaders, school headmasters and pastors.
“We told them to give them out to those who need them the most,” she said.
A couple of Park City residents also donated cash, Meehan said.
“An anonymous donor put a $100 bill in one of the backpacks and a front desk clerk at one of our local health clubs padded my paw with $200 and asked me to do something for Haiti,” she said. “So we pooled these financial donations and spent them well by starting a chicken coop and purchasing concrete blocks to rebuild a school.”
One of the biggest highlights of the trip was bringing a young Haitian girl off the streets into the Hope Alliance home in Camatin.
“We had a bed in the a room that houses 9- to 12-year-olds and one of our sponsors who lives in Park City, who was with us, helped me interview and select a girl for the opening,” Meehan said. “It was cool to have him get the opportunity to select and approve the newest child whose life would be changed through the Hope Alliance family.
The girl started school last Monday.
“We were able to fast track her books and get her a uniform,” Meehan said. “It was great.”
Meehan takes groups of volunteers to Haiti up to five times a year.
“I’m blessed I have the opportunity, time, blessing from my family and overwhelming support from the Park City community to do this,” she said. “And as always, it’s great to take a group of volunteers. Anyone with a heart can volunteer to do some great work.”
Next year’s service trips will be in May, July, October and December.
For more information or to volunteer, visit www.hopealliance.org .