MEMBERS HELPREBUILD HAITI
By DEBORAH A. MILES
Beauzile said the Susan Valentine-Williamson
The 7.0 earthquake
main thing now is the spearheaded a “Heartful Haiti Fund” with
that devastated Haiti
Haitian people need Civil Service Employees Association
January 12 took the lives
ongoing support. member Debbie Archer, and has raised
of more than 230,000
“They will need more than $2,500 so far.
people. It was a
prayers and financial The money was raised by union
catastrophic quake that
assistance for a long members who held bake sales and
wrecked the capital, Port-
time.” prepared ethnic lunches for the staff out
au-Prince, and
of a small kitchen at the facility.
surrounding towns and
An ongoing effort Division 178 Council Leader Ann
cities.
Marie-Carmelle Rosenthal said many of the Haitian staff
If there is a silver lining
VAL
Souffrant, a PEF at Sagamore lost family members.
to something of this
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Executive Board “This is our way to support them,” she
horrific magnitude, it is
member and a native of said.
the outpouring of
Haiti, said Division 257 Williamson said the money raised will
humanitarian efforts to
members at the state go to St. John’s Haitian Society, for
help comfort and rebuild a country,
Office of Mental Retardation and medical supplies, and to reputable Haitian
already weak and poor.
Developmental Disabilities in Albany relief organizations known by Baeuzile,
Dr. Guy Beauzile, a PEF member, did
raised more than $2,000 and Dr. Franz Moise. He is a former PEF
more than send money or clothes. He
for the Red Cross in Haiti. member who works at Sagamore and also
traveled to Haiti the last week in January
They also are collecting volunteered in Haiti.
with a group of 12 other medical
crutches and clothing to
professionals to help those in need.
be shipped. A night to remember
“As soon as I learned there was an
Souffrant has a In Binghamton, PEF Division 399
earthquake, it was in my mind I had to go,”
brother, sister and two member Sherrie Rinker pulled together a
Beauzile said.
nephews living there. A fund raiser in just a few days that earned
Unlike a typical day as a psychiatrist 2
cousin perished in the
at the Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric
quake.
Center in Dix Hills, Beauzile witnessed
“The quake affected a
SOUFFRANT
$3,000 for the Catholic Charities Haiti
Relief Fund.
Rinker, a disability analyst in Endicott,
heart-wrenching scenes.
lot more areas than we said she met with friends
“There were paraplegics lying on the
hear about on the news. My home in after the earthquake hit
streets, sleeping on hard surfaces. There
Leogane was destroyed. Ninety percent of the news. Soon, their ideas
was no one even to help take them to a
the town was destroyed,” Souffrant said. for helping became reality.
bathroom,” Beauzile said. “It was a very
“My brother escaped just by minutes. It “We started to spread
sad situation.”
took two days to learn if he was alive. It the word,” Rinker said.
Beauzile and the others spent their time
took two weeks to reach him by phone. “One person called
at make-shift hospitals. He said those who
He escaped Leogane and moved to the another, and we reached
survived suffered so many losses. There
countryside.” more than 100 people in
was one 12-year-old boy whose parents
Souffrant and PEF’s Carribean nine days. We were
died in the quake. The boy developed
American able to get a
RINKER
amnesia, to forget what had happened. His
Committee are wonderful location in the Art
depression was so overwhelming, he
working with Walk section of
jumped off a two-story building and broke
the Haitian Binghamton.
his leg.
Student Association Everything was
Beauzile worked with this boy until he
at the State University donated, items
was stable enough to go to an orphanage.
of New York in Albany on and talent. We
“It was very painful,” Beauzile said.
another fundraiser – a gala to had 12
This group of medical professionals
be held March 6 at Century musicians,
slept in tents near the airport. Like other
House in Latham at 8 p.m. The poets, a silent
volunteers, their
cost is $20. auction and lots of
purpose was to
She said it is important for people food.”
unselfishly give their
to stay with this relief effort for the PEF has
expertise.
long haul. contributed $1,000 to
It didn’t go
“There are different needs at the Haiti Relief Fund, and
unnoticed by the
different stages,” Souffrant said. PEF President Ken Brynien
press. The group
“We have to recognize help is also said the Service Employees
was captured by a
needed outside Port-au-Prince.” International Union donated
Newsday
$100,000. PEF’s Carribean
photographer and
Ethnic lunches raise money American Committee donated
Beauzile also made
Beauzile’s co-workers in PEF $500.
the cover of the
Division 178 at Sagamore CPC There is a link on PEF’s Web
February 7 issue.
wanted to do their part. site where you can donate.
Page12 —TheCommunicatorMarch 2010 PEFInformationLine:1-800-553-2445
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