A cause came to my attention the other day that I thought worth sharing here on the blog.  I spend a lot of time working with the Valley Interfaith Child Care Center, and I know firsthand how difficult it can sometimes be to raise money for a cause you KNOW is worth it.  With that in mind, I learned recently about Chris Strock’s efforts to build a bridge in Boucan Carré, Haiti.  My wife knows Chris through classes here at Virginia Tech, and they had a chance to catch up with each other earlier this week.  Chris has  a real direction in his life, and he feels strongly about this project.  Because of the weather, they only have ~ 4 months out of the year on which to work on the project.  I’d encourage you to find out more about the project here and here, and if you’re so inclined,give in some small way.  As he says in the email below, only $50 from a thousand people goes a VERY long way.  Please pass this on …

Dear Friends and Family,
Most of you know about my volunteer work in Nigeria, Haiti and Belize. Every trip has been incredibly rewarding, but so far my most compelling work has been with the people of Haiti. Currently, Anna and I have both taken-up an effort to help build a bridge for more than 20,000 people living in Boucan Carré in Haiti’s Central Plateau. We are doing this as a project with Partners In Health (PIH), a U.S. based non-profit organization that provides free health care to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the Caribbean, South America and Africa. (See their recent 60 Minutes story and learn more here).

Our goal is to raise $250,000 and we need your help. We’ve completed a construction plan, drawings and cost estimates. Now all we need is funding. Please take a look at our website, http://www.bridgeforhaiti.org/, which tells the story of the project and provides directions on how to donate. All donations are tax-deductible, go directly to PIH and to this specific project. Once our funding goal is complete, I’ll return to Haiti to oversee construction.

We know this won’t happen overnight, but with your help, we really do believe it can happen. Its amazing how Obama was able to garner millions of dollars for his campaign from so many donations under $50. To me the sad thing is how quickly those millions of dollars seem to just vaporize into political air. We’ve already raised $35,000 and if we can get a thousand people to donate just $50, we’ll be  another $50,000 closer to our goal.

Also, we realize that not everyone is in a position to give financially, so please know that sometimes the greatest gift is just getting the word out. Please consider passing this along to your own friends and family. If you are part of any group or organization that might be interested in getting involved please let me or Anna know. We would be happy to provide any additional information or give a presentation.

We believe that together, if we ALL do just a little bit, we can build a bridge that will provide long-term access to health care, education, and an overall improved well-being for the people of Boucan Carré.

Thank you in advance for your consideration — and as always, thank you for your support,
Chris and Anna

P.S. Don’t forget to go to http://www.bridgeforhaiti.org/ today!!