04/17/2021
A Feel Good Story With a Twist
Recently, I met a selfless, passionate and all around wonderful young lady name Kerline Jean Baptiste who is the President of Coeur D’Espoir, (Heart of Hope). She undertakes a grand project to ensure that 1000 children in Haiti have shoes in their feet. While you and I have been blessed to have several pairs of shoes, some we barely use; but back in Haiti, thousands of children lack the most basic necessities including a decent pair of shoes for school and church. I love the idea so much that I ask her permission for me and my business Jadee & Associates Services, Inc. to partner with her so that together, we can acquire 1000 pairs of shoes to send to Haiti so that we can be a blessing to those children. I remember my personal challenges growing up in Haiti. I want to share with you my personal true story why this particular project strike a chord in the deepest part of me. During the school year 92-93, I was in the 8th grade and my mother couldn’t afford a new pair of shoes for me to go to school. After buying my uniforms and pay someone to tailor it, purchased a few notebooks and a bag of pens, couldn’t even afford the required books. There was no more money to be spent on school related materials. The day before school starts, I realized that I either skip school or do something that was out of the ordinary. About a year prior, my mom purchased a box full of secondhand shoes and clothes that came from the United States of America to resell and try to make a few extra dollars. Well, one of those pairs of shoes happen to be 2 left foot of a size 12. I wore a size 8 at the time. I told my mom that I was going to wear the 2 left foot shoes to school and, my wonderful mother, out of concerns of me getting bullies at a public school, refuses to allow me to wear them. The next morning, I sneaked out, grab my backpack, saddle over my bike and out of door. I did not know what to expect. Was I going to be bullied, harassed and even put to shame on a first day of school? Will the school personnel prevent me from entering the campus? “Where there is a will, there is way!” I got to school around 12:00 (was in the night program), by the time we switch classes after the hour mark, there at Lycee Stenio Vincent in Saint-Marc, every young men in my 8th grade class wanted to be cool and tried my 2 left foot size 12 shoes. I ended up going home with a brand new pair of shoes because someone else wanted to be ever cooler than me, decided to take my shoes home. I was not trying to cool, just wanted to be in school. Thinking I was going to be a fool, only to be the kid that was the most cool. I am sharing this story with you because I was one of the fortunate one. My story had a positive twist, but thousands of school children in Haiti are not so lucky. You can help turn their shame into pride, you can change a kid’s whole outcome in life with a simple donation of a pair of shoes or several pairs. You and I can send a clear message that they don’t have to play cool just to be in school. One of my friends like to use this quote, “When God blesses you financially, don’t raise your standard of living, raise your standard of giving”. Please help me to help Coeur D’Espoir, (Heart of Hope) collect 1000 shoes. I am forever grateful of your kindness and generosity. If you would like to donate, please reach out to me and I will arrange to either pick up or have it ship to my place. And please I hope that you will be compelled by my story to donate and share your own story and experience growing up as a child in Haiti without basic necessities. The deadline for me is Jun 30, 2021 so that they can be shipped and be delivered in time for next school year. Share this post with a family member, a colleague, and a friend.
You can ship your shoes donation directly to 4378 Buena Tara Drive, West Palm Beach FL 33413
Thank you
Dieunet Demosthene, (Mr. D.)
Jadee & Associates Services, Inc.
