Drive On A Run

With the help of my Spelman sisters, I was able to collect a large amount of jewelry. This was a great start. Elation began to fill my soul as I thought about just how many new boundaries I can set as I work on this drive. I recently contacted my old high school here in Mcdonough Georgia *Henry County High School* and hosted my drive there as well through the faculty and students. I was able to get a nice amount of jewelry from there as well.

Margaret Armoo-Daniels, who is the new second attendant to Miss Spelman saw some advertising for my drive, and referred me to the Haitian American Caucus.The caucus had hosted an alternative spring break where students from the AUC had the opportunity to travel to Haiti and work on different internships. She inquired about me so I got their contact information and began emailing and calling.

Two months later, I am now on a mission. Instead of sending my jewelry via mail, I will be traveling on an internship to Haiti through the Haitian American Caucus. In fact, I will sort of be creating my own internship because my project is about women empowerment and has not been done before. The task before me now is raising enough money to pay for the plane ticket and the stay, *$25 a day*

As of right now I plan on going July 30th- August 5th. Rebecca, one of the sight leaders, will be working with me as the date approaches to find designated shelters and to host a special event where the jewelry will be distributed. I thank God that something so small has been slowly expanding through the support of friends, family, and others who wish to lead and serve.

My next step is to raise the necessary funds, and sort through all of the jewelry *pictures coming soon*

Launching The Drive

"I have some reliable people in Haiti who we can send the jewelry too. They can distribute the jewelry to the shelters nearby. All you have to do is collect it and I'll help you" This was my mother's reply over the phone to my idea.

At this moment, I laid out the basics of my drive. Jewelry of any sort would be collected whether it be costume, prom, fashion, real, fake, ethnic etc. The only thing is the jewelry had to be in good condition. When I say good, I meant the type of jewelry that, let's say your younger sister or a girlfriend came into your room and saw that necklace or bracelet, you would give it to them because it was still in wearable condition. The collected jewelry would then be sent to Haiti. The recipients would include any women who were affected by the earthquake or reside in shelters.

My next step was to find out how to carry out the jewelry drive. Ms. Candice Jones is the "CEO" of the Office of Student Life and Engagement at Spelman college. That December, I kept in mind that the anniversary would be coming up and there would be lots of initiatives to remember the earthquake. In January, while I was still on winter break, I called up Ms. Jones and I told her my idea. She loved it, and told me to connect with Shirley Noel, who was the second attendant to Miss Spelman. She was of Haitian descent and would be launching a platform aimed towards Haiti relief for the second semester. By February, with the help of Ms. Jones, Shirley Noel, and with the support of the Caribbean American Student Association, and W.O.R.T.H. (student organizations I was apart of), I was ready to launch my project.

On Wednesday, March 17th 2010, I had a table set out in the Manley Student Center from 12 pm to 2 pm, where I alongside with a few of my friends and supporters, showcased my project and collected jewelry. My very first donor was a close friend's mother so I used her jewelry as examples. Luckily, there was a table nearby from LEADS. They asked me about my project and told me to keep them updated because they liked the idea.

In fact, everyone liked my idea. The drive was very successful on Wednesday and I did it again at the market Friday event that same week. I also had girls come by and leave things in the Office of Student Life and personally link up with me to collect.

The next step was to figure out where to send the jewelry......

The Beginning

In late December of 2010, I had an idea.

I was watching a show on Nickelodeon where students all over America were receiving awards for their outstanding development in community service. One of the students was a Haitian native, and found ways to give back after the events of the earthquake. When I saw how he did something so small, such as spread awareness, and send goods to his family, I knew that deep down in my heart I had the power to do something as well. My mother and father were both born and raised in Haiti. They came to America on a dream yet still held close ties to their family back home. My cousin was getting married in January of 2010, and my mother and I were going to travel to Haiti for the wedding. At the last minute, my father told me not to go so I stayed back in America while my mother went on without me.

I will never forget that Wednesday in January. I had woke up and went to my first class of the day, English. As an introduction, we students were told to find some common facts about ourselves to express to the class, or something that made us stand out. Nehemie Villarceau, a student of Haitian descent expressed her nationality to the class. Upon stating her Haitian pride, my English teacher Professor Greene, expressed her concerns on the current events in Haiti. I had not been completely educated on what was occuring, but little did I know it would change my life. I usually leave my television on in my dorm room, so as soon as I unlocked the door, the first thing I saw were the devastating images of broken homes, dead people, mass chaos, bleeding Haitians, and sadness. My eyes were glued to the screen, and when the familiar town of Port-Au-Prince was identified, my eyes instantly filled with tears. There, on the tv screen, showed the destruction of the very same place I would have visited. The next few days were anxiety ridden. My mother had not spoken to us for three days. Instead, we received a phone call from the airline she flew with saying that there would be no flights returning to America. Spelman gave me some relief. They held relief groups and a beautiful candlelight vigil for the Haitian American students. It was difficult to focus in class, difficult to eat, and even more difficult to sleep. Here I am, starting a new year at my beautiful institution, blessed with a bed, clothing, and food to eat. But those who began my legacy, my family who I was supposed to meet, those who prayed the hardest for me, those who watched me grow overseas, the same people who carry my last name and heritage, are abandoned, missing, homeless, hurt, or even worse dead. It got to the point that I could no longer cry, just pray. Finally, that same week on Friday night, my father called me and told me that he heard my mother was okay. She found a way to escape to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and she will catch the next flight coming back to America. The next Saturday morning, I remember my mother calling me at 5 am. Through tears, she bore her personally testimony on the earthquake on Haiti. She talked of the devastation, the instant darkness, the orphans, the homeless, the anxiety, those committing suicide because they lost everything, the families who dug through broken clay and cement to find loved ones, those who had amputated limbs, and those who lie dead in the street. My mother told me she thanked God I had not come, because the very hotel that I would've stayed in had collapsed with many casualties. She told me also to pray for those in my family who had fallen, and those who were recovered from the rubble and especially for the women who worked the hardest in the family to build up and lost everything. My brother, sister, father and I drove the 16 hours in pouring rain to New Jersey where my mother resided to cater to her.

As it was approaching the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, my heart was restless. I thought long and hard, and decided I was going to do something. I wanted to start my own drive or initiative in Haiti. I prayed hard about it, and thought back to my younger days when I had visited Haiti. My female cousins were constantly asking for the jewelry that I had on because "li tap fe mem bel" or "it would make my hand pretty". That's when I decided on GEMS for Haiti, where I would collect old jewelry from women that was no longer worn to donate to women in Haiti. I knew it was something small, but I knew it was possible and that the women would be very appreciative. Though I know jewelry does not make self esteem, it certainly can help. I know I always FEEL the best when I have on a pretty pair of earring or a nice necklace or sparkly bracelet.

With that idea in mind, I called my mother for connections, and began formulating how I was going to carry out this drive.