Photo By Sgt. Jacob Marlin | Sgt. Theresa Linn, information systems specialist, Forward Detachment, 56th Signal...... read more read more
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti- Service members from the headquarters element of Joint Task Force-Haiti made a visit May 8 to the Foyer L'escale Orphanage in Port-au-Prince to deliver clothing and toys to Haitian children who would have otherwise gone without. Most of the children at the orphanage were left parentless after the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Ralph Johnson, non-commissioned officer in charge of the Deployable Joint Command and Control system, organized the visit to the orphanage. He started looking for ways to help after he was impacted by an encounter with a child shortly after arriving to Haiti in January.
"There was a little boy outside the gate holding his little sister," said Johnson. "She had already passed away, and he kept saying he didn't want to wake her up because he didn't have any food for her, and that really hit home with me."
The service members spent the afternoon playing with the children and fitting them with clothing provided by several service members and civilians in JTF-Haiti. The children that live at the orphanage have had next to nothing since the Jan. 12 earthquake took everything away.
"When this started, me and several others in the Joint Task Force started e-mailing and Facebooking our friends and family, and they started sending boxes from all over," said Johnson.
While some kids took time to kick a soccer ball around, others flew kites, danced, blew bubbles and watched the show put on by their guests. Capt. Jose Linares, network engineer, JTF- Haiti, has been to the orphanage before, but for him, this kind of mission never seems to get old.
"This was my second visit and I was astonished to see the changes they have made to the grounds." said Linares.
The little girls of the orphanage ran around showing off their new shoes and clothes and the boys chased around the service members. For these kids, there hasn't been much to smile about the last couple of months. But, because of the initiative of a few service members, they got time to let loose.
"I think we did something good for the kids," said Linares. "I think the kids are going to appreciate the toys, candy and the clothes we brought."
After a couple of hours and a lot of laughs, the group shared hugs and a few tears as everyone said their goodbyes. For service members like Linares it is a bittersweet experience coming to these orphanages.
"It breaks your heart." said Linares. "You get to play with them, you get to run with them and then you have to leave; it's tough."
Thanks to the service members of Joint Task Force-Haiti, the children of Foyer L'escale Orphanage shared a little happiness. The little toys and the few pieces of clothing are a start to these kids moving on from the tragedy of the earthquake that took so many of their loved ones.
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.10.2010 11:15 |
| Story ID: | 49412 |
| Location: | PORT-AU-PRINCE, HT |
| Web Views: | 280 |
| Downloads: | 224 |
This work, Bringing hope to orphans of Haiti, by SGT Jacob Marlin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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