Non-profits join forces to help Haiti

BY KELSEY BUTLER

TOWN JOURNAL

OF TOWN JOURNAL

Paramus-based non-profit The Buehler Foundation just approved a $15,000 grant to The Rose Foundation of Haiti, which was founded by Pierre Romain, head chef for the Allendale Bar & Grill.

In an e-mail, Romain called the gesture "a small step for Haitian democracy."

"It’s a symbolic gesture of resurrection, we thank Mr. Robert Boyle and the board of trustees ... We are humbled by this generous gift and we are thankful," he said.

Romain, who is originally from Haiti, said the "funds will be put to good use immediately" to help rebuild the College Catherine Flon School in Carrefour, Haiti, which was destroyed in the wake of the January earthquake in the country. Romain, who attended the school from Grades 4-8, said that it was important for the foundation to provide desks, benches, generators and other school supplies for the school to be able to open its doors again.

"We want to help them rebuild because the school, it plays a significant role in the community," he said. "We want to put that money towards getting that school working again."

Robert Boyle, a trustee of The Buehler Foundation, said that the organization "is happy to be able to help in such an important project."

"We felt that it was a very good program and we felt that assistance to Haiti is a very good thing," he said.

Boyle said that The Buehler Foundation gives away approximately $75,000 to five or six causes every year, and added that he and two other foundation trustees, George Weave and George Stolberg, decide which groups to give grants to throughout the year.

Weaver said in a statement, "prior to the devastation in Haiti, this school had enrollment of 5,000 students and provided a critical role in Haiti by educating many of Haiti’s police officers, teachers and government workers."

The foundation, according to Romain, was started in 2008 in order to focus on health advocacy and education. The group has been "diverted" by the January earthquake in the country, which has shifted the non-profit’s focus from its initial purpose to disaster relief.

Romain, who serves on the foundation’s board along with two of his five sisters, said the group is fresh off a trip to the Caribbean country last month, where they delivered clothes and other supplies to Haitians who are still working to rebuild their lives.

He said that The Rose Foundation, which stands for "Reach Out Stronger than Ever," has many plans to continue to offer help to the people of Haiti in various ways, including sponsoring children who can’t afford to attend school, providing health education including AIDS awareness and, ultimately, building a permanent health clinic in the country.

"We are a humanitarian organization, and we really want to help. This is very, very close to my heart," Romain said.