Local church supports orphanage, school in Haiti
Annette and Fred Schramm of St. Charles have four grown children and a grandchild, but that didn't stop them from taking two young Haitian children into their hearts and into their home. The couple was on a mission trip to Haiti in 2003 when they met two children, a boy and a girl who are siblings, who had been brought to King's Hospital in Port o' Prince ill and malnourished. The children recovered, but no one came to take them home.
"They were dropped off with their birth certificates," Annette Schram said. "It seemed like no one planned to pick them up. We just fell in love with them." Today they are the parents of Katiana, 8, and Evaisson, 6.
Schramm and her husband have been to Haiti a collective 18 times during the last five years. They are working through their church, Christ Community Church of St. Charles, to build a hospital in Haiti.
The project - "Hearten Haiti" - has a history. Christ Community Church is working with a couple in Haiti who are physicians who administer King's Hospital. In 2003, the church helped purchase a three-acre parcel on which to build a better hospital. The move allowed the Haitian couple to relocate their hospital from a particularly blighted area of Port-au-Prince. The new hospital is half completed.
So many children were being abandoned at the original hospital the Haitian couple opened an orphanage called King's Garden. (King refers to Christ.) Then two years ago, they opened a school called King's School. There are presently 35 children in the orphanage and 75 enrolled in the school.
As for Katiana and Evaisson, they are doing great.
"They're at Ferson Creek Elementary School," Annette Schramm said. "They have been such a blessing. Having them is a wonderful experience, and our family has embraced them."
To donate to the Haitian hospital building fund, send checks to Faith and Learning International, P.O. Box 480, Wheaton, IL 60189. Checks should be designated "Hearten Haiti."
@Leadin for body copy:Anniversary celebration: The Rev. F. William Etherege will celebrate his 25th anniversary of ordination as a priest on June 22 at Aurora Central Catholic High School, 1255 N. Edgelawn Drive. All friends, families, students and alumni are welcome to attend Mass at 3 p.m. at the school. A reception, hosted by Aurora Central Catholic school community, will follow the Mass.
Etherege was ordained in 1983 by Bishop Arthur J. O'Neill at Holy Angels Parish, Aurora. He has served at St. Mary Parish, DeKalb, and at Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford. In 2000, he was appointed Principal at Aurora Central Catholic High School and superintendent for the area Catholic grade schools.
@Leadin for body copy:Get out your drums: Fox Valley Unity Church at 230 Webster St., in Batavia is holding a drumming circle from 7 to 10 p.m. June 20 and Aug. 15.
The community is invited for an evening of drumming, dancing and singing. Guests should bring their own drums or rhythms. Suggested donation is $8 to $10. No one will be turned away.
For details, call the church at (630) 879-1115 or visit www.foxvalleyunity.org.