Glen Ellyn church seeking help for Haitian orphans
For about five years, parishioners at Glen Ellyn Bible Church have been trying to make life a little better for the 50 children living in a Haitian orphanage.
But the orphanage was one of the thousands of structures that succumbed to the massive earthquake that rocked the Caribbean nation two weeks ago.
"The kids are sleeping under the stars," said Glen Ellyn Bible Church Senior Pastor Kelly Brady. "I just received word that the village where the orphanage is located hasn't received food for 12 days."
Now Brady and his congregation are petitioning the U.S. government to evacuate the youngsters so they can be fed, clothed and housed in the United States. U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, a Wheaton Republican, is pushing the church's plea to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano. He is urging their immediate evacuation.
"To date, there are over 20 families throughout my district who have been prescreened to provide foster care and are willing to provide care for these orphans while families already waiting for international adoptions can finalize their paperwork and be matched with a needy child," he wrote.
The orphans range in age from 2 to 15. Brady doesn't know how the government will decide where the children will go if they are evacuated.
"I don't know how much say we'll get in where they go if they are evacuated, but we've had people coming out of the woodwork since they heard the orphans were coming," Brady said.
The orphanage is located in a village called Aubry, about 20 miles northwest of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. The church's parishioners had been working to make the orphanage "self-sustaining" over the years by outfitting the building with solar panels, constructing other facilities and infrastructure, and even buying the orphanage goats.
Brady said the orphanage's school brought another 100 children to the orphanage campus each day and it was the only place most of these children were fed. Brady said a commercial airline has committed to providing transportation for the orphans if they are allowed to leave the country.
Brady said none of the orphans at the orphanage were scheduled for adoption before the earthquake.
"There are over a half million orphans in Haiti that aren't in the pipeline for adoption and our 50 are part of that 500,000 who do not have a high likelihood of being adopted out of the country," he said.
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Local Haiti-relief telethon</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=352524"><b>The Chicago Helps Haiti telethon</b></a> started at 5 a.m. and runs until 11 p.m. tonight Organizers say nearly every local television and radio station, as well as the Daily Herald and Crain's Chicago Business, will be promoting the fundraiser and urging people to call (877) 565-5000 to donate. </p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">At least 1,500 volunteers will be working the phones from a call center at Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire. Money raised will go directly to the American Red Cross Haitian relief effort.</p>
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<li><a href="/story/?id=351512">How to help <span class="date"> [01/17/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=352948">Herald photographer sees spirit of volunteers, worry of Haitians <span class="date">[01/22/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=352860">United's Haiti mission flights continue, groups provide relief <span class="date">[01/22/10]</span></a></li>
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<li><a href="/story/?id=351064">COD professor heads to Haiti for U.N. <span class="date">[01/15/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=351058">Viatorian center in ruins; 400 Haitian refugees wait <span class="date">[01/15/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=350795">Suburbanites rally to help devastated Haitians <span class="date">[01/13/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=350767">Church hears from Glen Ellyn woman in Haiti <span class="date">[01/13/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=350674">Vernon Hills couple say Haitian school they started collapsed <span class="date">[01/13/10]</span></a></li>
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<li><a href="/story/?id=350716">Chicago group survives quake, helping in disaster <span class="date">[01/13/10]</span></a></li>
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