Walls of Hope for Haiti

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Below is a request for art therapists interested in working in Haiti as well as a need for donated art supplies.-----------------------------------------------------------------From: blondel joseph [bjblondel@...]Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 10:27 AMSubject: walls of hope for HaitiHello Family, Friends, Colleagues and Supporters,The crisis in Haiti has brought a range of emotions in Haiti and inthe Diaspora. The immediate need for medical attention and basicnecessities outweighs everything else. But as the evacuation of Portau Prince continues, the emotional reactions will manifest in Haitiand the Diaspora as well. We have already been a fragile community andnow the sense of normalcy is strained. It is imperative that we beginto examine ourselves as a community and as members of a globalcommunity.Action is not always overt but must be deliberate. We are urging thosewho have specific skills within the Diaspora and global community tojoin us in thinking and strategizing about the most effective ways torebuild, reform, and recreate the spirit of a nation of survivors. Thenotion of personal and spiritual independence and freedom is integralto the fiber of Haitian people.My husband, Blondel ph, and I are putting our skills together fora project of Hope and Resilience. I am a school psychologist andreceived my doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.For the past seven years, I have primarily worked with supportingHaitian students who have survived political, social, and physicaltrauma in the U.S. and Haiti. My husband is an artist and graduatedfrom the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. He has facilitated severalart workshops on identity and resilience for young people in the U.S.,Europe, and Haiti. With our talents and experience, we are launching aprogram using the arts in Haiti. We want to facilitate art sessionsfor survivors and their families and create murals of hope throughoutHaiti. We are calling the project Walls of Hope.In 2007, we began a community project in the north of Haiti. We havegotten word that many students we have worked with that were pursuinghigher education opportunities in Port-au-Prince have lost theirlives. Thus we have chosen to create our first mural in Saint Raphael,Haiti, where we plan to run retreats throughout the summer on ourproperty.We are asking you to donate one or more tubes of acrylic (of allcolors), paintbrushes, artist kits of various sizes, and tents. Wewill also take donations toward buying supplies in Haiti, such asfood, tents, and sleeping bags, etc. for the retreats. We are hopingto collect 500 tubes of paint, 100 brushes, 20 sleeping bags, and 10tents. We will use our own funds to construct the wall.Please let us know if you know of art therapists or any others who maybe willing to help facilitate the project in Haiti. And please senddonations of any kind to 2800 SW 73rd Way, Apt. 1602, Davie, FL 33314.Also, feel free to contact us with questions or for additionaldetails.Warm Regards,Blondel ph / Charlene Desir