Merry Christmas from the Hinche Scholars Program

As we celebrate Christmas and reflect back on the past year, all of us at the Hinche Scholars project want to say THANK YOU! This has truly been a banner year for our program, and we have nearly acheived our dream. For the first time since the tragic January 12, 2010 earhtquake, these four young people are back at college and working hard to make the most of this tremendous opportunity.

The four Hinche Scholars with Andy right before leaving the PAP airport en route to Richmond

Ever since the arrival of Berry, Frandy, Lude, and Suze on August 11, the Hinche Scholars Project/IHAD has been engaged in a whirlwind of activity. (That is part of the reason for our lack of timely website updates) Thanks to your generosity we have been able to house, clothe, feed, and educate these four young people. We are delighted to announce that the first semester at J. Sargeant Reynolds was a tremendous success for all four students.

Even when the students are not in school they are constantly learning – adapting to American culture, seeing new sights and expanding their English vocabulary/comprehension. Although technically on “winter break” right now, the Hinche Scholars spent the past week travelling across Virginia, visiting historic sites such as Jamestown, Monticello and even Washington, DC. And as much as they are enjoying these new experiences, we are heartened by the fact that all four students deeply miss their homeland and eagerly look forward to returning to Haiti upon completion of their studies.

Danny, Suze, Frandy, and Dr. Sam in front of the U.S. Capitol last week

But for tonight we simply want to reiterate our deepest appreciation to everyone who has helped us make it this far. The list of supporters is too long for a mere blog post, and many of our greatest advocates would prefer to remain out of the limelight. So in conclusion we would just like to say thank you all, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

We are so grateful for your continued support and we look forward to bringing lots of good news in 2012! For donation details, please see the sidebar at right or contact Project Coordinator Danny Yates by leaving a comment below.

 

 

Advertisement