BRIGHT is heading to Haiti!!

As many of you know, we had advertised that we were planning a trip to Beijing, China in September of 2011.  The trip was going to be partnered with All God's Children International and would have been a two week long trip.  As volunteers, it is difficult to commit to that much time off from a paid position.  It was difficult to find individuals to participate.  In addtion, the cost per individual plus airfare was more than we could do.  I contacted my contact at All God's Children and asked what other options were available that were a shorter.  This is when she shared the opportunity to go to Haiti.  We opted to take the opportunity.

All God's Children will be taking a team of 12 individuals, including three from BRIGHT Children.  The team from BRIGHT includes two Music Therapists and another member who will be assisting with construction and serving where necessary with the orphanage and orphans.  The Music Therapists will be providing interactive Music Therapy groups for all the children in the orphanage on two different days.  In addition, they will present a training for the orphanage staff on how to incorporate musical interventions into daily activities for the children.  BRIGHT will also assist in construction for new Hannah's Hope to prepare for more children to be served.  We will also be donating instruments that the orphanage staff can utilized based on the training provided.

The FMI Orphanage has 49 children, 19 girls and 30 boys, ranging in age from 4 to18.  Most children are between the ages of 6 and 12.  75% of the children at the orphanage were orphaned as a result of the tragedies from the earthquake.  The children are facing very different needs from our last trip.  While we don't have full details of the specific needs, we anticipate serious issues of loss, trauma, and malnourishment prior to arrival at the orphanage.  We have heard that there are some individuals with Autism and developmental delays.

The trip will be August 25 through 29.  BRIGHT will be a part of a group of 12 who will meet in Miami and fly to Port-au-Prince.  The All God's Children individuals will be helping clean, prepare meals, teach English, play sports, and do crafts and activities with the children.

We need to raise funds to cover the expenses to send three team members and leave instruments in Haiti. To fully cover the expenses of this trip, we need to raise at least $6,000.00.  Please consider making a donation.  We have just received our designation letter and are now officially a 501(c)3 organization.  If you opt to make a donation, check with your employers regarding matching gifts.  We have a chip-in on this blog and a paypal button on our website at www.brightchildreninternational.org.  Another way you can contribute to BRIGHT and have fun in the process is to attend our Family Fun Fair on July 23.  Details to come very soon.

Here is a 60 Minutes segment on Haiti:  The Lost Children of Haiti