Vassar Haiti Project

Alex Ciucu ’12 writes about VHP’s summer sales and the preparations for next year’s projects.

Although it is the middle of July, the Vassar Haiti Project volunteers still have their hands and minds full with work for the benefit of Haiti! We kicked off the summer on a high note, by organizing the annual Vassar College Reunion sale. This is a great chance to replicate some of the VHPs successful sales right on the Vassar campus, and the three days were a wonderful opportunity to speak about our project to alums ranging from the Class of 1942 all the way to the Class of 2007! It was amazing to understand that Haiti holds a special place in many people’s hearts, and we had many conversations with alums who had either visited Haiti as tourists, or had been involved in the country in some other ways. Even for those alums who were not familiar with Haitian art, our display of paintings and handcrafts offered a great introduction. Overall, it was a very rewarding experience for everyone involved, because the volunteers had the chance to speak about a project that is very dear to them to people who were wanted to get a feel of what makes a Vassar student tick, while the alums were happy to find out that Vassar continues to provide an excellent education with a focus on student initiatives.

The summer continued with a trip to Sag Harbor, the picturesque location of our next sale. Andrew, Lila and I went on a preliminary visit, to speak to the congregation of the Christ Episcopal Church, our long-term partners and the hosts of our sale on July 20 – July 22. The Church has already hosted two sales for us, both with tremendous success, and we wanted to re-emphasize the importance of our partnership by giving a presentation on the VHP’s goals during their Sunday service. I particularly enjoyed talking to Carol Spencer who has spearheaded this sale at her church ….with this, our third collaboration! Although we may be separated by geography and even a few generations, I noticed how our goals are so similar! The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, and it makes me very excited for the upcoming sale. When this many people with such great energy get together, great things are bound to happen!

And speaking of great energy, it is worth mentioning that all of our volunteers, whether they are still around the Poughkeepsie area or not, have been working very hard planning for the next school year. Initiative leaders have been busy keeping in touch, coordinating their activities, contacting outside organizations for support, and figuring out the best course of action for next year. Lila and Andrew have been kept very busy by the emails sent from all across the world, all filled with incredible ideas that are meant to help the VHP move forward in its mission. The student volunteers who remained around campus welcomed a new delivery of handcrafts and paintings, reorganized the inventory, and even revamped the website, to make it more user friendly!

In other news, the Vassar Haiti Project has worked tirelessly to create a Medical Advisory Board, formed of doctors and community members that can best guide us in our attempt to provide medical assistance in Chermaître. We are proud to say that our efforts have paid off with Dr. Danny Aronzon’s decision to chair the Advisory Board. Our first meeting is in early August!  Summer has been a productive time for us, and we will follow up with more information, so make sure to follow our blog for our updates

All the best from miles away, but always a VHP volunteer,

Alex Ciucu, Class of 2012