Vassar Haiti Project

Last weekend, the Avon Sale in Avon, Connecticut (the hometown of our very own Co-VP of Programming, Sarah Oliver ’15) was a dazzling success. People flowed in and out, as word of our project spread throughout the town.

Here’s a first hand account from the hometown girl herself:

“My first weekend back at Vassar was actually spent at home in Avon, CT, the site of VHP’s most recent art sale. Ever since I joined VHP at the beginning of my freshmen year, I have wanted to share the spirit of the Project with my hometown and this January it finally happened.Like any event, the planning was stressful, exacerbated by the fact that most of it happened over Winter Break when the majority of VHP is scattered around the world, but the hard work only made me want it to succeed more. As we approached the fateful event day and the threats of an enormous snow storm subsided, I realized that my dream was suddenly becoming a reality. Would it be as successful as I’d hoped? Would Avon be touched by VHP as I was? The answer was waiting for me, at St. Ann’s Church, just a two hour drive along the scenic Route 44.

When we we arrived at the church, a group of HS volunteers warmly welcomed us and immediately got to work unloading the millions of boxes in the Uhaul. There was no complaining, just smiles and cheerful conversations. The positive energy fueled our work and we set up the hall in under 5 hours! As Lila said, the brightly colored room felt like home.

Over the next two days, the sale progressed on like a well-oiled machine. The VHP team of volunteers was joined by Confirmation students, HS students, and other Avon community members who helped to package notecards, wrap paintings, restock handcraft tables, and provide food for our hard-working team. Customers came in excited to learn about our work in Haiti and share their own experiences in the rich country. Father McHugh, the priest at St. Ann’s, rallied the parishioners after the Sunday masses encouraging them to experience the “internal joy” of the people, expressed through the beautiful artwork.

While I worried about all the little details of putting on the sale, I reminded myself to step back and simply be. The sale was flourishing. We were happy, the customers were happy, and that meant that the people of Chermaitre would be happy.

When we arrived at Vassar on Sunday night, I was more exhausted than I had ever been- even during the intense 10 days of the Haiti trip! But every ounce of energy was completely worth it. Although our profits reached an impressive $10,000, there were more successes than could not have been measured in little green pieces of paper.

Vassar Haiti Project had touched Avon like it touched me, and like me, the community was changed for the better.“