To the Editor:
This editorial [Sept. 23 issue of The Mirror] hit the nail on the head. As an FYI, the remaining members of the Haiti Fund Board of Directors and in particular the current Board Chairperson, Michael McCooey, have been working overtime in their attempts to keep the street clinic and boarding school operational.
Sadly, McCooey and his fellow board members have been up against extraordinary odds in the face of opposition by former board members (Carrier & Co.) who not only disagreed with the decision to fire Perlitz, but went so far as to send a disgruntled letter to donors that eventually caused funds to dry up. The Project was forced to close.
McCooey has been seeking the help of other organizations to take over the management of the school, but nothing firm has been established. McCooey is a one man army. He and the other current Board members are decent, honorable people who have made the safety and welfare of the Haitian children their first priority.
According to the former Haiti Fund Web site, the three major sponsors of the Project were Fairfield University, the Order of Malta and the New England Society of Jesus. As the Editors seem to suggest, these three organizations and its members should embark on a $1 million fundraising campaign to provide the Project’s Board with two to three years of operating revenue so that it can soon reopen and get back on its feet. By the way, kids in Haiti have access to the internet. They can read what we are saying about them. Those who were abused and others affected by the school’s closing need our care, compassion and yes, our financial support.
The present Board members need help — and they need it now. Fairfield University President, Jeffrey von Arx, please lead the campaign.
Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick ’72
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