Some commencement speakers may have been CEO’s of famous companies. Others may have been innovative authors. Yet others may be successful Wall Street stockbrokers.
While this year’s commencement speaker’s name may not be renowned, at only 31 years of age, Doug Perlitz has accomplished more than many people may dream of.
He witnessed a social problem, and he sought out to help create a solution.
After visiting Haiti as a Fairfield student in 1991 with Mission Volunteers, Perlitz decided that he couldn’t turn a blind eye to the sufferings of its people, and he was finally able to return for service in 1996.
With a grant from the Knights of Malta, Perlitz ultimately established Pierre Toussaint School and Outreach Program for street boys. Practically spit at in the streets because of their lot in life, and thought of as soulless, Perlitz took the responsibility upon himself to establish a facility for the boys to shower and have a hot meal. This eventually evolved into a private plot of land where 25 boys can live in a communal lifestyle, where they are fed, helped with their schoolwork, and encouraged to paint and partake in other activities such as basketball and soccer.
Perlitz is constantly met with new challenges. A few weeks ago, Perlitz and his boys were faced with a situation they had never experienced before: first hand crime and violence. On three separate occasions, men armed with guns confronted the boys, Perlitz or other staff members.
With these new circumstances, Perlitz and the program had to make some changes, including having an armed guard at the gate. However, Perlitz said, “You can’t plan for everything … if they want to steal, they’re going to steal. We don’t have the defense if four guys jump out of the bushes”
“Haiti right now is just getting more and more corrupted,” said Perlitz. But, Perlitz is sympathetic to the destitution of the people. With 70 percent of the population in extreme poverty, “if you asked a father to run cocaine on a corner and gave him $200, I wouldn’t blame him if he did,” he said.
“In one day in Haiti you’ve seen everything, the best and worst of what humanity can offer,” he said. From the mother sacrificing herself for the sake of her children or the street boys making good decisions, to the drug dealers and the rich who drive by the boys calling them “sans guine” (“ones without a soul”), they all exist within “one little hundred yard block. You see it all,” said Perlitz.
Perlitz says he is lucky to have found something in which he truly finds joy and learns from every day. “It’s great to be in Haiti working with people on the margins- something about that is really powerful for me,” he said.
The program is now officially non-profit. Perlitz receives funding from various sources, including the Knights of Columbus in Rhode Island and the Fairfield community. Local supporters have now formed a board of directors for the program’s funding, and twice a year Perlitz returns to the States for further fundraising. Perlitz and Andy Schulteis, another leader of the 13th Street program for street boys, are awarded a grant from the Knights of Malta, specific for their personal living expenses. This money, about $120 a month, covers their insurance, food expenses, and trips back to the States. Apart from that, all money raised and donated goes straight to the program, which Perlitz decides how to invest.
With all these stories and experiences, you would think that Perlitz would focus on Haiti for his commencement speech. However, he said it will not necessarily even be about him or Haiti, although he hopes to “weave it in” somehow. Perlitz said the speech is “really for you guys.”
Perlitz sees himself writing the speech to “end the last ten or eleven minutes of what you might have in store” at Fairfield. He said he imagined himself preparing the speech as if he was talking to students that he knows through the mission trips.
“I was sitting there ten years ago, and I remember how I felt and how nervous I was. The memories are still fresh.” His familiarity with the university and experiences as a former student enables him to have a “certain connection” with the school and the students, he said.
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