Local students to spend Thanksgiving in Haiti

Posted on October 4, 2013 By Editor Junior Residents

San Marco resident Kaila Menard, Jose Cuevas, and Chloe Starmer of Avondale getting ready to take literacy program to Haiti

Avondale teen Chloe Starmer, a student at Stanton College Preparatory School, let her passion for the poor and illiterate blossom into a nonprofit called OpportuniTree, Inc. Because of her desire to seed literacy programs where they currently don’t exist, six local high school seniors will fly to Gonaïves, Haiti during their short Thanksgiving break. While there, they will work with 250 children entering school this year (many for the first time ever). The Jacksonville teens will stock the school and the library with basic needs such as books, pencils, paper, toddler shoes and hopefully fund the school to help pay the teacher’s salaries.

“The need for student supplies, teaching tools and classroom supplies is enormous. The government of Haiti supplies very little for the education for the people of Central Haiti,” said Starmer.

While the students are there, they will also put on a “Thanks for Literacy” mini-camp, gathering video footage and photos to use in a presentation back in the States. According to Starmer, the video will show where fundraising dollars go and how students here can assist in the bright future of another student in an economically developing nation.
With less than 60 days to raise over $15,000, the students have kicked into fundraising gear. All donations will go directly to the school, transportation for the trip, a Thanksgiving feast for the kids and their parents during camp, school supplies and teacher salaries. Corporate and private funding is welcomed and can be done via www.MyOpportuniTree.com. The site also has a list of needed supplies and where to drop off. Each student has set up their own GoFundME online accounts which also allows for
donations.