New Year, New Semester, New Faces

The second semester started without a hitch – what an amazing staff, Volunteer corps and student body we have.  It was like we never took a break.  We do have one change – a new Volunteer.  Carey Prince is, in fact, a double Volunteer because she is also a University of Tennessee grad!  She is the daughter of Ken Prince and Susan Prince – longtime supporters of THP.  Susan Prince help me put on the first spaghetti dinners in Memphis, TN in 1997!  She served on the Board from 2001 to 2005.  

Carey came to us from UT with a major in public relations.  She will be teaching computers and sports, working with our Timoun Program, and organizing work hours for the students and Volunteers.  She is also helping Christina Moynihan with administration tasks for the Rag-a-Muffin sewing group.  She is becoming a great addition to our community and says she already “enjoys working with the Timoun and is excited to get to know the students.”

This week, my nephew is also visiting: Christopher Moynihan.  He is a sophomore at Brown University and is in Haiti to bring back news of the Project to his father and mother – THP’s two decade supporters, Brian Moynihan and Sue Berry.  

Some comments from Christopher: 

"I am struck by how willing LCS students are to participate in class.  They have no academic fear, unlike students from the States who might be nervous to answer because of the pressure.  Everyone is loud and aggressive about the way they learn, and it would be great to take that back to the U.S."

We also have made a lot of progress with seismic repairs.  Our Head of Maintenance Patrick Fausten and his team pushed hard over the break to keep us on track.  There are a lot of variables to juggle with the intense construction activity going on in Haiti.  We are fortunate to have Patrick Brun to keep our local experts focused, as architects and engineers are in high demand right now. 

I also want to take this time to thank Ginny McQueen from Brown’s Alumni Relations for helping us bring the story of THP/LCS to the Brown Community--a natural place for us, given our strong roots in Brown's Alumni community.  Ginny has arranged for us to present our work and perspective on international aid/recovery work in Haiti. Our next presentation is on February 9th in Providence – more on that later. 

Thanks for the great support in 2011!  Please continue in 2012.