Mattawa folks are making change for Haiti

Change for Haiti Committee
News Release

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Coming together as a community, the citizens of Mattawa will help make a real difference in Haiti. A local committee has been formed, called "Change for Haiti".

Nancy Adams, Vala Belter, Dean Backer, Diane Ouellet and Gary Thibert are coordinating efforts locally. In the next week, pocket change will be collected in the schools, the churches, and in the community. This coming Saturday January 30th, there will be a door-to-door campaign collecting coins. In the afternoon, all the participants will join at the Royal Canadian Legion to roll the coins and find out the total amount collected. This amount will be matched by a group of corporate sponsors to be donated to the Haiti relief fund with the Canadian Red Cross. The federal government will in turn match that donation. This means that for every penny collected in our community four will make it to Haiti!

The town has its unique link to Haiti. Mattawa can profess and just recently celebrated the 100th birthday anniversary of Dr. S.F. Monestime, the first elected black mayor in Canada. Haitian born, Dr. S.F Monestime arrived in Mattawa in the 1950's; he not only made it his home but contributed greatly during his tenure as mayor and our doctor. Many of the infrastructures in the community, such as sewer systems, water delivery, etc. were initiated and/or improved under his watchful eye. These are the very things which his birth country now lacks.

The people of Mattawa have experienced their own crises, compliments of Mother Nature. Remember the aftermath of the storm in July 2006? Luckily no one was killed, but for days the predominant sounds in town were the buzzing of chainsaws and the growl of generators. Remember the convoy of white hydro trucks when they arrived? Remember how you felt?

Join the "Change for Haiti" committee, give some change and help make change in Haiti.

For more information, please contact Nancy Adams 744-3379

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