July 24, 2009  Southfield, Michigan; I'd like to share a few excerpts from a letter that I received from LTU; our new university partner.  LTU students, faculty and alumni will be participating in a variety of projects to help our projects.  Cheers Donald

Dear Mr. Stevens,

It is with great enthusiasm that I announce Lawrence Technological University’s partnership with Reconstructing Efforts Aiding Children without Homes (REACH) to provide college student volunteers as participants in the construction of various projects at the PWOJE ESPWA SUD orphanage in Les Cayes, Haiti.

The university is especially excited about this partnership for two very important reasons. The first is the students who participate will have the opportunity to develop the skills in their academic area, whether they’re in engineering, architecture, or one of our smaller programs. The second reason is the university is the first in the nation to implement and require a leadership curriculum for all of its undergraduate students, which started in 2007. The participants in the REACH program will demonstrate their leadership skills and civic mindedness during the project through the hands-on construction and close interaction with the orphans and community members on the projects.

Respectfully,
Melissa Grunow
Coordinator, Leadership and Study Abroad Programs
Lawrence Technological University

I have had the opportunity to travel to many places in the world so I am accustomed to see areas that have been ravaged by natural disaster and consumed by extreme poverty.   My experience traveling through the country of Haiti over the past 6 days was overwhelming.  The poverty....beyond belief.  The living conditions...pathetic.  The opportunity for a decent life...practically non-existant.  Do you think your situation here is the USA is tough?   Right now 1 in 8 Haitian children will die before they reach the age of 5 due to starvation and disease.  Father Marc Boisvert has rescued more than 600 orphans, currently educating more than 1,200 and surving more than 3,000 meals a day.  He has asked us to build 9 new homes to accomodate the growth of his organizations.  Please help us help Haiti by making a donation or joining us on a Voluntour. 

I would publically like to say thanks to Congressman Frank Wolf, 10th District, Virginia for stepping in and assisting us with getting the IRS to acknowledge our tax-exemption status application.  Our application was submitted on September 7, 2008 and as of January 2009 had not even been assigned to an agent to review and approve. 

Stay tuned as we will be announcing our next project within a few days: "9 in 2009." 

We are excited to announce that we are now accepting cash and building material donations that will be used for the construction of the children center in India for Bethania Kids.  If you are interested in helping us pull together these resources or making a donation please contact us or visit the Donate page.  We have compiled a list of building materials and can provide architectural drawings for take-off and estimating. Visit our “Projects/India.”  Thank you.

Last night members of REACH and Bethania Kids met with architects from Architecture for Humanity in Washington, DC to review the designs for Phase One and also the dormitories for the children.  It was incredible to see so much thought perfectly articulated into sketches, 3D models and drawings.  To see more click onto the Projects Page and then click "Bethania Kids."  I can only say geat things about AfH-DC. 

Donald Stevens, Founder