Supporting the Children of Haiti

Periodically, I welcome a guest to join me on my blog. David Roy, Director of  Community Partnerships for Knowledge Learning Corporation has authored the following article on the value of teaching children about community involvement.

Last week, like so many people around the globe, I sat transfixed as images poured in from Haiti.  The reach of destruction, the level of despair—it was all but incomprehensible, even while seeing it with my own eyes.

Friday evening, there was a report about an orphanage run by two sisters–young  American women, both volunteers.  The earthquakes had rendered the orphanage’s compound uninhabitable, and there were mounting security concerns.  The situation was even more dire by Saturday, when water ran out.

That story had a happy ending, which you can read more about here. For perhaps two million other children, things are still holding in the balance.  For many, lack of access to basic medical care, food and water threatens their health, their safety, their lives.  For all children in Haiti—indeed, for all Haitians—the longer-term challenge is surviving in a country that started with profoundly limited economic opportunity and social services infrastructure, and now has close to none at all.   

Knowledge Learning Corporation is supporting Mercy Corps and Medical Teams International, two aid organizations that were among the first on the ground in Haiti.  We are also in the process of shipping thousands of items of children’s clothing to Haiti, along with hundreds of dolls. Our hope is that our contribution will be a small part of the huge effort to assist children who now face monumental challenges. 

We hope that you will consider joining us, either in our support of Mercy Corps and Medical Teams International, or in our ongoing efforts—working with our community partners—to bring access to quality experiences to underserved children.

About David Roy, Director, Community Partnerships
David Roy oversees grants, government-sponsored funding opportunities and corporate giving activities for Knowledge Learning Corporation, a leading national early childhood care and education company. David directs efforts to access grant and other funding for Knowledge Learning’s centers and programs, and helps facilitate the company’s philanthropic efforts, including those through Knowledge Learning Foundation.

David directs KinderCare’s national philanthropic fundraising campaign, which has generated over $12 million since 2000. He also directs the Knowledge Universe Early Childhood Educator Awards program, and serves in a leadership capacity for other organizational projects and initiatives, including KLC’s new preparatory school brand.