Over $18,000 Raised in Deep Freeze Dunk For Rankit School
January 30, 2012
On Saturday, January 21, a typical cold winter day in Minnesota, 62 very brave people jumped into the frigid water of Fish Lake of Maple Grove as a “reward” for raising money from their friends and family to build the Rankit public secondary school in 2012! A record amount was raised for this third year of the Deep Freeze Dunk – over $18,000!!
Click here to see an outstanding video of the Dunk.
Click here to see Dunk photos on Flickr.
Click here for the Facebook page for the Deep Freeze Dunk with other videos.
Click here to see the professional photos taken at the event by CCG Creative. If you purchase any of these photos, CCG Creative will generously donate all the proceeds to the Deep Freeze Dunk as well.
Congratulations to Abby Harrison for raising the greatest amount as an individual – over $2100! Her prize was a new winter jacket. Runners up were Jamie Sledd and Danny Sussman. Congratulations also to Abby’s team “AwesomeSauce” which won the prize for the most money raised by a team – over $4200! Her team members included Nicole Harrison, Danny Sussman and Tiffany Li, and they will be recognized with a plaque. Congratulations also to Andrew Brown, who received the prize of a soft shell jacket, for winning best costume: wearing a speedo, a hand-made holiday-type vest, neon sunglasses, and a headband that spiked up his hair (check out the Flickr photos).
It was a fun, festive time for these hardy souls and their on-shore admirers. We are so grateful for their dedication, enthusiasm, and generosity of spirit to endure the cold water for the children of Haiti.
We thank Tony Kieffer and his Maple Grove Rotary Club for their sponsorship of the event, as well as the Rotary Partnership for Haiti and City of Lakes Rotary Club. We thank COL Rotary member Olaf Minge who, along with Tony and Haiti Outreach Development Director Dale Snyder, did most of the planning and organizing for the Dunk. Thank you also to our volunteers who helped that day, the Fire Department and EMT’s, and our corporate sponsors, including First Class Mortgage of Maple Grove, Arbor Lakes Dental, Schmitt Music, and CCG Creative. Finally, we thank all of the donors who supported the dunkers with their generous gifts.
All of the donations for the Dunk will go to build the Rankit public secondary school. Follow the story of this school as it is built and opens later this year on our web page, Facebook, and Twitter!
Interested in Trips with Haiti Outreach?
January 27, 2012
We’re so happy that people have come forth with interest in the trip we are planning for February and other trips! Over the last few weeks we’ve received a few questions about our trips to Haiti. We thought we’d answer some of these questions right here.
What are these trips all about?
These trips allow us to introduce the people and culture of Haiti, and the work of Haiti Outreach, to you. You will become acquainted with the town of Pignon where we are based and where we built a guest house to more easily accommodate increasing numbers of visitors. We visit our community development projects, tour the countryside of Haiti a bit, and usually have a small work project that people enjoy that doesn’t require any special skills. Our trips have been described as life-changing, and give you a great chance to make a difference for yourself, your friends and family, and possibly some people in Haiti.
How many people go on these trips?
We conduct trips throughout the year for groups ranging from 7 to 15 people.
How often are trips planned?
If you are part of a group that would like to come with us to Haiti, we can plan a trip at almost any time that works for you, with sufficient advanced notice. At other times, we have one or more people say they would like to go at certain times of the year, and we post a potential trip on our web site in the hope that others would join in. We would definitely be excited to talk to you about formulating a trip! It is easiest when a core group of people start planning for a trip with us at a certain time and then they and we will promote it to attract more people to join.
Are the trips only for U.S. residents/do you need to be living in Minnesota?
We take people from anywhere, inside or outside the U.S., but they need to be part of a group. If interested, contact us and check out the trips on the web site and let us know if you want to join one. If you have a group of 7 or more you can form a trip of your own at almost any time. However, we need to lead it and someone needs to know English to translate if needed. For example, we have someone from Germany who will be joining us on our February trip and he speaks great English!
Hopefully this has cleared up any questions you’ve had. If not, feel free to contact us!
Once again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for showing your support for Haiti and our cause with your interest and excitement in our trips to Haiti!
Water.org Co-Founders Join Haiti Outreach in Haiti
January 12, 2012
On January 4-6, one week before the second anniversary of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Water.org co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White joined Haiti Outreach’s President Jeffrey Brown to attend a well inauguration to see first-hand the impact of community engagement in creating water solutions in Haiti.
Damon, White and Brown also participated in discussions with other non-profit organizations, governmental departments, and companies that are committed to working together to find creative, new ways to tackle water, sanitation and hygiene issues in Haiti.
The inaugurated well built under the guidance of Haiti Outreach will bring fresh, safe water to 300 people – people who previously had to walk to rivers to collect dirty water for their daily use. The community’s celebration consisted of an opening prayer, stories about how the well came to be built, a public review of the community’s rules and regulations governing the well, as well as skits, music and dancing.
In 2010, Haiti Outreach and Water.org entered into an agreement to bring clean water to 18,000 people in the neighboring towns of Pignon and San Raphael by rehabilitating broken wells and drilling new ones.
“With their unique experience in community-managed water systems, Haiti Outreach is a very important partner for Water.org”, stated Gary White, CEO and co-founder of Water.org. “We look forward to a long and fruitful working relationship to bring safe water and adequate sanitation to the people of Haiti.”
“We value the confidence Water.org has in Haiti Outreach and we appreciate the visit by Matt, Gary, and the Water.org staff and supporters”, stated Jeffrey Brown President of Haiti Outreach. “Working together, we’re helping Haitians develop the skills to manage sustainable sources of safe, accessible water – a fundamental part of living healthier, longer, more prosperous lives”
Following the 2010 earthquake, Haiti Outreach marshaled their water-related resources to conduct humanitarian aid in the capital of Port-au-Prince and other damaged areas. They furnished clean water to thousands of homeless and tent city people for months, repaired the broken water and electrical systems of the General Hospital, created a water system for a Doctors Without Borders clinic, and located and repaired damaged wells in the rural earthquake areas.
About Haiti Outreach
Haiti Outreach is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Minnetonka, Minnesota and Pignon, Haiti, that works with communities in Haiti on water, education and other projects that the people initiate, help build, and sustain. They are committed to the development of Haiti and not just relief. About 90 percent of the work of Haiti Outreach has been to create basic clean water systems, which they have done in the last 15 years for over 160,000 people. The organization employs 45 people in Haiti who are involved with the community development work and 4 in Minnesota. Learn more about Haiti Outreach and its work at www.HaitiOutreach.org.
About Water.org
Water.org is an innovator in delivering safe water and sanitation across the globe. Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, Water.org’s focus is on pioneering solutions that can solve the water crisis. Together with local partners and over its 21-year history, Water.org has transformed thousands of communities in Africa, South Asia, and Central America by providing access to safe water and sanitation. Learn more, and join Water.org in ending the global water crisis at www.water.org.
In Celebration of Clean Water in Haiti
January 9, 2012
By: Jeffrey Brown, Haiti Outreach President
On January 4, Haiti Outreach, Water.org, and the Haitian community of Ravin Joubè celebrated the inauguration of their clean water well. In attendance at the celebration were Water.org’s co-founders, some of their board members, supporters, and staff, plus many of our own Haiti Outreach team members. This is the second inauguration I’ve attended since joining Haiti Outreach in May, 2011. Both were incredible celebrations of the vibrancy, pride, and joy that a well brings to people.
The community of Ravin Joubè is in a rural area near the town of San Raphael, Haiti. The inauguration and opening of their well was the culmination of the community’s management training and preparation that took place for months under our guidance and support. The new well will bring fresh, safe water to 300 people – people who previously had to walk to rivers to collect dirty water for their daily use.
The new Ravin Joubè Well is part of a joint project between Haiti Outreach and Water.org. The project consists of drilling new wells and rehabilitating dysfunctional wells to bring safe, potable water to 18,000 people in the rural area around Haiti Outreach’s hometown of Pignon and the neighboring town of San Raphael. Our partnership with Water.org began in May of 2010 after they evaluated and certified us as an organization that has demonstrated a long and lasting commitment to developing Haitian communities to maintain sustainable water sources and sanitation facilities. Together with Water.org, we share the belief that community engagement and development create lasting change in how community members work together to create solutions to their own challenges – and that this ability can extend beyond the immediate work we do in water, hygiene and sanitation.
What is so important about Clean Water Well Inaugurations?
Haiti Outreach helps nearly 40 to 50 communities inaugurate wells each year. The inaugurations are opportunities for the community members to demonstrate their 
knowledge and commitment to manage and maintain this vital resource. They’re an opportunity to celebrate the well’s multiple benefits with music, dance, skits, songs and speeches. The benefits of this easily-accessible, safe drinking water for the community include:
- The possibility for children to go to school because they no longer need to spend hours every day walking long distances to the river to get water,
- Improved health as water-borne illnesses are eliminated or greatly reduced
- A newly-instilled feeling of self-sufficiency and an ability to work together as they gain collaborative management skills and concepts.
For me, the inaugurations put all our work into perspective. We’re helping Haitians help themselves on their path to establishing, managing and sustaining a better life because they now have safe water – something that so many of us take for granted. This water is their water – they worked for it and they own it, and as a result they’re committed to assuring it’s there for the long run. It’s humbling, and I’m proud to be working with my Haiti Outreach colleagues and our supporters who make this possible.
You can help us bring safe water and pride of ownership to more of our Haitian neighbors by donating now to Haiti Outreach. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. With each of these, you can flow with us!
Join Us for a Trip of a Lifetime to Haiti
January 5, 2012
Would you like to take a fun and memorable trip to Haiti this winter? We have a trip right now that is open for additional travelers. It is from February 15 – 23, open to all men, women and teens. That trip includes some Rotary Club members who raised money to build a school in Haiti for which there will be a ground-breaking ceremony.
You will enjoy eating Haitian food, visiting Haiti Outreach community development projects, possibly doing a small work project, attending local ceremonies, engaging with the Haitian people, and learning so much! CLICK HERE for more details. Contact us right away if you would like to go on that trip, join us on another, or have any questions. Many people call a trip to Haiti a life-changing experience. Find out why! Join Us!
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