June 10, 2011
Quarters for Haiti — Jasper students raise $3,038 for medical expenses
First row, Haley Schroeder, Caleb Lehmkuhler, second row, Landon Betz, Emma Stenftenagel, Olivia Meyer, third row, Jacob Weyer, Terrall Carnahan, Grant Bromm and Paige Hulsbeck are students in religious education classes at St. Joseph Church, Jasper. The students have collected $3,038 in quarters which will be used for medical needs at their sister parish in Haiti. Click for a larger version.
By PAM FREYBERGER (Director of Religious Education | St. Joseph Church, Jasper)
How many individuals in Haiti can benefit from raising $3,038 in quarters? Over 12,000 people have an opportunity to receive much needed medical consultation with the money raised from St. Joseph parish and the religious education classes offered by St. Joseph.
St. Joseph Parish, the children in religious education classes at St. Joseph and Kids of the Kingdom (a non-denominational religious education program) worked together to raise money for Haiti in the month of April. It was a great opportunity to work with both religious education programs and the parish by collecting quarters in medicine bottles for the medical needs of our Sister Parish in Haiti. A small medicine bottle holds over $8 in quarters and a large medicine bottle holds over $30.
St. Joseph parish in Jasper has a sister parish in Port-de-Paix called St. Joseph’s Parish LaCroix. Because of the earthquake, the need for donations to cover medical expenses has increased. In Haiti, a quarter will cover the cost of a much needed medical consultation for one person and a dollar will cover the cost of a much needed prescription. Sometimes a person has to make a choice to buy rice to feed the family, or to buy a prescription needed to get well.
The children in religious education classes were shown a video made by Dr. Jeff Harmon and his wife Kim. Dr. Harmon and his wife Kim, along with Dr. Kyley Wood and his wife Shannon, and Dr. Monesmith were in Haiti in February doing head and neck surgeries.
The video of pictures taken by these local doctors helped the kids get excited in collecting quarters. The medicine bottles were a great reminder and a fun way to bring the change to class. One child called his teacher who lived down the street and shared with her his excitement. He let her know that he put his quarters that he was saving for Disney World in the medicine bottle which added up to be more than $8.
Thanks to the following people that made this possible: Sandy Smith, Pam Freyberger, Shannon Wood, Donna Bromm, Germaine Schuck, Anita Seger, Lana Fierst, Sheri Smith, and Charolotte Ernst, and more importantly the parishioners and children of St. Joseph and Kids of the Kingdom.
We also could not have collected this amount without the following businesses/people who donated the medicine bottles, in addition to the parishioners who took the time to bring in empty bottles from home. Thanks to John Bell with Williams Bros. Health Care Pharmacy, Cindy with CVS, and Dr. Lori Mehringer with Animal Medical Center of Dubois County.
The funds collected and sent by St. Joseph Church are very much needed. It is not an exaggeration to say that they could not survive without our support.