Was that $6,000 or $12,000?

They came, they ate, they spent their money and when the final tally was made it was over $6,000 for Haiti Relief! With the dollar matching by the Canadian government this translates to a total of over $12,000 to help make a difference in the lives of the people of haiti - now that's something to celebrate!

The dinner and auction was successful only because of:
- the generous efforts of many volunteers before, during and after the event
- the many businesses and individuals who donated great items to the silent auction
- the people who came and ate and spent (over 130 people for the two dinner seatings)
- a God who can do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)

Looking forward to next year's event!

The Highview Haiti Team

Dinner and Auction Details

There have been several inquiries about Dinner Menu and Auction items so here we go.

Dinner Menu
Full course Turkey dinner
Salad bar of mixed greens, baby spinach and diverse set of salad toppings
Dessert buffet with coffee

Sample list of Auction Items

• Maple Leaf Tickets Section 311, Row 9, Seats 17 & 18 (vs. New Jersey on March 18th, 2010)
• Bosch 14.4V cordless hammer drill
• Several Stretch Framed Haitian Oil Paintings
• 3 beginner drum lessons
• Hand Crafted baby quilt
• Wooden Bowl (From Haiti)
• Canoe Ride on the Grand River
• Sony DVD Player
• Dunlop Golf Bag
• Northland Golf Jacket
• Box Set of Harley Davidson Playing Cards (3 decks)
• Haitian wooden carrying tray
• 3 x SupperWorks Dinner Packages
• Hand made Comforter
• Carved Stone Figure (From Haiti)
• Hand made double quilt
• 5 x Free Medium Pizza (3 items)
• Hair Cut and Product
• Braun's Skate Sharpening 10pak
• Custom Jewelry
• 4 round trip tickets on Waterloo Central Railway (Waterloo-St Jacobs)
• Royal Dalton Figurine
• Certificate for Krown Rust Control
• Gift Certificate for T&J Seafood
• Family Bowling package from Brunswick Bowling
• Nike Canada Hockey Jersey
• Panini Sandwich Press
• Hand knit Hedge Hog stuffed animal (Back by popular demand)
• Gift Certificate to Oscar's Family Restaurant
• Henry's School of Imaging Gift Certificate and Deluxe Tripod
• Flower Arrangement and Gift Certificate from Dutch Mill Flowers
• ... and more ...

Haiti Relief Poster

Haiti Relief Fundraiser Dinner and Silent Auction

We are all well aware of the devastating earthquake that has crumbled much of Port-au-Prince and surrounding area in Haiti. Our hearts are grieved by this catastrophe and our prayers go out to the people of Haiti in the midst of their pain and loss.

While the realistic plans of this year’s “Highview To Haiti” team (see previous blog entry) are now unknown we still want to respond and help where we can. To this end we are planning to continue with the Haiti Fundraiser Dinner and Silent Auction on Saturday February 6th. However, rather than raising funds for the school project in Sapote we would like to change the focus of the event to be “Haiti Relief”. Money raise during the event will be designated for the Haiti Relief fund set up by EMCC/World Partners.

Additional Details:

• For more information about or tickets to the Fundraiser Dinner and Silent Auction see the Highview contact information below.
• For those who would like to donate to Haiti Relief but are unable to attend on Feb 6th you can:
  a) donate online at http://emcc.ca/donations.asp or
  b) write a cheque to EMCC/World Partners and designate it for “Haiti Relief”. Cheques can be sent to EMCC directly or to Highview for forwarding.
• Persons or organizations wanting to donate an item to the Silent Auction can contact Highview as noted below.
• For individuals wanting to give to the ongoing school building project at Sapote, donations can be designated to “VS632 – Project Funds”.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday February 6th !

Appreciatively,
The Highview To Haiti Team


Contact Information:
Highview Community Church
295 Highview Dr. Kitchener, ON - N2N 2K7
(519) 745-4211
Email HighviewToHaiti@yahoo.ca or highview@buildingbiggerhearts.ca

Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada
130 Fergus Avenue, Kitchener, ON N2A 2H2

Introducing Highview To Haiti 2010 !

Plans are well under way for Highview's third work team to Haiti. The plan is to return to the rural community of Sapote to complete the building started in 2008.

This year the goal is to raise sufficient funds to complete construction of the school building and to build the desks, benches and tables required to furnish the school rooms. The team will be in Haiti from March 8 through March 19.

There are several ways you can contribute to this year's project:

1) Join us during the evening on February 6th for a delicious Fundraiser Dinner and a Silent Auction. This is the third such event and promises to be a grand time for all who come. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children.

2) Donate an item to the Silent Auction. We are always looking for new and creative items to include in the auction.

3) Make a financial donation to the project. A tax receipt will be given for donations over $10.

For more information about any of the above please contact Highview Community church at (519) 745-4211 or email HighviewToHaiti@yahoo.ca.

In Closing.

I was told the blog needed closure. I was also told that some people had been expecting a blog saying we had all gotten home safe and sound, etc. So I figured I might as well give our trip to Haiti a few last comments.

Thankfully, we did all arrive safe and sound at the Toronto Airport - and on schedule too! Stepping outside into wind, rain, and COLD all added up to a fair bit of a shock for the team, but luckily, both rides that came to pick us up were heated vehicles. The ride home did feel a little like it had all been a dream...city lights, cars, billboards advertising the latest thing we just had to buy...it almost seemed like we had never left home. Like it hadn't been just yesterday that I was willing the rats to go away and let me sleep, or looking forward to the fact that waking up at 7:30am would be a sleep in. But I know in all our minds, we still knew we had been in Haiti for the past 11 days, and even if some of the moments hadn't been quite enjoyable, we wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

Walking inside our own homes was a bit of a shock too. Seeing everything we had...and many people we had missed. I don't think any of the team members went to bed as soon as they got home, but instead stayed up later, regalling family members with the sights and stories they had experienced. At least until they got too tired, and then simply continued after everyone had gotten some sleep the next day.

I think we all adjusted fairly well back into Canadian culture fairly well, though for some of us, we were forced to adjust whether we were ready to or not. For example, Cam still went to school on the Friday we got home. The youth had a party that Friday evening, and we were all back at church on the Sunday morning. But I must say, seeing all the smiling faces back at church was a definite treat. You never really know what you've missed so much until you see it again, and realize what it felt like to be without it.

So thank you to everyone who supported us, who prayed for us, who sent emails to us...even to you who read the blog. It was fun to write, and I'm glad we could keep everyone updated with the incredible expereiences we had. For those of you who still haven't heard enough about our trip to Haiti, we're doing a special service just about Haiti on Sunday, April 5th! Be there.

:)

Celebration dinner

Well the team has returned to Chili's for an end of trip celebration meal. Cam demolished his bacon triple-the-cheese big mouth burger in honour of his dad's recent heart attack. The rest of us certainly enjoyed our meals as well.

Passport control was about 45minutes but we all managed to pass the fingerprint check and photo scan analysis without incident.

One more flight, one more customs and immigration, one more baggage pickup and one more drive ... looking forward to being home!