Rockford Friendship Village becomes a reality in Haiti

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
04/07/09

NOTE TO REPORTERS: Interviews are available with Tom Lorden and Pat Bachrodt.

See WREX 13's coverage of this story.

ROCKFORD, Ill. (April 7, 2009) – Several members of the Rockford-based Hope for Haitians Committee traveled to Haiti this month with Food For The Poor to meet the grateful people whose lives have forever been changed for the better through their efforts.

“Thanks to the dedication and commitment of Rockford, Ill. residents, there is a ‘Rockford Friendship Village’ in Prolonge, Haiti that is brimming with hope and prosperity,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s President/CEO. “The Hope for Haitians Committee has done a tremendous amount of good – raising approximately $1 million since 2000 to benefit the people of Haiti.”

Proceeds from the 2008 and 2007 Rockford galas were used to establish the Rockford Friendship Village, including the construction of 50 double-unit homes, 50 sanitation units, two artesian wells, a solar panel light, a community center, three tilapia ponds, an agricultural project consisting of 5 acres of fruit trees, and the implementation of a feeding program for the severely malnourished children of the village.

“We witnessed the revitalization of an entire community,” said Pat Bachrodt, event co-chairman. “I only wish more people could visit Rockford Friendship Village. We would build many more villages.”

“Seeing the people as we did in the swamp, and then going to the [Rockford Friendship] village was just so gratifying,” Tom Lorden said. “To see the sadness in the swamp, and then happiness in the village made for a drastic contrast. I wish everyone could see the difference we are making, one person… one village at a time. It just makes the whole experience complete.”

This was the second time Bachrodt and Lorden traveled to Haiti with Food For The Poor, the largest provider of aid to Haiti that feeds and shelters millions of destitute children and their families.

Additional travelers to Haiti included Nancy Lorden, Danny Lorden, Kathleen Lorden, Bob McLaughlin, Fr. David Beauvais and Patti Rangel.

The Hope for Haitians Committee and Food For The Poor will host its eighth annual event, Seeds of Hope, at the Rockford Country Club on Aug. 22. Funds will be used to construct a second self-sustaining village in Haiti. You can support Haiti’s urgent relief efforts by purchasing tickets or request information, by calling 1-888-404-4248.

Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. We provide emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 97 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For additional information, please visit the Web site at www.foodforthepoor.org.

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