58-bed home raises $3,100 for Haiti
Mennonite Central Committee receives $2.2 million in donations from Ontario
Tuesday February 23, 2010 -- Camille Jensen
Eden House’s recent contribution of $3,100 to the Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) Haiti relief efforts is demonstrating that long-term care is a caring community, according to John Bouwmeester.

Bouwmeester, administrator and social worker at Eden House, says the family-owned long-term care home challenged staff, residents and family to donate to relief efforts after Haiti was hit with a 7.0 earthquake Jan. 12, promising to match all contributions.

“Like everyone else we really felt bad for the citizens of Haiti and felt in a small way that we could help them out,” says Bouwmeester. “They have nothing, so we felt this was the least we could do.”

Bouwmeester says the home has earned a reputation for having a big heart, previously winning an award from the Ontario Long Term Care Association for raising the most money per capita for Alzheimer’s disease.

Staff, residents and families upheld the reputation for Haiti, donating cash and cheques totalling $1,550, he adds.

Bouwmeester, his wife Gail and daughter Shelley Nichol matched the donation, hand delivering a $3,100 donation to the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Feb. 12.

“We always say we care, and I think it shows we have a caring community among our staff, residents, and management,” says Bouwmeester.

Dan Driedger, MCC Ontario resource development director, says it’s the contributions from the Eden House and many others across Ontario that has made it possible for MCC to raise more than $2.2 million for Haiti relief efforts.

“We haven’t seen anything like (this before),” says Driedger, who adds the international MCC organization has raised $8.3 million to support Haiti.

“We don’t know what to say other than thank you — a lot.”

According to Driedger, MCC is not typically a first-response organization for crisis but has been able to send relief kits, canned meat, medical supplies and water filtration units to Haiti since the disaster struck.

The organization is also mobilizing its staff already working in the country to buy grain from rural and less damaged regions, and is employing structural engineers to assess building safety for people unsure if they can return home.

Driedger predicts the funding provided by organizations and citizens will continue to support MCC’s relief efforts for several years to come.

“The immediate response that people give is important and we take that money in trust but recognize to use it responsibly means not trying to spend it as quickly as possible but using it as appropriately as possible, and that often takes three to four years,” says Driedger.

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