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:COMMUNITY . Missionarv work 'powe Uexei W,, 3 Tipto Haiti bas bigimpact onfather an so n ' x e ~y JLeve LeDlc CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF ý It was a trip that could have easiîy neyer happened, but anc tbat'l neyer be forgotten. JSa says Dean Martin, wha didn't rcaîîy expeet bis offer ta help out in earthquake- 1ravaged Haiti wauld translate inta mach îast faîl when he gave it ta feîîow Miltanian - Iand Iangtime member lof Partners International Canada - Phil Dempstcr. "i've been friends witb Phil for years and I was anc of those siîIy people who said, 'If yau ever have an extra seat an anc of those flights (ta Haiti), let me ko recaîîed ,Martin. "I didn't think anything wouîd came ai it." Sa mach for that assumrption. Rewind ta mid-March, and a seat not only became available for Martin, but for bis son Reese as wcil. The apportunity cauid aîmost bc loakcd upon as an inevitabie rigbt-of-pas- sage for the Grade 12 Milton District High Schooî student, whase three aider sibIings have ail donc some form. of missianary work over the years. "Ycah, I guesa it's a famiîy tradition," said Reese. With just thrce weeks notice befare the early-April trip, the Martin family scrambIcd ta caîleet bundîes of cîotbing, sehoal sup- plies and other little gifts for the 68 chiîdren at an orphanage in Anse-A-Galets (near Part- au-Prince). Noted Dean, "My wsfe and daughter are pretty skilled shoppers, and got some great deals on cIoffiing. Bomar (Bargain Barn) donated a lot ai clothes and some other ;Q, . - stores gave us discounts." Wîth plenty of support from local busi nesses and friends, the father and son trav ellers - along with Dempster - each had suitcase full ai goodies ta present ta th, Haitian youths. Dean figured there would be some seriou satisfaction in helping out the orphans dur ing the five-day trip, but couldn't have imag ined the magnitude of that until it was expe rienced firsthand. One gaadwil encaunter in par him mare than littie chaked up. "One day thcrE was this wamar with six kids. incîuding a baby wha waîked a greai distance ta sec us. The pastor said this was a golden appartunity for us ta help sameane directly with maney. She teared up wben we gave ber $60, which we were told wouîd feed ber iamily witb rice for tbrce moliths. "The hcst way I can describe it is sensory avcrload... ta realize just haw mach of a dif- ference that littie bit af money can make," said Dean, who aîong witb bis feliow Partners International Canada voluntcers treated orphans ta their first restaurant visit in several montbs - perhaps mach langer than that - for a much-apprcciated aîî-yau- can-eat rice and chicken buffet. ",Ifs a reaîîy pawerful thing ta experience this. I actuaîîy turned 50 down there and ta have the kida sing Happy Birthday ta me, partîy in Creole and partîy English, was great. I missed being with my whoîe family, but it was certainly a memarable birthday" Added Reese, "Yau can see the devastation and poverty an TV but that docan't realîy do itjustice. This (trip) definiteîy apened up my view on what things are like in ather parts ai the warld." Dempster knaws that harsh reaîity aIl too weII. "You fight the urge ta bning a iew ai the kids (at orphanage) home with yau," said Partners International Canadas Director ai International Operations. "Despite the bard- ship down there, these are saine ai the best behaved kids you wiIl ever meet, and they steal your heart." Steve LeBianc con be reachcd at sleblanc@miltoncanadianchampion.com. Moters ay isMay 8th Forget the Flowers, Moms need Caffeine. GieMom the Gift of Great Coffee. * rincGfeec.m, 315 Steeles Ave East, Milton Ontario, L9T 1 Y2 Phone: 905-636-0922 1 Toit: 1-800-425-5405 i-J HELPING IN HAITI: Above, Dean Mar-lin (in back) takes a group of orphans ta a restaurant for lunch. At left, Deans son Reese gives a thumbs up with his two new friends.