Collecting Donation Items for Haiti

Hello ALL!
I am currently collecting items that Hope and I can bring with us to GLA- Haiti.
If you think you can get your hands on these items please let me know ASAP and we can arrange a drop off/ pick up spot.
Pass on this list to others and feel free to pass on my contact information- IF you are in the USA or other regions of Haiti and are still interested in collecting items let me know and I can pass on the mailing address of the Canada/ USA GLA offices who are continually collecting items and sending them to Haiti.
The list is as follows:

infant tylenol
diapers
bandages
triple- antibiotic ointment
pack n' plays
crib sheets
baby cereal and fruit puree
baby lotion
soap
toothpaste
toothbrushes
shoes ands and sandals
candels
rope
work gloves

Again- I will be leaving in less than one month so please let me know ASAP

519 505 1577

britt_berri@hotmail.com

Thank you in advance :)

What I look forward to...

In exactly ONE month I will be arriving in Haiti with a good friend of mine, Hope.

I look forward to...

- never having to worry about school/papers/midterms/finals/marks/professors/comparisons or any aspect of the rat race that is university EVER AGAIN!

- sharing my love for this amazing country with an incredible person so eager to get involved and witness everything that Haiti has to offer....

- stepping off the plane and validating everything I have been feeling since I last left and overcoming my anxiety over what I may see after the devastating earthquake

- seeing all those familiar faces at GLA :)

- holding those Haitian beauties and meeting all those new faces

- exploring more of the region and staring at those beautiful mountains all day long ;)

- being reunited with my # 1 love in the world.. HAITI <3

- helping in whatever way I can for an incredible cause!

Do I sound excited?

Blast from the past!

4 years later I returned to St. Joseph's Catholic High School to present to several groups of students about my trip experiences- hoping to inspire them to get involved and find an isssue they can be passionate about. It was a little nerve racking- but I really love sharing my experience and having those few kids at the end come up and ask me for more information, wanting to know how to get involved, what they can do! Very exciting.

Although it was alot of talking - even for me ;)

This just in!

DAYS...

4 PAPERS, 1 MIDTERM, 1 TAKE HOME, 2 FINALS BEFORE MY DEPARTURE....

BUT WHOSE COUNTING?????

Many people have warned me against counting down the days, but it helps me maintain sanity, every time I get frustrated I think about those precious babes I will be holding and snuggling in 42 days, when I think I cannot look at another paper outline or lecture note I think... if I DON'T overcome these seemingly mundane tasks of my last semester I will NOT be holding those babes. So for now I will continue to find comfort in this countdown :)

This just in... I MAY have an amazing friend accompanying me to GLA! Hope is an awesome girl who expressed interest in coming with me but following the earthquake it didnt look like it was going to happen- HOWEVER she just recieved a email today confirming a spot! This is awesome news, she has never travelled to Haiti but she has participated in a Rayjon Awareness Trip to the DR and has stayed actively involved with the Rayjon Youth Committee since.

I have been eager to share my experience, share my love for Haiti, my love for GLA and my passion for this country... and I finally have this opportunity. Details are not finalized but I am VERY excited!

Please continue to keep Haiti and its people in your thoughts and prayers.

Stay tuned... All the best!

8 weeks yesterday....

8 weeks ago Haiti was forever changed. 8 weeks ago I was reminded of my love for and commitment to the Haitian people. 8 weeks ago I struggled with the disconnect between my life here and my heart there... and that struggle continues.

Today and everyday since I have been thinking about and praying for those in Haiti.

8 weeks ago media was everywhere, you saw just as many white people amongst the ruble as you did Haitians, today that attention and that drive has dwindle- I encourage everyone to keep Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.

Remember those injured, those deceased and those struggling to rebuild their lives, their homes and their futures.

GLA is working diligently to address the local needs and to tend to the children that have arrived at their gates since the quake. Staff and volunteers are incredible!

Rayjon Haiti has been busy reassessing the development projects, tending to the staff and community we are so intimately connected to, and caring for (temporarily and permanently) abandoned children in what was once the local high school. A team of Rayjon people (from Sarnia ON) are headed there in a couple weeks to help, to comfort and to see what is left of our long standing projects. Please keep this group in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare for what they might see, hear and feel.

My return is scheduled for April 26th, 47 days today...I am eager, I am anxious and I am preparing for what I am going to experience.

When we think about Haiti.. please remember the positive nature of their people, the resiliency of their communities and the light of their lives. Remember these faces... I know I do!

These incredibly vibrant children of Gilbert are my daily reminder of Haiti's strength and endurance.

Crossroads

Let me introduce you to the many facets of my life:

I am a daughter....

and a VERY proud big sister....

I am a friend....

and an active global citizen...

I am ME! I accountable to myself and I am driven by my OWN passion and my OWN goals!

" Waiting too long at the crossroads waiting for the light to change"

It is true.. I am coming terrifyingly close to the end of my university career- I know I have been counting down the days, reminding everyone who will listen that the end is near... but the truth is i'm a little scared.

I am eagerly researching what comes next, putting in resumes, narrowing down my interests and hoping and praying something will come through- I have gotten some exciting "signs" that everything will be alright, everything will work out but stubborn me still needs to dwell and stress and worry.

I havve been forced to look inwards, what makes me TICK? what am I willing to sacrafice to get where I want to go? what am I not? what do I want?-- not what others want me to do, what is going to make me happy? what is going to help me grow? all this "ME" talk makes me uncomfortable, I am much more comfortable helping others, providing an ear/ a shoulder whatever is needed for those around me as they struggle, but right now I must be selffish and I must take this opportunity to look within and really figure out the next step.

I am (trying to be) confident that my hard work, my committment and my passion will carry that much further ....


Stayed tuned :)

All the best!

I have a heart for many!