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| Lynda Sprague | |||||
| Director of Marketing | |||||
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| School in Haiti supported by R.I.-based charity is spared | |||||
| 01:00 AM EST on Sunday, January 17, 2010
By Jennifer Jordan Journal Staff Writer PROVIDENCE — Members of a Rhode Island-based charity dedicated to educating poor children in Haiti said they received good news over the weekend that one of their schools in the countryside had survived Tuesday’s devastating earthquake. The Rev. Francis J. Giudice, former rector of the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul and the founder of Providence Haiti Outreach, said his organization had received word on Friday that a mission school they support in Marigot, 35 miles from Port-au-Prince, is safe. Two girls who had attended the school a few years ago got ahold of a cell phone and called members of the charity in Providence, to let them know that they and the school building were unharmed, Father Giudice said. “We were holding our breath, so I breathe a huge sigh of relief,” Father Giudice said. St. Dominique School, formerly called the Pezzelli Memorial School and Home, serves 350 elementary students from the countryside. In 2009, the organization raised money to rebuild the school so it could withstand hurricanes that often hit the region. “Even though a church building 500 yards away was damaged, we feel the newness of the building and the fact it had foot-thick walls and a new roof helped protect it,” Father Giudice said. The priest said he is still waiting to hear the fate of a network of schools his organization helps to support that are run by the Catholic Salesian order in Haiti’s capital. “We are very worried,” he said. “The schools are in the heart of Port-au-Prince, where the earthquake struck, and we are worried that no news in this case could mean bad news.” Father Giudice said he and members of his organization visit the island nation each year, bringing an average of $35,000 to help operate the schools. He said they will plan their next trip “as soon as conditions allow.” For more information about Providence Haiti Outreach, visit: http://providencehaitioutreach.org/ With reports from Richard C. Dujardin jjordan@projo.com | |||||
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