July 30, 2018 | WGCU Public Media – Gulf Coast Live

Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is set to expire in a year for people from. These are people who were given refuge in the United States after the devastating earthquake of 2010. They were given the right to work, their children were able to attend school, and thousands of TPS families in Florida hold mortgages on homes. The end of Temporary Protected status was set by President Donald Trump for July 22, 2019, meaning in one year, thousands of people living in Southwest Florida will have to leave. We’re spending the hour learning more about Haiti — how it came to be, and how it is now, eight years after that earthquake. And throughout the year, we’ll talk with Haitians in our community about how they’re planning for the end of TPS, in our project called “Where is Home- Haitians Counting Down.”

Our guests are: Dr. Philippe Girard, professor of Caribbean history at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and author of “The Memoir(s) of Toussaint Louverture.” Professor Girard has studied and published extensively about the life and impact of Toussaint Louverture, who led that successful 1791 slave rebellion in what was then the French colony of Saint-Domingue; and Skyler Badenoch, CEO of Naples-based Hope for Haiti.

Listen to the full segment here.

July 23, 2018 | Naples Daily News

There is hope for Haiti and its challenges, and that hope is bolstered by a nonprofit organization in one of the wealthiest communities in America, right here in Naples.

Hope for Haiti is headquartered in Naples. Founded by JoAnne Kuehner 30 years ago, Hope for Haiti’s mission is and always has been to work to improve the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly children. The hand has come in the form of the more than $100 million in both cash and in-kind contributions over the years while touching the lives of 500,000 Haitians each year.

Their programs empower communities to improve education, healthcare, water, infrastructure and economic opportunity. Their vision is that the people of Haiti will take control of their future. Hope for Haiti, in turn, lends a helping hand along the way.

Read the full article here.

June 27, 2018 | Forbes

Off the field, Dareus is making a difference, too. During his team’s break before training camp he traveled to Haiti, the country where his father was born and lived until his early adulthood. Dareus’ dad, Jules, died from prostate cancer when Dareus was a young boy. His mother, Michelle Luckey, raised him in Birmingham, AL with the help of his grandmother. Dareus’ mom would die of heart failure in 2010. On her death bed, she told her son she wanted him to visit Haiti. Dareus promised his mother he would go there.

This is the second time the two-time Pro Bowler has gone to his father’s homeland. After his first visit he was so touched by the children he met that he knew he would return. He also committed financially to helping them. During his first visit he donated $25,000 and on his most recent trip he gave money again to support children in Haiti. Though his partnership with Hope for Haiti, a charity based in the United States, and a $125,000 donation through his Dareus Foundation he will help to fund a three classroom building for primary school children. Currently they attend daily classes in the small town’s church. In addition to funding the physical building, Dareus’ efforts will help pay for teachers’ salaries and school supplies.

Read the full article here.

June 20, 2018 | Naples, FL

Hope for Haiti has launched a new professional development program in place of its former Next Generation Board. The program, Leadership 360, is a two-year leadership and development program designed for emerging change-makers in South Florida. Featuring learning and networking opportunities, Leadership 360 culminates in a service trip to Haiti. To learn more and apply, visit www.hopeforhaiti.com/leadership360. Applications are open through Aug. 15.

Read the full article here.