How to contribute...

Many people have asked for the specifics of how to contribute to my May trip to Haiti. Below is the mailing address for Converge PacWest, the sponsors of this trip:

Converge PacWest

C/O Jeff Ashlock

1440 W. Roberts

Fresno, CA 93711

All you need to do is put "Steven Swihart-Haiti" on the memo line to dedicate the money to my particular fund raising efforts. Below, I will attach an e-mail that I got about what we are doing:



Greetings and thank you for your involvement in our Haiti project.

After the devastating earthquake which displaced millions and brought the tragic death of an estimated 260,000, our plans were placed on a short hold. As we watched reports of the destruction and the international aid efforts, we quickly discovered that we would have been more of a burden than a benefit by rushing in on our scheduled February dates. We are now back on track and scheduled to be in Haiti May 6-14.

Many of you have been curious to know what has transpired in the last 8 weeks and I wanted to fill you in. Converge Worldwide immediately set up a relief fund. Pastor Withny, who was in Port au Prince during the quake, made his way home to New York safely. He went back for the entire month of February and, along with a couple of Haitian partners, took part in relocating many families to safe places outside Port au Prince, provided food and medical supplies to schools, orphanages, and hospitals, and converted the 1 by 1 Haiti office and home in Port au Prince into a medical clinic to host teams arriving from the U.S.

All of the donations to the relief fund went immediatly to meet specific needs in Haiti, and are continuing to do so.

Upon his return to New York, Pastor Withny began working with our teams and the leadership at Converge PacWest to plan for our our return. The town of Maissade, about 75 miles north of Port au Prince,with a population of around 8,000 was inundated with people escaping the quake zone. Pastor Yoyo reported that homes that previously had 6 or 8 people were jammed with 15 to 20. The Melchizedek school had families lined up begging to let their children enroll, and they could not accommodate all of them. The feeding center, which last August was serving about 120 meals a day to the poorest children, must be inundated with hungry families.

Most of the families in Maissade relied financially on other family members living and working in Port au Prince. Almost 100% of the goods arriving in Haiti came through Port au Prince. The devastation of the quake was just the beginning of the suffering that is part of life in Haiti, and is now magnified.

I am happy to say that our plans are still the same. Our goal is to build the Boaz Home for boys on a piece of property we purchased right next to Ruth's Home for Girls. Rather than doing a one-time relief project in or near Port au Prince, we felt that it was better to continue the ministry we began years ago, in a town where we have strategic relationships to carry on the work all year. And this is especially important as the need in Maissade is greater than ever.

Again, thank you for your financial involvement, your support for the children, your prayers, and your friendship. There are still many immediate needs, and there is the ongoing expense of running the two orphan homes and feeding center. If you would like to help, there are a few ways you can be involved:

1. You can pray for successful and safe trips for our teams going in May
2. You can help sponsor a few new team members who still need to raise funds
3. You can sponsor a child at the Melchizedek School
4. If you sponsor a child already, you can send a small gift to your child. We will be happy to hand deliver it for you
5. You can make a donation to help with project costs so we can complete the boy’s home
6. You can make a specific donation to the feeding center, school, Ruth’s Home for girls, or Boaz Home for boys

If there is anything you would like to do, please feel free to contact me. If you make a donation, make your check payable to Converge PacWest and a tax deductible receipt will be sent to you.