Da Vinci community assists with Haitian relief

Da Vinci Academy students and parents have found a meaningful way to raise funds that will support relief efforts for the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti.  Students and their parents can participate by signing a "contract" in which students will perform an hour of work at home or in the community in exchange for a $10 tax deductible donation from their parents.  

We would like to track the success of this project and suggest that the money raised be sent to school in the form of a check to Da Vinci Academy and marked “Haitian Relief” (it will still count as a charitable contribution).  We will write one check to the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad on February 22.  If your child would like to contribute to another organization, please send that money directly to the organization.  We would appreciate it if you would notify Larry Steffens in our business office of other contributions made under the Student-Parent Contract so that we may track those as well.

To help give the students a true sense of the devastation in Haiti and the need for relief efforts, Da Vinci Academy was fortunate to welcome Dr. Mildred Olivier as a guest speaker on Wednesday, February 3rd.  Students in grades 1-8 got to hear Dr. Olivier's excellent presentation on the history and culture of Haiti, as well as her first-hand account of the conditions in Haiti following the earthquake.

On the same day that she visited Da Vinci, Dr. Olivier was featured on ABC 7 news.

Dr. Olivier just returned from a week-long medical mission in Haiti. She is an ophthalmologist specializing in glaucoma who has been traveling on regular medical missions to Haiti for 17 years. Dr. Olivier is a first generation Haitian American, having learned French and Creole right along with English as she was growing up. The languages were a tremendous benefit in the disaster area since few Haitians speak English. She was able to speak both to the injured and their families as well as both Haitian and international medical personnel on the ground. Ironically, Dr. Olivier was scheduled months ago to be in Haiti last week on a routine medical mission. When the earthquake hit, she refocused her team at the last minute to address traumatic eye injuries instead of her usual focus on the endemic glaucoma epidemic in Haiti. She mobilized several Chicago area hospitals’ donation of medical and surgical supplies, delivering them right to the field in Port au Prince.

While in Haiti, Dr. Olivier interviewed many Haitians, including patients, their families and medical personnel. She was able to collect hundreds of photographs from her visit and shared these with our students.

Many thanks to Dr. Olivier for making time to visit our school and educate our students about what is happening in Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake.  Our students responded with great enthusiasm when Mr. Streobel asked if they would be willing to do something to help the people of Haiti.