By Joe Winter
Catholic Herald correspondent

River Falls concert helps build houses in Haiti

RIVER FALLS -- Haiti might seem a world away from Bethlehem, but an effort to build dozens of houses there is being spearheaded by a world-themed Christmas concert at St. Bridget Parish.

A River Falls resident owned seven acres of land in Haiti, near Port au Prince, which he donated to the effort. Construction already is underway -- with one smaller house already complete -- to build an entire village of several two-room houses, valued at $4,000.

The effort is being conducted in conjunction with Food for the Poor. The idea for the houses arose after several River Falls residents went on a November 2002 tour to Haiti through the organization.

The houses will be 12-by-24 feet, shaped like a box, and painted with pastel colors. Their predecessors often have been little more than a tarp strewn over a group of tree limbs, with muddy floors.

The original plan was for 125 houses that were 12-by-12 feet, but organizers decided that was too small for families, especially if they have children.

The scale of the plans has been increased, said Kate Jennings, music minister at the First Congregational Church of Christ in River Falls, and an organizer of the concert.

Pat O'Malley, the resident who donated the land, is a retired Northwest Airlines pilot. O'Malley long ago decided he wanted to do something to help Haitians, such as building a school. "I think he flew over and was able to see that the rain forest -- it had has been basically denuded," said Curt Larson, who along with O'Malley has organized the program for Haiti.

While in Haiti, O'Malley, who is a longtime parishioner at St. Bridget, rented cars a few times to search for a building site. Once he picked up a man to give him a ride. He asked if the man had any suggestions, and through his help quickly found just the place.

Rather than the single small parcel of land originally envisioned, they ended up with seven acres on one site and another smaller lot in a different area, so the scope of O'Malley's effort was more than he'd expected. There is now $93,500 of funding available for 25 houses, and the total number may eventually triple.

Cement outhouses will also be available for all the houses, with separate stool and shower areas. The outhouses will be served by a water tower and deep well if the logistics make this possible, Larson said.

Rather than being stud-framed, each house will be made of concrete block with a steel roof, which is important because Haiti is prone to hurricanes. "That helps because in Haiti, wood is at a premium because of what's happened with the rain forests," Larson said, adding the houses are attractive and much more colorful than the typically drab housing in most of Haiti.

The churches' first encounter with Food for the Poor was in 1991, and there were some small initial projects, such as providing well water service. "I was hoping we could do more," Larson said.

He decided to check out the group, and was impressed. "You want to make sure of them before we all get revved up," Larson said, adding that you need to have all your ducks in a row about a group before approaching a congregation with such a large-scale project.

The local ministerial association also has gotten behind the effort, and the pastor at St. Bridget Parish, Fr. Jerry Harris, is currently the president. This is the group's first project involving a large dollar amount, Larson said.

On Dec. 7, choirs from five River Falls churches, including St. Bridget, performed to a full house. The concert was called "It Takes a Village," and the choirs gathered as one group at the finale. The sending song was "The Light Will Come," which was described as having a backbeat sound typical of Caribbean music.

Loud applause was frequent as each choir performed two songs, including a Spanish folk song and an Austrian carol. The free will offering, conducted by committee members from the churches that helped organize the event,collected $3,282.

Dozens of photographs were on display from the 2002 Haiti visit. They showed some of Food for the Poor's work, which the River Falls contingent saw firsthand and often helped with. The service work includes village-style housing for elderly people, orphanages, and water quality and women's health projects. Food for the Poor has built a total of 19,000 homes. In addition, they run a program that feeds 2,000 people daily.

During the 2002 trip, the people from River Falls saw conditions in Cite Soliel, one of the poorest and most destitute areas of Haiti. Nearly all of its 500,000 residents are unemployed and illiterate, and one of the photos showed a cement wall with broken bottles fashioned to the top level to deter vandals.

One of the main responses from River Falls had been to organize a bicycle collection, giving recipients something they previously could only dream about. For the past several months, the community has been raising money to build the village. The people who will live in the houses already have been identified and currently are living in a church building.

Editor's note: Donations for the project can be sent to Curt Larson, 737 South Fork Drive, River Falls, WI 54022. Checks should be made out to Food for the Poor.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003