By Mary Grieco
Catholic Herald correspondent

Rhinelander woman is Volunteer of the Year

RHINELANDER -- Jackie Bushong-Martin is one of those "can-do" people. A project that at one time seemed insurmountable is now a successful venture providing uniforms for more than a thousand school children in Haiti.

Because of her efforts, Bushong-Martin has been selected as the Catholic Charities USA 2003 National Volunteer of the Year. She was one of nine candidates for the award, which will be presented in September at the organization's annual conference in Detroit. Bushong-Martin's sister, Lori Bushong, who is director of the Catholic Charities Bureau RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) in the Rhinelander area, has also been involved with the project.

"Catholic Charities volunteers provide witness of God's preferential love for the poor and vulnerable in our society," said Catholic Charities USA president Fr. Bryan Hehir in announcing Bushong's selection. "Jackie is truly doing God's work, and her service is the key to the ability of Catholic Charities to fulfill its mission of caring for those in need."

Bushong-Martin's introduction to Haiti came about eight years ago when she "tagged along" with a medical mission group. She was deeply moved by the extreme poverty and was particularly shocked to learn that children in Haiti cannot attend school without a uniform meeting government specifications.

"You see them standing there by the schools, smelling the food, but they can't get in without a uniform," she explained. "The schools have a cement-block barrier around them; they're like fortresses."

Many of the schools have no roofs, yet students are eager to study even in temperatures that can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Getting an education isn't the only reason that Haitian children want to go to school. Bushong-Martin explained that schools also provide food, something that can be in short supply. "Many families cook and eat millet, like you feed your birds," she said. "How horrible is that?"

Bushong-Martin was teaching special education in California when she made her first trip to Haiti, encouraged by her future mother-in-law, who was part of the medical mission.

"I thought my involvement with Haiti would end when I came back," she said. But later, after returning to Rhinelander, a rice and bean dinner changed her life. It was a Food for the Poor benefit for the people of Haiti. That brought to mind the children she had seen standing outside the schools wanting to get inside, and she knew she had to do something to make a difference. The seeds were sown for what has become the Open Your Heart to Haiti project.

Although Bushong-Martin admits that her sewing skills are somewhat limited, she didn't let that stop her determination. With help from seamstresses in RSVP and others throughout the country and beyond, she estimates that her Open Your Heart to Haiti is about half way to a goal of shipping 2,500 uniforms.

The required uniforms are similar in style throughout Haiti, but each school has its own color combinations. The uniform includes a jumper and blouse (usually white) for the girls, and trousers and a shirt for the boys. Shoes are also required, which for many poor families are beyond their means.

So Bushong-Martin also collects shoes and other items they may need. "I'll send just about anything anybody will donate," she said. "We have more in our garbage than they have in their whole country. They are thrilled to get anything, but I try to stick with educational things and clothing." She has a connection for sending the boxes by ship from Florida.

There were some initial setbacks. The first shipment of uniforms was stolen on the docks of Port au Prince. But that made Bushong-Martin even more determined. She and her sister personally delivered the next shipment.

"I have always been one who doesn't like to give blindly," she said. "I want to know where my donations are going.

"I don't like to ask for monetary donations," she added. "Although they are wonderful, I think people are more comfortable giving things and their time."

The uniform project got a big boost when the project was featured on the public television show, "Sewing With Nancy." The host, Nancy Zieman, subsequently included the project in "Creative Kindness," a book co-authored by Gail Brown. That exposure to a national audience brought forward people from all parts of the United States and Canada, who love to sew and are willing to help.

Bushong-Martin excitedly goes through her mail. "Here's one from somebody in Oregon ... and Indiana and Ohio, and one from Pennsylvania." Some send donations; others are anxious to sew. Bushong-Martin estimates that more than 200 people have helped so far, but more are always needed.

Simple patterns are available, and material can be provided, or volunteers may purchase the specified color and fabric. "I am just so grateful if someone will sew; I'll send them whatever they need," she said. Recently she has decided to take on a specific school as her project. "One of the young boys I met over there is now 23 years old, and he is starting his own school for orphan kids," Bushong-Martin explained. "We will be doing uniforms for his students. This will be my primary project for now, but any time I have a request from another school, I will help. Usually they are led by a Christian missionary team."

Although the families take care of the uniforms as well as they can, there is still a lot of wear-and-tear. One of the reasons is that clothing is washed by rubbing it on rocks in a river.

Bushong-Martin is anxious to go back to Haiti. She has already made four trips, but having a 10-month-old son has temporarily put her travels on hold. "You can't even imagine what it's like until you've been there," she said. The area she typically visits is in the far northern part of Haiti -- "seven hours in the back of a pick-up, or whatever you can get to take you there," she said.

"I just want to make a difference," she added. "My husband says, 'You can't save everybody,' but if you don't try what is your motive for living? God puts people here to take care of different things.

"I am a big rooter for the underdog," she said, "and I am always going to be that way."

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003