ONE YEAR AGO AN EARTHQUAKE HIT HAITI THAT WOULD AWAKE US ALL TO THE TRUE MEANING OF TRAGEDY. I remember it well because Haiti had been in my heart well before the earthquake. Our church had spent months preparing the delivery of goods to the orphanage and congregations in the mountains above Cap-Haitien in Northern Haiti. The needs were great before the earthquake hit. As I stood watching the news reports coming in from Haiti that day, I felt tears falling down my cheeks.

As the weeks progressed I began to see how our shipment already in place could be a large part of the effort to help following the earthquake. In the end the generosity of others caused our original shipment to multiply. We worked around port changes when unsavory groups held the main ports hostage and eventually the items got into the hands of those who could serve their fellow Haitians.  The day we got the message that the supplies had arrived and saw the photos of the items on the dock, happy tears ran down my face.

So, to say that my heart is with Haiti even a year down the road is an understatement.

I wanted to introduce you to a new opportunity developed to help encourage and support the people of Haiti in an innovative way. Willa Shalit established Fair Winds Trading to connect local artists in locations like Haiti with worldwide buyers.

The sales of Heart of Haiti products at Macy’s put real, sustainable income into the hands of the artisans who create them, changing their lives in remarkable ways. Take a moment and admire their work at the Macy’s Heart of Haiti site.

I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.