Rotary Forum on Haiti Features Personal Experiences

The Rotary Club of Concord and the First Religious Society of Carlisle invite the
public to hear three distinguished speakers present Haiti Speaker Forum – One Year After The Earthquake on Tuesday, March 29 at 7 p.m. at the Union Hall of the First Religious Society of Carlisle. MA. Ray Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America; David Campbell, Executive Director of All Hands Volunteers; Paul D’ Oliveira, Chair of the Haiti Relief and Recovery Committee of the Rotary Club of Concord, and Former State Rep. Marie St. Fleur, will discuss what’ s been accomplished in the year since the earthquake struck, what is now needed and how you or your group may get involved. The session is free, and questions will be entertained.

Ray Offenheiser will overview the Haiti outreach of Oxfam America, a nonprofit
international development and relief agency. One of the first organizations to provide aid after the earthquake, Oxfam has a long history of serving in Haiti and is striving to support the work capacity of Haitian organizations. Offenheiser, a Carlisle resident, is a recognized leader on issues such as poverty alleviation, human rights, foreign assistance and international development. He is a frequent commentator in the media, appearing in programs on CNN, NPR, and the BBC, and has been a quoted source in The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun and other major American newspapers. He has served as an adviser for the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, among others.

David Campbell will relate the on-going work of All Hands Volunteers, an organization that provides hands-on assistance to survivors of natural disasters around the world. All Hands was also one of the first organizations on the ground after the January 2010 earthquake and now Campbell will be returning from Japan to report on conditions there as well. All Hands Volunteers continue to implement medical, educational, housing, new school construction and sustainable jobs programs in Haiti. Campbell, a Carlisle resident, is Managing Director of Innovation Advisors, an investment-banking firm. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Tektronix, M&T Bank, MRO Software, Gibraltar Industries, and Power Steering Software. His civic positions have included Chairman of Roswell Park Cancer Institute Council, the Buffalo United Way
Campaign, and the Erie County Industrial Development Agency and Chamber.

Paul D’ Oliveira, a frequent on-site volunteer in Haiti even prior to the earthquake, will highlight Haiti-relief projects undertaken by the Rotary Club of Concord with the help of local congregations, individuals and groups. Among these projects are the donation of over 25 Shelterboxes (fully equipped tents that will house up to 10 people for one year), the provision of laptops, network equipment, adaptive technology, and a van for the special needs children at St. Josephs School in Port Au Prince. D’ Oliveira is currently coordinating a number of new projects involving area Rotary Clubs and organizations in collaboration with Rotary Clubs in Haiti. He is President and Founder of Paul Bryan. Inc., a business and organizational automation, design and networking service headquartered in Concord. He serves on the Board of Directors of Hearts With Haiti, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the work of the St. Josephs Schools and Residential Homes in Haiti. D’ Oliveira is an information technology consultant to the Cotting School in Lexington (sister school to St. Josephs Schools in Haiti).

Marie St. Fleur, former state representative is Chief of Advocacy and Strategic
Investment for Boston Mayor Menino’ s office. She also guides the city’ s Haiti-related efforts. She is reported to be the first Haitian-American elected to state office in the United States and is one of the chief spokespersons for the Haitian community of Massachusetts.

Be challenged and inspired at this free informative forum March 29, 7 – 9 p.m. at the Union Hall of the First Religious Society of Carlisle, 27 School St., Carlisle. (Directions at uucarlisle.org). For more information call Steve Kirk at 978-371-0176 or email steve@esicomputing.com.