Haitian Art Calendar 2011, take 2

Back in November when I was planning to write a blog entry about the Haitian Art Calendar 2011 that Mallory Holding had put together to benefit work being done in Haiti through the Episcopal Church, I asked if she had anything she wanted to contribute.  And she sent me something.  And it got buried in my inbox. So here, at long last, is what she wrote.  And I just know some of you out there have not gotten calendars for every need you have, and certainly not one with such beautiful art and which supports such a good cause.

Here is the link to the original post:  Haitian Art Calendar 2011 - blog post 12/9/10

And here is hers:

Last year, in September, I moved to Haiti and I went kicking and screaming. Although I was supposed to spend a year living and working there, with the Episcopal Young Adult Service Corps, I spent the entire drive to the airport thinking of ways I could shorten my time there.

I remember those first couple weeks in Haiti as an incredible time of transition from resisting and almost hating Haiti, to feeling like it was home. I think back to my Thanksgiving in Haiti last year. I sat around my kitchen table surrounded by new friends, Haitian and American who had become like family. It was in that moment that I knew I loved Haiti and that I would forever be connected to that place, and to those people at my Thanksgiving Table.

The earthquake in Haiti abruptly ended my time there. It was painful leaving and I have struggled to find ways to continue to be involved in Haiti relief and rebuilding efforts. This in part was because I loved being in Haiti and I miss my life there but more importantly it has been to do something that would help my friends and their families.

It was in this struggle to be involved that the idea came for a Haitian Art Calendar. I liked the idea of the Calendar because in Haiti’s art you can see the country’s beauty. You can see its strength, its perseverance and its hope. These are the things I think of when I hear about Haiti, and this is what I hoped to share with others who care about Haiti.

I hope you will consider purchasing a calendar. You can go to www.lulu.com and search Haitian Art 2011. They are available for $22. The profits from the Calendar sales will go to the National Church’s Haiti fundraising campaign and supports the rebuilding of the Cathedral Complex in Port au Prince including the schools which used to be on the property.

I hope you will purchase a calendar, and share it with others and catch a glimpse of the beauty and strength of Haiti.

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You can read more about Mallory's time in Haiti and her reflections since then on her blog Holding Haiti