A kind-hearted Victoria man drove to the Langford fire hall Monday and donated $5,000 to help Fire Chief Bob Beckett and his team renovate an orphanage in Haiti.
“He read the story in the [Times Colonist] newspaper and was so moved he wanted to help,” said Bruce Brown, a retired RCMP officer who will join Beckett and four others in Haiti for the Divine Hands Orphanage project in September.
Brown said the man wanted to remain anonymous.
“He just said: ‘We’ve got so much here and they’ve got nothing.’ He felt he needed to do something, but couldn’t physically travel there,” Brown said.
The team, along with Colwood Rotary, are aiming to raise $15,000 before they travel to Haiti, on their own dime and time, to build a water well solar pump, a roof for the boys’ latrine, cookhouse, and additional room, shelving and closets for the 50 kids — who live in an 800-square-foot room.
“The more we have, the more we can do,” said Brown, adding they’ve also received more than $300 in donations through the project website.
“We’re at the start of fundraising and already we’re incredibly thankful for the so many generous people in this community.”
For more information on the Divine Hands Orphanage project, go to helpforhaiti.ca.
