to Haiti’s children this holiday season.
Give a child an unforgettable experience at Santa’s Wonderland.
please contact:
Nadeige Martelly Tesserot
SAS Public Relations &Communications Director
T: +1.786.863.1363
E: nmartelly@sowaseedonline.org
MIAMI (December 12, 2012) – Sow a Seed (SAS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting Haiti’s disadvantaged children and orphanages, hosted their annual holiday event Santa’s Wonderland at Union School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on December 10, 2011. A day filled with activities, meals, entertainment, gifts and surprise guests, Santa and elves rolled out the red carpet for over 500 children, many of them celebrating and meeting Santa for the first time.
Santa’s Wonderland welcomed over 500 orphans from various orphanages including Divine Misericorde, Fondation Luce, Maison de la Grace, Maison des Anges, Fondation Rosemina, Sant Rev Ti Moun, Life is Wealth, Sonia Andre, Timkatec, and 200 of these children from Cité Soleil and Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs. Upon receiving a warm welcome through Santa’s Forest of decorated trees, children proceeded to Santa’s Arts & Crafts Workshop, Music and Dance Workshops, Santa’s photo booth, Candyland, Gingerbread House, and Playland. Live performances by Mikaben, JPerry, DJ Scratch, and Dance for Life were also part of the festivities. The star-topper of the evening – a special tree-lighting moment in Santa’s Forest - left all children, volunteers and sponsors awestruck.
As part of the SAS volunteer and outreach programs, 400 young adults were recruited from various schools in Haiti and encouraged to join hands with the children to unwrap the day, one surprise after the other. Even Hollywood stars stopped by to celebrate with these little Haitian stars, hand in hand. Activist and actress Maria Bello met with SAS founder and president Claudia Apaid who shared stories and progresses, especially that of Santana, the young orphan who inspired Apaid to start it all. Also in attendance was Patricia Arquette, Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian who visited the popular Gingerbread House with the children, shimmied through the Dance Workshop, and interacted with the kids during the concert.
Soon after, Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor helped Sow a Seed volunteers distribute gifts. Fashion designers Isabel Encinias and Donna Karan from Urban Zen were amazed to see all the crafts that were created and captured images of kids opening their gifts.
Collaborating for collective growth with major sponsors such as Unicef, Acierie d’Haiti, and Fondation Voila, Sow a Seed raised funds for this day, internationally through the Spread the Joy Challenge. Other sponsors included Anndex, Rotary Club,The Apparent Project, Total, Tropic, Secom, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, AC Architects, Avis Rental Car, AGA, Urban Zen, We Advance (Maria Bello), Caribbean Craft, and so much more.
In addition to Apaid, Sow a Seed co-founders Sandrine Alkhal, Dayana Apaid and Michelle Baker enlisted a group of young professionals as board of directors in 2004. Sow a Seed, a volunteer-based organization was created to act as a vehicle for all collaborators who wish to assist impoverished orphanages attain their goals, instill hope in orphans and provide them with the daily essentials such as food, shelter, education, healthcare, and love.
More to come in 2012: Water Angels Project provides orphanages with a high-capacity water purification system and the opportunity to achieve self-sufficiency using the surplus to generate income; a Safe House to serve as a temporary home for orphans while a more adequate and permanent solution can be identified; Project PlayWorld which is committed to enhance the quality of life for all children at La Reference Village with the flagship called “Petit Monde” (Little World); a vocational school is also in the works which will offer psychosocial support and courses in arts, literacy and life lessons that focuses on skills training, family planning and physical wellness. Sow a Seed holds two annual challenges a year to raise funds for holiday events for these children: Spring to Easter in April for Eggstravaganza and Spread the Joy in December for Santa's Wonderland.
For more information about Sow a Seed, to volunteer and donate, please e-mail info@sowaseedonline.org or follow us on on Twitter @sascharity and Facebook.com/SowaSeed.
Sow a Seed, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-based organization, works with struggling orphanages in Haiti, assisting them with food, shelter, education and healthcare. Founded and managed by a team of young Haitian-American professionals, Sow a Seed has been operating since 2004 with the financial support of leading foundations, corporations and individual donations. Dedicated to bringing hope and creating sustainable change in the lives of orphans in Haiti, Sow a Seed also provides a strong and independent voice that shines a light on their needs and encourages preventative and lasting investments in the welfare of these underprivileged Haitian children. www.sowaseedonline.org
Offering your time and hand is one of the greatest, invaluable gifts you can offer to the needy children of Haiti. SAS is grateful to have you as an additional member of our family. We appreciates that you are by our side in the ever-increasing fight in giving these kids a better chance at life. Take action by volunteering.
Use your unique skills. Organize a collection, have a food drive, run marathon, throw fundraiser, have a bake sale, get your church and school involved, or put a link to your website. We encourage you to participate in however you feel will help us raise funds to help these wonderful children. SAS wants you to do it your way!
Sow a Seed is NOT an adoption agency, however we will refer any direct inquiries regarding adoption to our partnering adoption agency, La Maison des Anges in Haiti. Please write to us.
