On March 24th, Donna will fly to Haiti in the early morn from Florida and make her way across the continent to the south coast. There she will be met by Jean Phelix Joseph, who works with founder Michael Beans Gardner of Good Samaritan of Haiti Foundation. Joseph will host her and arrange her transport and safety on the small island of Ile la Vache. Donna will have the opportunity to share 2 full days meeting the children in the school and the community sharing music. She will distribute the reading glasses and school supplies she will gather in the few days she has til she leaves. With OceansWatch surveys in hand she can make valuable assessments and friendships which will allow them to formulate the project components to share with all the OW members worldwide.
The introductions and contacts are necessary in a land like Haiti where carefulness and preparation are needed to ensure a safe passage into the harbors while visiting this deeply challenged country. Each visit must be coordinated with those there who can facilitate a positive and fruitful experience. It is hard for Donna to contain her excitement at the opportunity to be so graciously hosted by those at the Good Samaritan School.
We look forward to hearing the updates as Donna continues on from Haiti to the Dominican Republic. There is a headquarters for Reef Check in Santo Domingo where Donna will land and make contact. From there she hopes to use those contacts to make initial assessments for future projects there. While in the Dominican Republic Donna will be hosted by Irish Pub “Jose O’Shay” Owner, Frank Brittingham, where she will be performing Sunday thru Tuesday evenings, leaving on April 8th.
From the DR, the next port of call is ST Thomas, where again, the Brittingham family irish pub, Molly Malones, will host Donna to play 4 nights of music, from Irish to classics to her own songs of sailing and caring. On April 11th, representing OW, she is to be joined by Michael Beans Gardner (www.beansmusic.com) as they do a Benefit Concert to raise money for the Good Samaritan school. Many thanks to the Brittinghams for hosting Donna and this concert. She will also be joining “Beans” at Tortolla’s Myettes pub in Cane Garden Bay on April 18th for a second of 5 benefit concerts Michael will be doing around the Virgin Islands.
As Redhook, in ST Thomas, is Donna’s home port and the place where her world of sailing and singing began, she looks forward to the camaraderie that has been her life line to the new world she enjoys as a sailor, musician and speaker. She is also playing gigs at local Redhook hotspots like Latitude 18, and Careggas’s in the “Boatyard” where Donna did those critical rebuilds to her boat before setting off to solo sail the oceans of the world.
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