Broward schools donates portables to Haiti
The first four of 92 surplus portable classrooms donated to the Republic of Haiti left Dania, Florida onboard The Caribbean Express on Sunday, May 2. The ship is scheduled to arrive in the Republic of Haiti on Wednesday, May 5.
The shipping of these portable classrooms is the result of the combined efforts of the School Board, the Haitian government and the William J. Clinton Foundation. The portables will be used to replace classrooms destroyed during the earthquake, or in other ways that will benefit victims of the tragedy.
At the request of the Haitian government, President Bill Clinton, currently United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti, and his Foundation facilitated the donation and shipment of numerous education supplies to Haiti including the portable classrooms donated by Broward County Public Schools.
In December of 2008, School Board member Benjamin J. Williams, proposed, and the Board approved, the donating of 92 portables to Haiti, but no one stepped forward to cover the cost of shipping the classrooms. Williams, currently serves as School Board Vice-chair.
Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January, the District received a message from Haitian President Rene Garcia Preval expressing the urgency of his countryís need. This was followed by a letter from the Consulate General of the Republic of Haiti renewing that countryís interest in the portables.
At its April 20th meeting, the School Board signed an agreement to donate some of the portable classrooms to the Clinton Foundation, a 501(c3), which has agreed to cover the cost of shipping of these classrooms.
Williams said, “As a member of the School Board of Broward County, I am so pleased that the first 13 of the 92 portables we approved to donate to Haiti on December 16, 2008 will now be on their way to assist in that country’s recovery.”
Superintendent James F. Notter said, “It is my belief that the shipping of our surplus portables is only the beginning of an ongoing cooperative relationship between the District and the Republic of Haiti. Haitian officials have expressed an interest in replicating some of the programs we offer our students.”
Board Chair Jennifer Leonard Gottlieb is also excited that the portables will be put to good use. “I am thrilled that the District will be assisting the people of Haiti by providing classrooms to replace those lost during the earthquake. As Board Chair, I want to express my appreciation to the Clinton Foundation for its assistance.”
Related posts:
- Broward Public Schools collect large stash for Haiti; take in 373 Haitian students
- Broward schools preparing for influx of Haitian students
- Broward schools enroll 587 Haitian students; set up free health care
- Broward County employees helping Haiti; tariff charges to Haiti dropped at port
- Local agencies in Broward reaching out to help Haiti; find staff members in Haiti during earthquake
Short URL: https://browardnetonline.com/?p=7813
Posted by AdamF on May 3 2010. Filed under Broward County, Dania, Fort Lauderdale, International relations, Local news, Schools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
