Feb 7th, 2012
Today is Father Gerry’s birthday. For those of you who may not know who Fr. Gerard Jean-Juste (a.k.a. Fr. Gerry) was, he was the priest of St. Clare’s Church in the Ti Plas Kazo neighborhood of Port-au-Prince and was known throughout the world as a great leader and advocate for the Haitian poor. Our w
ebsite’s history page shares the story of how he and I met twelve years ago, and of how his vision inspired me to create the What If? Foundation. In May, it will be three years since he passed away.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Fr. Gerry over the last few months, as we’ve been preparing to launch the school and cafeteria building project that will provide a safe and permanent home to the food and education programs he and I started together all those years ago. Every time I look at his picture in my office (the same one pictured here), it’s as if I can hear him encouraging all of us to keep taking small steps forward in faith, to never give up, and to believe in the power of love. I am also reminded of how he called the programs we fund “the great sharing” because of the difference every donation to the What If? Foundation makes in the lives of the children who receive a plate of food at the food program, a school scholarship, or the opportunity to attend the summer camp or the after-school program. He said every donation was a “sharing” that “helps bring hope where there was despair.”
Fr. Gerry remains a daily inspiration for me. Today, and every day, I thank God for his life, and for the opportunity I had to work with him for nine years. He was an extraordinary man whose legacy lives on and is deeply felt.
Margaret
Margaret Trost, Founder, What If? Foundation
Feb 3rd, 2012
The work that you are doing in Haiti is one of the few things that raises my spirit and reaffirms my hope and belief in the capacity of people to reach out to each other in loving and effective ways in the midst of so much suffering around the world. I greatly admire what you are doing through the Foundation, and all the people who work daily on the ground to provide food and education. The fact that the work is directed and done by local people who are part of the program decision-making process is also very important, and I believe it’s why What If? accomplishes so much with so little.
I’m always eager to tell my friends that some good things are happening in the midst of what often seems like a hopeless situation in Haiti. And I’m proud to be a small part of this endeavor, a feeling shared by my wife Jean.
Ray D., of Cumberland, MD
Jan 12th, 2012
Dear Friends of the What If? Foundation,
Today, January 12th, marks the 2 year anniversary of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince. My heart breaks when I think about that day and all the suffering that has happened since.
Our Haitian partners reinforce what’s appearing in the news this week: that little has changed for the majority of people in and around the city since the earthquake. More than 550,000 people continue to live in tent communities, and much of the rubble remains uncleared. I find it so frustrating to read about what a small percentage of the aid pledged to help rebuild Haiti has actually been sent directly to Haiti, how much that has been allocated or given remains unspent, and how Haitian organizations have been excluded from the rebuilding process. (Click here to read an article by Bill Quigley and Amber Ramanauskas about where money pledged or given to rebuild Haiti did or did not go.)
At the same 
time, I am so grateful to rest in the knowing that your donations to the What If? Foundation have made an incredible difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families in the Ti Plas Kazo neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. Your gifts have funded nutritious meals, school scholarships, and other educational opportunities that have brought hope to the community. And as our program liaison Lavarice Gaudin shared with me this week, the way this support is given is so important: “We’re small and can’t help everyone. But whatever we do, we do with dignity and love. Piti piti na rive.”
Amidst the rubble and the injustices, we continue to walk hand in hand with our partners in Haiti to bring these community-based programs to the children who need them, day-in and day-out. We are grateful for what we’ve been able to accomplish together, both before and after the earthquake. This spirit of hope, collaboration, faith, and sharing is what has sustained us for the last 12 years.
Thank you for being on this journey with us. And thank you for your 
donations, which are critical to our reaching our goal of keeping the food and education programs going strong as we prepare to build a safe, permanent home for them, as well as a much-needed neighborhood school. At this time of remembering and reflection, we invite you to tell your friends about the What If? Foundation and why you support us. As you know, every donation, whatever its size, will help make a life-changing difference in Haiti.
This afternoon, Lavarice and other members of the Ti Plas Kazo community will hold a candlelight vigil for those who lost their lives in the earthquake and for those who survived. We will be with them in spirit as we light our candles, and invite you to join us as well.
Thank you for your continued support and for your prayers this week and always,
Margaret
Margaret Trost
Founder, What If? Foundation
Jan 11th, 2012
Tomorrow, it will have been 2 years since the earthquake in Haiti. Click here to read about how money pledged or given in support of efforts to rebuild Haiti has or has not been spent. We’re so grateful for the difference our Haitian partners have made by using funds donated to the What If? Foundation to effectively and efficiently meet the needs of so many thousands of children and their families, both before and after the earthquake.
Dec 19th, 2011
As 2011 comes to a close, all of us at the What If? Foundation want to express our gratitude to you for helping us give the gift of hope to so many children in Haiti.
We wish you much love and happiness during the holidays and in the new year!
Margaret, Caitlin, Pamela and the What If? Foundation’s Board of Directors
ebsite’s history page shares the story of how he and I met twelve years ago, and of how his vision inspired me to create the What If? Foundation. In May, it will be three years since he passed away.
