John Shattuck
The very active Vice Chair of the Midwest Region Board of Directors
Prior to the earthquake in Haiti, John had been to Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”) Haiti twice in the second half of 2009. The first time was to assess the need for medical supplies. Through his association with an organization by the name of Children of Abraham, John was instrumental in securing roughly $1.4 million in medical supply gifts in kind for the NPH homes in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua that were sent in the summer of 2009. In November, John returned to Haiti to check on the status of the supplies he shipped. On that second trip to Haiti, John witnessed Fr. Rick Frechette’s funeral/burial ministry and events surrounding All Souls Day. When he returned, John connected with local churches where he recruited a network of volunteers who have made thousands of handmade burial palls to give some semblance of dignity to the dead Haitians buried through Fr. Rick’s ministry.
When the earthquake devastated Haiti on January 12, John sprung into action and has not stopped. He cut way back on the time he devotes to the business he owns and quite literally has made Haiti relief his full-time job. His efforts since the earthquake have resulted in several millions of dollars’ worth of medical equipment, supplies, water, food, tents, generators and other emergency supplies being sent to Haiti. He has arranged for nine 40-foot containers of supplies to be sent to St. Damien Hospital since late January. In February, he flew to the Dominican Republic where he accompanied the first container of supplies on its 10-hour overland trip to St. Damien Hospital. He has been interviewed on local television news programs and has been the subject of numerous newspaper articles, bringing much local attention on his efforts, on Friends of the Orphans and on NPH earthquake relief programs in Haiti. Click here to read a Southtown Star, article about John.
Most recently, John spent the week after Easter in Haiti with John Iberle, Chairman of the Midwest Region Board. While there, John Shattuck followed up on his shipments, investigated arrangements for new and less costly shipping channels direct to Haiti (bypassing the Dominican connection), and met several actors associated with the group Artists for Peace and Justice. He served as a tour guide for Demi Moore and Susan Sarandon, personally escorting them around St. Damien Hospital.
We in the Midwest Region of Friends of the Orphans are very proud of and grateful to John for his commitment to the children of NPH Haiti and to the earthquake efforts being conducted there in the name of Friends of the Orphans and NPH.
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