Passion, a love for volunteering, and a good heart is the key to reaching others.
The Church of the Resurrection in Clarkston carries all of these traits, and is a part of the Detroit Haiti Outreach program.
These churches travel to Mirebalais, Haiti and work with the Roman Catholic church and school and Episcopal church and school.
The mission began eight-years-ago with Roger and Dr. Dominque Matthews. The mission group has built a clinic to serve about 1,000 families.
‘Since 1997, we have built and completed the clinic,? said Fr. Don Duford, Pastor Church of the Resurrection.
The clinic has eight exam rooms for doctors, a surgical suite, a dental suite, pharmacy and waiting rooms.
‘Annually, 1,500 children have been inoculated and received fluorination for their teeth,? said Fr. Duford.
The mission has also added a second floor to St. Pierre’s School, and a four – room high school was built.
The mission has painted the churches and made repairs while upgrading technology with microphone systems and cooking utensils.
The mission group will be traveling to Haiti in May to complete the current project of an orphanage, bakery and a library dedicated to St. Pierre’s.
Once the current projects are completed, the mission group will begin to build a hospital to accommodate the 360,000 people in the area.
‘This will be a multi-year project and an enormous undertaking,? said Fr. Duford.
Fr. Duford works closely with two Haitian priests, providing administrative leadership and is the spiritual director.
This year, about 40 people from the Detroit area will travel to Mireabalais, Haiti.
Fr. Duford will take a Rotary Flag from the Clarkston Rotary Club to Haiti to present Yves Germaine, who started a Rotary Club in Mireabalais.
Fr. Duford hopes the two clubs can work together in the future to benefit the people and children of Haiti.
‘Once one goes to Haiti, you become addicted to serving others,? said Fr. Duford. ‘You realize you can never give away a good gift, it always comes back.?