Locals Prep for Gala to Help Haiti, Honor Volunteers

In the midst of debuting their new website, the Hands of Mary for Haiti charity program is busy gearing up for its third annual gala.

The volunteers began preparations for the gala in earnest in January with the dual goal of honoring volunteers and fundraising for the mission. 

“The purpose of the Gala is to fund a mission trip to assist the people of Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours in Fragneau-ville, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and to honor those who have done outstanding work for the organization,” said Melissa Cavallo, who is one of the many volunteers involved in the event.

“The event has been running for about two years. We always had a website for around three years, but the whole thing was recreated this year.”

The two other organizers are Daniel Pace and the Rev. Philip-Michael F. Tangorra, both from Morristown. Tangorra is the president of the organization, and Pace is the director of supplies/shipment Officer.

Hands of Mary for Haiti will host its annual Gala on Friday, April 19, at Perona Farms in Sparta. The Gala starts at 6:30 p.m., and there will be music, dining, a silent auction and a raffle.

“We booked the event at Perona Farms in Sparta, New Jersey, sent out invitations and created the itinerary for the event. We are almost done getting everything ready for the event,” said Cavallo.

The people of Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours in Fragneau-Ville, Haiti, are still struggling to overcome the devastating effects of the earthquake of Jan. 12, 2010.

“We recently embarked upon our fifth mission trip in November 2012. We brought more than $50,000 in pharmaceuticals, toys, clothing, religious and educational goods to the people of Fragneau-Ville and Delmas in Port-au-Prince, Haiti,” said Cavallo. “In addition, part of our mission was bringing tickets to the people of the shanty/tent town of Our Lady of Peace chapel, which is part of the parish of Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours.”

These tickets, one per family, entitled them to a sack filled with 10 pounds of rice, 5 pounds of beans and cooking oil. They gave tickets to 100 families, which fed more than 500 people.

In October their local Diocesan Newspaper published this article about the organization.