hope project

hope project
Originally uploaded by Bridgman Pottery

A few Sundays ago I had a little flash of inspiration in the middle of the Sunday sermon. It was a very thoughtful sermon by our vocational deacon whose emphasis is social justice and outreach. He cares, in a very tangible way, for the "least of these" among us. The poor, homeless, mentally ill, and handicapped. The people of Haiti have been on this list for much, much longer than these same people have been in our national conscience. My parish has been a part of the Haiti Partnership for some time- sending food, medical missionaries, and money to Haiti, and in particular, St. Vincent's school and hospital in Port-au-Prince. This school primarily cares for the poor handicapped children of Haiti, many of them orphaned or abandoned. They provide food, shelter, education, and prosthetics for over 300 children.

I'm sure that a lot of people are beginning to have a bit of Haiti fatigue. They've given a little or a lot. You all have helped me give more than I thought I would be able to. But I don't want to forget. I have a home, food, clothing, savings, insurance, working limbs, and as much clean water as I could ever want. My concerns are minor. I am blessed. I have hope. I want these children to have hope.

In that sermon, the word HOPE kept flashing in my mind. I made a small sketch and that afternoon made a few test pieces. Three of five made me happy. I plan to make more of these, and I plan to keep making them. As with my last project, 60% of the sales of these HOPE pieces will go to Hatit, through the Haiti Partnership . I don't mean to be sanctimonious. But I don't want to forget about those who can't help themselves.


2/16- I should mention that I haven't listed these yet because the plate needs a little glaze touch up and these three are all I have. I'll let you know when they're ready for the shop! thanks for your enthusiasm!