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Sr. Rosemary Fry with with Limbe, a deaf boy with autism in Haiti. Photo courtesy of the Sisters of St. Joseph

Multicultural night raises funds for Haiti

By  Melissa Oro, Youth Speak News
  • April 19, 2013

TORONTO - St. Joseph’s College School’s upcoming Multicultural Night continues a tradition of raising funds for Haiti begun more than two decades ago.

On April 26, the ladies at SJCS will host the annual event for Haitian relief, raising funds to be distributed in the impoverished nation through the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Over the years, the students have raised more than $40,000 for Haiti through Multicultural Night. The evening sees different clubs at the school prepare a night full of international dishes followed by a presentation of cultural dances on stage.

Sr. Rosemary Fry first went to Haiti with Mother Teresa’s Mis-sionaries of Charity in 1986. Three months later, when she came back to Canada, she felt drawn to return.

“I really felt, and my community felt, that God was asking me to go back to Haiti, and I did,” said Fry. “I worked with another religious community for three years and at the end of those three years, our two other sisters, Sr. Mary Alban Bouchard and Sr. Lorraine Malo, came and joined me.”

In 1986, the Sisters travelled north to Cap Haitien where they began helping 13 homeless families after establishing which area needed the most help. They provided homes and paid the rent (which was granted by the Canadian Embassy) for six months.

The sisters have designed programs for those in need of an education. The main goal is to help the citizens become more autono-mous. The school took on Multi-cultural Night to help raise funds for the sisters’ work.

At St. Joseph’s College School, all the clubs are busy with rehears-als, while the planning committee is ensuring that everything is organized.

“The guests at Multi Night can expect the different performances prepared by the clubs and see how much work the students have done the whole year,” said Katrina Chi-pongian, a Grade 12 student on the organizing committee. “It’s a celebration of everyone’s own culture.”

Knowing where the proceeds go, students give 100 per cent effort towards their performances. Not only are they doing this for a good cause, but this event is an opportunity for the community to gather and witness the many different cultures represented by the school’s students.

“This is a time where we can use something that is instilled in us to help others,” said Prescylla Mizinga, a Grade 11 student who is part of the United Sisters of Colour club. “The fact that all these cultures can come together and celebrate being multicultural and help people who are in need at the same time is wonderful.”

Grade 12 student Rachaelle Rabit adds that the event “gives a lot more meaning to our work and it makes us appreciate where our money is going.”

The goal for this year’s event is to surpass last year’s total of $4,000.

For more information on Mul-ticultural Night, ticket sales and donations, call St. Joseph’s College at (416) 393-5514, or visit the school’s Twitter page for updates at @SJCSWellesley.

(Oro, 16, is a Grade 11 student at St. Joseph’s College School in Toronto.)

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