A note from NW Regional Director Ross Egge on the Anniversary of the Haiti Earthquake and 2021

11 years ago on January 12th, the earth shook. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost. The memory of the aftermath remains with me to this day and still haunts so many of our Haitian brothers and sisters. It is a trauma not easily recovered from for a country that has experienced too many tragedies. As many of you know, we lost one of our own Northwest volunteers, Molly Hightower in the earthquake as well. 2020 was a crazy and difficult year, and the first days of 2021 have already brought forth new challenges here at home. But it is in the response that we find hope. It was the response of so many from our Northwest community, the Hightower family, and our global NPH family that rallied to provide relief and aid to Haiti after the earthquake. And it was all of you who stepped up in ways large and small to help us provide for our NPH family in a year that challenged everything about the way we live our lives and do our work. We pivoted to virtual…..everything…which was hard, but allowed us to keep each other and those we love safe in the midst of a global pandemic and the unknown and uncertainty that came with it. You and our Northwest community inspire me and give me hope! Thank you! I so look forward to a new chapter, when we can gather again and celebrate all of the good that has been done in response to the challenges our world, our communities, and our NPH family have faced over the course of the past year. We’d love to share with you an article that former NW Regional Board member Rachel Prusynski wrote last year on her experience visiting her friend Molly Hightower as the earthquake happened in 2010.