25836: Hermantin(news)Lauderdale seals deal with partner in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Tue, Jul. 26, 2005


SISTER CITIES
Lauderdale seals deal with partner in Haiti
Proceeds from tonight's concert featuring the Arpeggione Chamber Orchestra of 
Austria will go toward improving living standards in Haiti.
BY YAMICHE ALCINDOR
yalcindor@herald.com

Eddy Remy left Haiti for America at age 5 and never had a desire to return to 
his native country.

Growing up in America, he learned of his country's hardships through the media.

Remy, 40, of Sunrise, finally had no choice about going home. He had to grant 
the wish of his dying grandmother in New York, who wanted to be buried in her 
beloved Haiti.

Now, Remy, a mortgage broker, never misses a chance to do something to help his 
birth country.

Tonight, Remy, chairman of the Fort Lauderdale Cap Haitien Sister City Program, 
will present a concert at 8 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 
featuring the world renowned Arpeggione Chamber Orchestra of Austria.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Proceeds from the concert will go toward projects to help those in Haiti -- 
including educational projects, a cultural exchange program and projects to buy 
farm tools for Haitian workers.

In the past, Remy and his partner, Tony Marchelli, co-chairman of the Sister 
City program, have organized art exhibitions, leadership seminars, and other 
cultural evenings featuring dance and music to raise funds for Haiti.

The organization focuses ''on people-to-people efforts to help make a better 
living,'' said Remy.

Fort Lauderdale was paired with Cap Haitien to do just that.

In 2001, Remy responded to an invitation from Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle 
to a meeting linking Fort Lauderdale and Cap Haitien through the Sister Cities 
program.

Volunteers from the Sister Cities program and a group of musicians from the 
Austrian orchestra will travel to Haiti on Aug. 11 to teach young Haitian 
students to play musical instruments and the history of musical pieces.

The group will be there through Aug. 17.

Remy hopes one day to bring American students to Haiti, but right now, ''we are 
currently working on helping Haitians come here,'' he said.

He and others want to partner with Florida Atlantic University to create a 
four-year scholarship to bring Haitian students living in Haiti to the 
university to study.

''Our goal is that these students will be able to go back to Haiti and 
contribute their time to making a difference,'' Remy said.

The group also sponsors a summer program that brings Haitian students to Fort 
Lauderdale to live with an American family and study for two months.

''[Participants] are getting to experience American culture and learning to 
speak English,'' said Remy, chief financial officer with Qwest Financial 
Consultants.

The Sister Cities group also is working on reforestation in Haiti.

ALTERNATIVE FUEL

Another project is seeking alternative fuel options for Haiti, as well as 
creating a computer lab for those living in Cap Haitien.

''What makes us unique is that we know we can't do it alone. We understand that 
the key is partnership,'' Remy said.

Some of their partners include the Fort Lauderdale Rotary Club, the Broward 
Center for Performing Arts, and the Symphony of Americas.

The organization is always looking for new members of all ages and sponsors, he 
said.






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