The Story of Project Haiti

           A team of sixteen physical and occupational therapists from Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital will be traveling to Les Cayes, Haiti throughout the spring and summer of 2012, in order to provide rehabilitative care to the victims of the devastating earthquake. In partnership with Medical Teams International (MTI), the therapists will be traveling in groups of four and will be staying a total of ten days at a time. They will be working in a variety of different settings including an outpatient prosthetics and orthotics clinic, as well as the local inpatient hospital. The teams will be exposed to a wide variety of diagnoses and age groups, with only a very limited number of resources available. This trip evolved out of a personal goal and vision of one therapist and was eventually given the name “Project Haiti”.

           Ashley Henegar works as a pediatric physical therapist on the Brain Injury and Pediatrics unit at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Throughout her schooling, she knew she wanted to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate and hoped someday she could use her professional skills as a therapist to do so. In the summer of 2011, Ashley was introduced by a former professor to June Hanks, a PT who had left behind her career in the states to manage a rehabilitation clinic in Les Cayes, Haiti through MTI. June was in need of a full time PT to work with her in her prosthetics clinic she had started. Ashley contacted June and spoke about working with her for a short period of time in Haiti and began the process of applying to the program. 

            Ashley shared her desire to travel to Haiti with her co-workers and found many of them shared her interest in participating in a medical relief trip. With the help of MTI, Ashley planned and organized each trip and gathered sixteen volunteers who expressed interest in the project. The total cost for each volunteer is $1,500 with a total cost of approximately $25,000 to cover travel expenses, lodging, medical supplies, food, translators, transportation, and insurance for all volunteers. It is our hope that all the money will be raised through fundraising, without any volunteer having to pay out of pocket to participate in such a worthy cause.

            Throughout the next several months, Project Haiti will be asking for your support in helping us raise the funds needed to make this trip a success. We will be having events within the community, as well as fundraising within the Brooks Health System to achieve our fundraising goal. All donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. It is our hope that Project Haiti will pave the way for future opportunities in international relief work within the Brooks system in the years to come. Please keep all of these teams in your thoughts and prayers as they travel and use their skills to help those who need it the most. If you would like to continue to follow us on this journey, please continue to follow this blog! If you would like to make a donation, please make checks payable to:

Project Haiti

P.O. Box 550731

Jacksonville, FL 32255

We are extremely grateful for your support with this endeavor and look forward to discussing our experiences with you when we return. Thank you!