July 31, 2015
In 2012 the St. Helen’s Home and Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs “Our Little Brothers and Sisters” Orphanage (NPFS) reached out to the lightning protection industry for assistance after lightning strikes repeatedly damaged the ovens and computers that the facility relies upon for their daily activities. The NPFS facility is located on top of the Kenscoff mountain range at an elevations of over 5000 ft. Each year severe thunderstorms bring damage to the structures on the orphanage’s 25 acre compound. More than 400 children depend on the facility for food, housing and education.
LSA members visited the site in July 2013 and developed a plan to improve the facility’s vulnerability to lightning. This is a unique opportunity for our industry to give back to the community and improve the lives of these disadvantaged youngsters. In January 2016 a team of eight (8) installers will travel to Haiti to install lightning protection on four of the most critical structures on the site. They will also perform upgrades to the substandard electrical grounding around the compound. The total budget for this endeavor is $42,000 which includes materials, travel expenses, tools and shipping costs.
This endeavor needs your support. Donations of lightning protection, grounding and surge suppression equipment are needed as well as cash to fund the travel expenses. Please consider joining in this worthy project by choosing one of the Sponsorship categories below:
Sponsorship levels
Platinum $2,500 _____
Gold $1,500 _____
Silver $750 _____
Bronze $500 _____
Friend $250 _____
Crew Member $1,600 (8 needed) _____
1/2 Crew Member $800 _____
Tool Kit $500 (8 needed) _____
Instructions for Sending Supplies and Cash Donations
Lightning Protection Equipment donations, relief supplies and miscellaneous donations (medical supplies, toys for orphans, etc) should be shipped to:
The Lightning Safety Alliance/ECLE
24 Lanson Drive
Winsted, CT 06098
Please mark boxes “Attn: Jennifer Morgan “Haiti project” and include packing list to itemize materials with $ value for each donated item. Tax-deduction receipts for the Haiti Orphanage project donations will be provided by Our Little Brothers & Sisters USA office. Cash donations must be sent to above address, payable to: “Our Little Brothers & Sisters” with “Haiti/Gena Heragty Kenscoff L.P. project” in check memo.
For more information visit: www.lightningsafe.org or contact Kim Loehr at 804-314-8955 or kiml@lightning.org.
