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Island tennis pro poised to go to Haiti

The earthquake that devastated Haiti this week solicited an immediate response from some members of the Boca Grande community. According to Monsignor James Kolp, after speaking about the disaster at Mass on Thursday in Boca Grande he received an overwhelming amount of support for any efforts made.

“One of the gentlemen at our church received a message overnight from somewhere in Haiti, and we’re finding a way to make donations through Catholic Relief Services,” he said. “There was another gentleman that is considering going down there himself to help out.”

That man, as it turns out, is local tennis professional Mark Horan. He is packed and ready to leave at a moment’s notice and wants desperately to help.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, but when I looked at what was going on there on television, seeing these children only 500 or so miles away from us just walking the streets, I realized I needed to do something. I was deeply affected by it.”

Mark is trying at this time to find an organization that will get him there and assign him to a task. Until then, he is waiting by his phone instead of boarding a plane, in an attempt to not become another body in an already crowded situation who will require precious water and lodging.

“I really want to go with SOS Families, a group that works with orphans,” he said. “But their infrastructure in Haiti is so chaotic right now, they’re not letting me go. No one wants me going until all the red tape is cleared up.”

Horan said he has also spoken with Rev. Brian Brightly at the Boca Grande United Methodist Church, as well as with Our Lady of Mercy.

At the Methodist Church Kathy Parker said they are part of a group called United Methodist Conference on Relief, and they are directing their parishioners to go to their web site, flumc2.org.

“People can make donations online with a credit card, and we have a special ID number for Haiti relief,” she said. “It’s a quick way to make sure funds get directed right to Haiti.”

The advanced special number to use on the web site is 4183254.

At the First Baptist Church, Rev. Gary Beatty said they are sending donations to a large party from the Southern Baptist Convention that are heading to Haiti.

“We contribute to that fund, it’s a cooperative program,” he said. “They will be out in force in the area, just as they were during Hurricane Katrina when they were the first to respond. We are also taking special offerings at the church this coming Sunday and probably the next.”

Rev. Read Heydt at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church said their bishop has asked them to make contributions through the Episcopal Relief and Development Foundation in New York.

“They do disaster relief and have people onsite in Haiti,” he said. “They’re tied to all the relief agencies that are already there, and it just makes sense to funnel the funds through them.”