Couple collects donations for Haitians amid political unrest

Teresa Weakley
·3 min read

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Telly and Amanda Morisset know the uncertainty of leaving Haiti, where they run a community center, and then having the government shut down.

It happened before when they came to West Michigan to collect donations for their center, and that’s the situation they’re in again.

“In Haiti, it’s always been difficult, but now it’s worse. I mean, it is a lovely country with a lot to offer, but because of the way the country is running, no matter where you are in Haiti, it’s always difficult,” said Telly Morisset.

He grew up in Oboy, near Cap-Haitian, hours away from the violence in Port-Au-Prince. He and his wife Amanda, who is from Michigan, run the Figi Jezi Community Center for Transformation in Cap-Haitian. Figi Jezi is creole for “the Face of God.”

“I think it’s more difficult this time because they’re starting to lose that hope. Every time it shuts down, it opens back up. They work so hard to rebuild what they’re doing. They rebuild their businesses, rebuild their lifestyle, and then everything shuts down. It just stops,” said Amanda Morisset. “They’re waiting for an intervention, and they’ve been waiting for an intervention for so long.”

The Morissets have created a refuge for hundreds of Haitians through their work at the center. People can go there all day for classes in things like sewing or to play sports.

There is also the Thomas Hamlin Medical Center, named for a Grand Rapids boy who died suddenly when he was three years old. Hamlin’s family helped the Morissets bring in donations, including shipping containers and medical supplies that have become the medical center where doctors treat patients daily.

The Morissets are back in Kent County, working to fill another shipping container with supplies. Grand Rapids First Church volunteers dropped off dozens of bicycles on Monday. The container is also full of soccer goals and other equipment.

A boy named Matt, who loves to sew, also donated several sewing machines and other supplies.

“We can’t believe the overwhelming response. With everything that everybody is going through here, so many people are struggling, but everybody has been so receptive,” Amanda Morisset said.

Everyone is welcome at the community center, and all the services are free.

Amanda Morisset said it’s a small ripple in a vast ocean of problems, but it gives people a place to forget about what is happening.

The soccer team recently won an important game, for example.

“It was a big celebration because we were in a tournament, and they won the first game. We’ve been tying all the time, and we won our first game. They were very happy,” Telly Morisset said.

They will continue collecting donations through the end of March and are looking for the following supplies:

  • Soccer cleats for adults

  • Soccer shorts

  • Any sporting equipment/recreational equipment like hula hoops, jump ropes, etc.

  • Nonperishable food (bags of rice, beans, peanut butter, oils)

  • Sewing supplies

  • Medical supplies, especially gauze and other wound care supplies

  • Basketball equipment

  • Gardening supplies

  • Wire fencing (to keep the goats away from the garden)

To arrange a donation drop, contact Telly Morisset at 616.322.4639.

The Morissets aren’t sure when they will be able to get back to Haiti or what challenges might await them on that journey, but they are happy to be making a difference from afar for now.

“It is a hopeful place. It just for them to know even though everything is going on but they’re still light at the end of the tunnel,” said Telly Morisset.

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