Teen helping heal Haiti one bracelet at a time

You see them everywhere: rubber bracelets with words of empowerment, encouragement or even motivation written on them; so it didn’t take long for a South Florida teen to take hold of the idea for his own special project.

Seventeen-year-old Dylan d’Adesky, a senior at Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Fla. decided to do more than talk about the earthquake that shook Haiti to its core on Jan. 12. He decided to start a nonprofit, “Help Heal Haiti.”

“I’ve seen the poverty in Haiti firsthand before the earthquake,” said d’Adesky. “After the earthquake I had to help, I had to do something.”

A few weeks after the disaster; with the backing of his parents, three siblings and a network of extended family and friends, the teen began selling “Hope For Haiti” rubber bracelets for $1 and T-shirts for $5. Many who purchased the items would donate additional funds to support Dylan’s cause.

In the end, the teen raised enough money to support two organizations of his choice, one being Food For The Poor and presented the charity’s CEO/President, Robin Mahfood with a $1,000 check at the charity’s headquarters in Coconut Creek.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to see young people get involved and actually do something like this to help those in need. Dylan’s gift means so much to us here at Food For The Poor and is very much appreciated,” said Mahfood.

Dylan says Haiti has a special place in his heart; his father is Haitian-American, born in Miami, Florida, to parents who were both born in Port-au-Prince. He says he dreams to one day see Haiti become the paradise it has the potential to be.
“I am trying really hard, and in my heart I really want to help Haiti and make a difference there,” said d’Adesky.

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.