HR&DC Announces Leadership Committee for Haitian National Memorial and Peace Park

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 26, 2013 – TAMPA, Fla. — Haiti Recovery & Development Company (HR&DC), a Tampa, Florida company whose mantra is: “Dignity for the dead, hope and opportunity for the living,” announced today it has seated an 11 member, in-country, leadership committee specifically to support HR&DC’s Haitian National Memorial and Peace Park initiative, designed to honor Haiti’s fallen, inspire a renewed sense of Haitian Nationalism, and spur economic development in an area long considered a dark corridor in Haiti. Comprised of religious and community leaders, educators, former government officials and members of the private sector, the committee, known as The Haitian National Memorial and Peace Park Leadership Committee, will operate as a strategic advisory board to HR&DC and an operational arm by interacting with individuals and organizations from within Haiti and the international community.

HR&DC CEO Jim Lange said of the program, “Haiti Recovery & Development Company (HR&DC) is involved with numerous initiatives spread out across the entire country, but our primary objective is to transform the mass and unmarked graves in Titanyen into a Haitian National Memorial and Peace Park.  Whether a victim of the 2010 earthquake, past natural disasters, civil unrest or a poor Haitian interned in an unmarked grave in the paupers’ field, we have embraced the role of caretaker for the fallen.”  Mr. Lange added, “As we see it, it is virtually impossible for Haiti to reach the summit of its potential with a place like Titanyen in existence and we will not rest until this area has been transformed into a place that honors and celebrates life. Comprised of 10 Haitians from all walks of life, the committee members will act as short-term ambassadors and long-term stewards of the initiative.  They represent the first wave of caretakers and I am honored to call them my friends and colleagues.”

Committee member Reginald Auguste said of the initiative and committee, “Words cannot adequately describe the sense of loss and suffering that the 2010 earthquake inflicted upon Haiti, or the pain we feel with our loved ones in the unmarked graves on the grounds where the memorial will be built.  We cannot bring our brothers and sisters back to life, but we can provide them with a dignified place of rest.  This is the goal of the Haitian National Memorial and Peace Park initiative and its importance cannot be overstated.”  Auguste further added, “For this committee it means that, for the remainder of our lives, we will stay vigilant to ensure that dignity is brought and maintained for all of the victims of our country’s tumultuous past.  It will be hard at first, but I believe that once the footprint is visibly established we will begin to feel a transformative peace in our minds and in our souls.  We are honored that Jim Lange and HR&DC has selected us as ambassadors and stewards of the Memorial, and we look forward to transforming the fields of Titanyen into a place dignity.”

Over the course of three years, Mr. Lange quietly and respectfully identified the location of the fallen, interviewed scores of individuals with intimate knowledge of Titanyen’s history, met face-to-face with individuals who handled and/or buried the victims of the earthquake, submitted a proposal to the Haitian government (mayors office in Croix des Bouquets) outlining HR&DC’s National Memorial and Peace Park initiative, and explored potential collaborative possibilities with Haiti’s First Lady, Sophia Martelly, at the Palace.

The 11 member Haitian National Memorial and Peace Park Leadership Committee consists of Mr. Lange, Haiti Recovery and Development Company founder and the originator of the initiative, Reginald Auguste, Father Bien-Amie, Reynold Bonnefil, Reverend Jeune Jean-Chavannes, Henri Dorleans, Marcel Exile, Gilbert Gonzales, Monique Rocourt, Daniel Rouzier and Pasha Vorbe. In time, this leadership committee will, at the discretion of HR&DC, manage the efforts of numerous sub-committees and various subject matter experts.

About the Haiti Recover & Development Company

Founded in January 2010 following the catastrophic Earthquake that leveled much of Haiti and its infrastructure, Haiti Recovery & Development Company mantra is: “Dignity for the dead, hope and opportunity for the living.”  HR&DC is fulfilling its “Dignity for the dead” mantra through its transformation of the mass graves in Titanyen into the Haitian National Memorial and Peace Park initiative, while “hope and opportunity” is served through the company’s broader mission, which is to assist with the creation of an economic engine whereby self-reliance is ultimately possible for Haiti and its people. For further details about the Haiti Recovery & Development Company log on to www.haitirecoveryanddevelopmentcompany.com and http://thehaitianrenaissance.com/wordpress.