Earthquake inspires unity among organizations

˚When the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, Jeremy Schurke was on the island working at an orphanage.

Schurke, a 2008 UCF graduate, was building the home through an organization he co-founded, Lespwa Worldwide.

"I've never been in an earthquake before so when it happened I was just shocked,"  Schurke said. "I felt the ground violently shake. I saw a car shake side-to-side and it was so forceful that I was on all fours and the kids were bouncing up and down along the road."

When Schurke gathered what had happened, he immediately took the children back to the newly constructed orphanage that was still standing. It was then he realized he had to actively help Haiti in any way possible.

Schurke returned to UCF on March 31 to speak to students about how to get involved and help Haiti recover from the destruction.

A few days after being evacuated from Haiti, Schurke returned to become a part of the Haitian-run organization called Mission of Hope.

Mission of Hope offered to make Lespwa Worldwide part of its organization. Now that the two have joined forces, Lespwa Worldwide became Lespwa Means Hope to become more focused on Haiti. Lespwa is the Creole word for ‘hope.' Lespwa Means Hope now serves as the voice of young adults of Mission of Hope.

"Mission of Hope is doing so much to help and it is truly amazing. I just wanted to be a part of something bigger and greater and I knew I could really help with being a part of Mission of Hope," Schurke said.

At his speech, Schurke informed the UCF community of Mission of Hope's campaign, Grow Hope in Haiti. Its goal is to build an agricultural development school on 55 acres of land. Thirty-five acres of that land will be used for agricultural development and 12,000 square feet will be used for classrooms.

This school will educate 1,000 Haitian farmers annually, instructing farmers in agricultural competencies that restore natural soil strengths, preserve ecosystems and reap larger, more sustainable harvests.

The only problem is that this school and lasting lifetime change to Haiti will cost $360,000.

"If you look at Haiti, it is brown and bare. This is because no long-term solutions have been thought out in Haiti," Schurke said. "There is so much agricultural waste while 60 percent of the population is subsistence farmers, most in poverty and can't eat. This is why Grow Hope in Haiti will make a lasting change in every Haitian."

Thursday's event was sponsored by Cru at UCF, an organization devoted to creating a community within UCF and making each student feel welcome, rather than just a number in a large school. Cru at UCF will be partnering with Lespwa Means Hope in its efforts to raise awareness.

"I love the fact that [Lespwa] is not just about throwing resources at Haiti. It is about education and teaching people," said David Pezzoli, director of Cru at UCF. "UCF students should get involved because the greatest thing in the world is love. We need to love others."

As the voice of Mission of Hope's young adults, Lespwa Means Hope is looking to raise awareness within college communities and provide resources for college students to make a difference.

"My joy is to connect people with helping other people and showing them where they can help to make the biggest difference," Schurke said.

Lespwa Means Hope encourages UCF students to spread awareness throughout campus, engage other students in fundraisers to raise donations for the agricultural project, join with other organizations and set up meetings with local businesses that may want to help.

"College students are notoriously poor, but that's OK, they have energy, passion and heart and we are looking to connect with them and work together to spread awareness of Haiti," Schurke said.

Lespwa's event opened the eyes of many students and encouraged some to take more active roles in helping Haiti.

"It is a great thing Lespwa is doing because I think people really have forgotten about Haiti," said Angela Fonseca.

For another student, the videos shown at the event and the innovative ideas of Lespwa really were more than just words and images.

"It hit close to home, because I am Haitian," said Vanessa Jeannot, a micro  & molecular biology and biotech major. "I've been trying to find an organization that doesn't just focus on one area and that is what Lespwa is doing. They are helping Haiti all around. I didn't lose any family, but it is still my people and I want to get really involved with Lespwa and get there and help."

Lespwa Means Hope will continue their tour to college campuses spreading the word about their new campaign, Grow Hope in Haiti, but do not want to get disconnected with the UCF campus. The organization encourages students to "like" them on Facebook or tweet them on Twitter to keep in touch and work together to make a difference.

"The best thing in life," Schurke said, "is to love and serve people that are less fortunate than yourself."