SU West Palm Beach (Summer 2009) - As unlikely as it may sound, a home can be built for a destitute family in Haiti for only $2,600.

From their brochure entitled, Building Hope in Haiti, Food for the Poor, Inc., an organization working to end the suffering of the poor in the Caribbean and Latin America: "The basic cornerstone of every family's well-being is a safe, secure home. Many Haitians live in dilapidated shacks that are little more than scraps of wood, metal, plastic or cardboard. These offer little protection from the elements, insects and rodents. In these conditions, sickness and disease are rampant. Food for the Poor builds simple, yet safe and sturdy homes that provide protection and security."

When Paralegal Studies graduate, Andree Pun, informed Doris Rachles of this, she and Sandra Gribkoff immediately set about raising the funds to build a home. They calculated that if everyone at the WPB campus, including students, faculty, and administration donated $5.00 each, they could build a house.

The fundraising efforts were greeted with enthusiasm by all on the West Palm Beach campus. A colorful cardboard house was built with red paper "bricks" that could be purchased for $5 each. Each five dollar donation bought one brick with the donor’s name on it. Little by little, the cardboard house neared completion. One half of the goal of $2,600 was reached, and then South University matched those donated funds with its own donation of $1,300, and we had the entire $2,600 to build a house in Haiti.

On July 17th, representatives from the West Palm Beach Campus of South University traveled to Food for the Poor headquarters, located in Coconut Creek, Florida, where the donation for the new home was presented after a service conducted in the organization's chapel.

Pictured above, left to right: Wendy Bourgault, Program Coordinator of Food for the Poor, Inc., representatives of the West Palm Beach campus of South University: Beth Vissers, director of Legal Studies, Erica Rousseau, Legal Studies student, Doris Rachles, former chair of Legal Studies, Robin G. Mahfood, CEO of Food for the Poor, Inc., Sandra Gribkoff, director of the Healthcare Management Program, West Palm Beach campus, and Angel Aloma Executive UP of Food for the Poor, Inc.