HUDDLE for Haiti

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/01/2011 (5354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a blitz on the senses, Yvenson Bernard will admit.

A visit to Haiti, even a year after the earthquake that devastated the country, can be overwhelming physically and emotionally. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the anger, the heartache, the disappointment.

And, yes, there is some hope.

Bernard, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back, was visited in Haiti this past week by seven of his CFL compadres as part of the CFL Players’ Association ‘Huddle for Haiti’ initiative. Teammate Chris Cvetkovic, Kelly Bates, Graeme Bell and Aaron Fiacconi of the Edmonton Eskimos, Rolly Lumbala of the B.C. Lions, Raymond Fontaine of the Montreal Alouettes, Jason Jimenez of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Obed Cetoute of the Saskatchewan Roughriders made the trip.

Their mission? To help with reconstruction projects and try to convince some Haitians that the entire world hasn’t forgotten.

“It was amazing to have them here,” said Bernard in a telephone interview from Haiti on Friday. “It just shows you how down-to-earth this league is. Having them here, it definitely helped. It was just me and my girlfriend (Michelle Williams) for awhile and for it to grow to 19 people (including CFL media types Dave Naylor of TSN, Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post and members of WestJet and OxFam) it definitely opened some eyes and let people know I’m serious about this.

“It’s so sad what’s happened here. I’m not going to lie, there were some Haitians who were not pleased with us being here. They were like, ‘Are you just going to take pictures and leave?’ That kills me inside, hearing that and that’s why I wanted them to see that I’m not just a person that was just going to come out here and take pictures and then go home. That’s not what this is about. It’s about coming back and helping these kids and help make a better life for them and supply them with the stuff to make it happen.”

The players stayed in a compound owned by Bernard’s aunts — Mylande Liberis and her sister, Dadou — and immediately got to work. And there is still so much to do in a country flattened by the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 222,570 people, injured more than 300,000 and left the infrastructure in complete ruins.

“The reaction from people was heartwarming,” said Bernard. “The people the guys were helping were all saying, ‘Oh my God, we can’t thank you enough for helping us with all this stuff.’ They were like, ‘Don’t go! We need you to come back another day.’ We hung out with kids, we had drawing contests that really touched the kids.

“We worked with disabled people, coming up with a workout to help them with their upper-body strength. I really think we touched so many people in so many ways. It’s an amazing story.”

To help the people of Haiti, visit Bernard’s website at www.ihearthaiti.net.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca