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Haitian Heritage Celebration & Unveiling of the Haitian Cultural Collection! Lantana Road Branch Sat, May 13, 2:00 pm Beloved Haitian author Jessica Fièvre will discuss her experiences as a writer. Enjoy a festive afternoon with dance performances by Dayana Dolne and more. Event offered in English and Creole. (90 min.) Preregister. Haitian Heritage Month Film Lantana Road Branch Thu, May 18, 2:00 pm "Deported." ©Third World Newsreel. (72 min.) Follow the plight of Haitian criminal deportees from North America. Shown with permission. Not rated. Preregister. Haitian Heritage Month Film Lantana Road Branch Thu, May 18, 6:00 pm "Deported." ©Third World Newsreel. (72 min.) Follow the plight of Haitian criminal deportees from North America. Shown with permission. Not rated. Preregister. Celebrate Haitian Heritage Book Festival Main Library Sat, May 20, 2:00 pm Meet the winners of the School District of PBC Haitian Heritage Month essay contest. Join host, Bito David for a celebration of Haitian authors and literature. Featured authors include: Regine Coicou Stewart, Diane Allerdyce, Dovilas Anderson, Margaret Papillon, and others. Program offered in English and Creole. (2 hr.) Preregister. Haitian Canvas Painting Lantana Road Branch Thu, May 25, 5:00 pm Paint a scene reminiscent of the beauty of Hispaniola to celebrate the rich culture of Haiti. Limit 24. (2 hr.) Preregister. Coloring Club: Haitian Heritage Month Edition Lantana Road Branch Fri, May 26, 2:00 pm Coloring is not just for children! This fun activity fosters creativity and has stress-relieving benefits. (90 min.) Preregister. Haitian, Am I: An Exhibition of Arts Lantana Road Branch Sat, May 27, 12:00 pm Exhibit Treal celebrates Haitian Heritage with the arts of the newest generation of Haitian artists. (4 hr.) Preregister. Haitian Heritage Month: Book Discussion Lantana Road Branch Tue, May 30, 2:00 pm "The Farming of Bones," by Edwidge Danticat. Copies are available at the research services desk. (60 min.) Preregister. Children's Classes & Events Haitian Heritage Month: Interactive StorytellingBelle Glade Branch Wed, May 17, 10:30 am The Louines Louinis Haitian Dance Theater, Inc. presents "Dance-A-Story," a performance of traditional Haitian tales with audience participation, drums, dance and rhymes. All ages. (45 min.) Preregister. Tales & Riddles From HaitiBelle Glade Branch Sat, May 20, 1:30 pm Telling stories around the fire is an important part of Haitian culture. Join us for a series of oral Haitian wisdom, proverbs, jokes, riddles and stories. All ages. (45 min.) Preregister. Haitian Craft! Lantana Road Branch Sat, May 20, 3:30 pm Create a colorful Haitian Drapo sequin flag. Ages 5 & up. (60 min.) Preregister. Teen Classes & Events Haitian Heritage Month: Teen Book Discussion Belle Glade Branch Tue, May 16, 10:30 am “Untwine,” by Edwidge Danticat. Guest speaker: Lana St. Hilaire from the School District of PBC Multicultural Department. Copies are available at the children's desk. Grades 6 & up. (60 min.) Preregister. Haitian Heritage Month: Teen Book Discussion Belle Glade Branch Tue, May 16, 4:00 pm “Untwine,” by Edwidge Danticat. Guest speaker: Lana St. Hilaire from the School District of PBC Multicultural Department. Copies are available at the children's desk. Grades 6 & up. (60 min.) Preregister. Library website for more info and pre-registration. 
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I've been wanting to write that and say that for a while now! whewwwww…. In all seriousness, I did quit my day job which was a very comfortable and stable government job. I was 5 months away from being vested in a pension after working for "the system" for 5.5 years. Some told me to just "hang in there" so that I could be vested and collect at least something when I retire eventually. Well, here's why I decided to leave a "perfect situation" and follow my dreams… We've all heard it so many times - "You can be anything you want to be if you believe in yourself." "Follow your dreams and your heart." Well, it's not always that easy. If we all followed our dreams on being just dreamers and not planners, we would all (or most) wouldn't make it. A dear friend of mine, whom I met through my blog, Shannon Kelley Cherizier, gave me great advice when I was ready to quit (the first time) my day job a year ago. She told me to hang in there and to read: Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job Hardcover by Jon Acuff. So, I did and I followed his motto: suck it up as long as you can while working your day job and building your dream at night after work and on the weekends. I am so glad I did this because it has finally paid off. Although this post isn't about Haiti specifically, I just want you to know that you CAN follow your dreams and your heart, but it will take a lot of blood, sweat and tears in planning/setting yourself up for it. If I can be of any assistance to any of you, please hit the contact button at the top of my page and send me an email! I love to interact with my readers and give positive motivation! I will dedicate more time to this blog while working for my other non-Haiti related clients for my marketing firm EMPOWER YOUR BRAND. Check it out when you have a chance :) Thanks for reading, XOXO 
I don't have access to the digital edition, so please click on the pdf to read it. The one above is too small!
The best month of the year is here! Haitian Heritage Month. Here are the events going on in Palm Beach County.
  About 5 years ago, I was searching for a gift for my husband Endy online. I came across Zoe Nation Apparel, a site that sells shirts with sayings in Creole and English promoting Haitian pride and culture. I bought a shirt for Endy and I bought myself one. It said "What do you mean I don't look Haitian." I thought it was hilarious and also serious because what does that even mean? People say it all of the time to Haitians.  Two years ago, I started this blog. I created business cards. I took a picture of me in the shirt for the back of the card as an attention grabber. Everyone who sees it, loves it. I get blank stares and lots of questions like, "Are you French? I see your last name is Pierre-Louis." And I tell them, "No, I am Haitian." Then it starts a conversation. Last year, I was at a Haitian event that had a fashion show. There were models representing Zoe Nation Apparel. They were modeling the Haitian clothing line. My husband grabbed the owners attention, Isaiah Fleurimond, and showed him my business card. He was in shock. It was so awesome to meet each other. We connected instantly. We kept in touch and this year we started selling the shirts on this website. This November, 10 kids from Jacmel (ACFFC) got the opportunity to visit South Florida to work on a project. I told Isaiah and he generously offered to donate shirts to them. And then this happened...  Isaiah is an absolutely pleasure to work with and know. His professionalism and love for life is reflected in his success. Thank you so much for these shirts. The kids absolutely love them! THANK YOU, MESI ANPIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
It's taken me weeks to process this. And many drafts. My husband thinks I am a little nuttier than he thought before and my heart is so full of love from people who I didn't know 30 days ago. I've been posting about the Art Creation Foundation for Children for a while now. It all started in January of 2011 at an event in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I met and interviewed Judy Hoffman, the founder of ACFFC. She told me about the foundation and how several pieces of the art displayed at the event were pieces as art therapy that the kids did to heal after the trauma. I bought a few pieces of art at the fundraiser that the kids made from papier mâché (future blog about why this is important!). This past March, I had the pleasure of visiting ACFFC in Jacmel. Most of the kids were on Easter break, but we were able to stop by a site where there were some creating a mosaic wall near a gas station {blog and video about it}. It was awesome, but I didn't know exactly why I loved this place and the idea of ACFFC until this November 2. Ten kids from ACFFC - they are 16-22, but I am calling them kids - got visas to visit the US to work on a mosaic project with Toussaint L'Ouverture high school in Delray Beach {press release with details}. On November 2, we attended a meet and greet gathering with all of them. This was the beginning of a journey that took my heart on a ride and I will treasure forever. Food, dancing, DJ Endy and most of all, an experience of so much love from "strangers" and now friends. Art Creation Foundation for Children (ACFFC) is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the education and personal growth of youth in need in Jacmel, Haiti. ACFFC youth began working on mosaic installations after the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, to memorialize lives lost and to celebrate hope for the future. Their first installation was called Tree of Life. Since then, through our “Mosaïque Jacmel” project, mosaic mural installations and benches have been created throughout Jacmel, aesthetically enhancing the face of the city. Recently, ten ACFFC youth have been invited to visit South Florida by Major Joseph Bernadel, ACFFC Board Member and Chief Operating Officer of Toussaint L’Ouverture High School for Arts and Social Justice (TLHS), a charter school located in Delray Beach Florida. They will be arriving on November 2, 2013. TLHS has a student body of predominantly Haitian-American new immigrant high school students. Together with TLHS students, ACFFC Team Mosaïque Jacmel youth will be creating a public art mosaic installation in Boynton Beach, Florida to honor the people of Florida who have generously come to the aid of the people of Haiti, after numerous natural disasters. The ACFFC youth, special Emissaries of the Haitian People, are here to say thank you. The events will take place November 2 – 19 2013, the month typically associated with Thanksgiving in the U.S. This public art project is to be registered with the State of Florida as part of Viva Florida 500, a statewide initiative led by the Florida Department of State, to highlight the 500 years of Florida history, people, places and events in present-day Florida and to celebrate diversity of culture. The ACFFC youth will also be bringing with them a mosaic mural memorializing the many Haitian lives lost at sea, and the perils of these journeys. This mural will be presented to Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc. (FANM) / Haitian Women of Miami. FANM will share the exhibition with the Haitian community. It is an organization founded in 1991 to work for the "social and political empowerment" of Haitian women and their families. In addition, the ACFFC team will be auditing academic classes at TLHS, visiting the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in West Palm Beach, the Palm Beach County Cultural Council, Clay-Glass-Stone Cooperative Gallery in Lake Worth and other social activities are being planned. Selected ACFFC team members will travel to Washington DC to visit the Haitian Embassy and Capitol Hill. PUBLIC EVENTS: Meet and Greet at TapTap Restaurant Date: Sunday November 3 Time: 4 pm - 7 pm 819 5th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139 (305) 672-2898 Reception at Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery Date: Friday November 8 Time: 6 pm - 9 pm 15 South J Street, Lake Worth, FL 561-588-8344 Reception sponsored by Fanm Ayitian de Miyami Location in Miami, TBD Date: Saturday November 9 Time: Evening, TBD (305) 756-8050 Reception at the home of ACFFC Board Member Dr. Connie Duke Location: Jupiter, FL Date: Saturday November 16 Time: 7 pm - 9 pm To RSVP and for directions: Dr. Connie Duke, Academic Dean, ITT Technical Institute 561-233-4932-office 561-628-5705-cell cduke@itt-tech.edu Reception at Institute of Mosaic Art in Berkeley, Ca. thanks to IMA and ACFFC Board Members Erin Rogers and Laurel True, Director of ACFFC Mosaique Jacmel program Date: Friday November 22 Time: Evening, TBD 805 Allston WayBerkeley, CA 510-898-1174 This is an extraordinary opportunity for ACFFC as an organization, for our youth, and for the community. The project is sponsored by Toussaint L’Ouverture High School for Arts and Social Justice, and the Office of Public Diplomacy, Embassy of the United States, Port au Prince Haiti. The Office of Congresswoman Lois Frankel has been instrumental in achieving this goal. The Offices of the Ministries of Culture and Tourism in Jacmel, Haiti and the Mayor of Jacmel, Haiti have lent their support as have the Palm Beach County Cultural Council and the Palm Beach Photographic Centre. For additional information: Contact for Art Creation Foundation For Children www.acffc.org Judy Hoffman jh.acffc@gmail.com 561-247-3870 Contact for Toussaint L’Ouverture High School www.toussaintlouverture.org Major Joseph Bernadel jbernadeltlhs@aol.com 561-414-5465
WATCH out: Palm Beach County fundraiser for Haiti July 12 ($5 donation + great entertainment & fun)6/17/2013 
July 12 - West Palm Beach event to raise $ to send school supplies to Haiti This event is for both art lovers and W.A.T.C.H supporters! Artist JaFleu will be hosting "THERAFLEU" his solo Exhibit Opening Reception and all proceeds will go to What About The Children in Haiti? Come out for a night of fun with performances by The Rapper Blaine, Durell, Celo J' Adore and bring the entire family.Music by DJ Da Nurse (Endy from The Real Haiti)! We are asking for a $5 donation at the door. All proceeds will benefit the children at the orphanage Organizasyon Secours d' Enfants in Haiti. Those of you who pledged to Donate backpacks to our Small Blessings in a Backpack event may do so at this event! RSVP NOW to the FB event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/529755890415470/ CONTACT 561.291.9924 info@watch-now.org www.watch-now.org Raising $ to ship these new supplies we've collected for 75 children!
 If you can't make it, but want to still help, please consider donating a backpack full of supplies! THANK YOU! MESI ANPIL!
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