Yves Florant Jacques is a young man from Fond des Bancs. He lives with his mother, his 5 brothers, 1 sister, and grandmother. One of his most striking features is his wide smile. He has been fortunate enough to go to school since he was 6 years old. His later school years were spent at St. Francis Xavier School in Fond des Blancs. He is an incredible athlete, excelling in soccer and basketball. Since 2006, every summer and sometimes during Christmas break, he has organized a soccer and basketball championships for the youth of Fond-des-Blancs. He is highly motivated by community service, social justice and special consideration for the poor. He was chosen to go to Port-au-Prince to live at Xavier House while he finished his education in the capital.
Yves graduated from high school in 2009 and passed the entrance exam for the University of Port-au-Prince. He was working towards a bachelor's degree in Public Administration for 1 semester before the catastrophic earthquake of January 12, 2010. He was happy with his life and grateful for the opportunity to be educated. He had just gotten home on that fateful day when the ground began to shake. With 5 other student residents, he quickly fled the building shirtless and shoeless. He was the last to emerge and the building collapsing completely behind him. Jean Evens, a fellow student, said that if it hadn't been for Yves, he would not have moved from his bed because he was so afraid. Yves forced him off of the balcony steps as they collapsed under them and they ran outside. All six young men were in shock, and spent the night outside, surrounded by devastation. By morning, they resolved to begin walking back to their families in Fond des Blancs, 73 miles away. They walked most of the day, past the dead and injured, past collapsed buildings, past people in shock with disbelief. The relative of a dead man offered Yves shoes and a shirt that were no longer needed. And so he continued his walk with the others, in a dead man's shoes and shirt.
Travel was slow and arduous. By the end of the day, they found themselves in Carrefour, the outskirts 15 miles from the center of Port-au-Prince. Miraculously, they were recognized by a man from Fond des Blancs driving a truck. He picked them up and drove them the rest of the way home. Arriving late that night at the hospital residence, they were welcomed by open arms, a drink of water, and a hot meal. They had had nothing to eat or drink since the earthquake.
In the 6 months that have passed, the students have struggled to rebuild their shattered lives. Most of the educational institutions in the capital were destroyed along with all of the students' academic records. They fear that all of their work will be lost. A chance encounter gave Yves a wonderful opportunity. When our president/CEO, Nannette Canniff, met Jeffrey J. Karls, President of Magdalen College in Warner, NH, at a Legatus Meeting for Catholic leaders, the talk turned inevitably to the earthquake. As an educator, President Karls could understand the dilemma the students faced. He did what he could. He offered to take a student from Haiti and help him get a four-year college education at Magdalen, with tuition, room, and board covered from September 2010 to May 2014. As of this printing, we are working hard to get his visa approved so he will be here for the start of school.
In a letter to the school, Yves wrote that it was his dream is to become a great citizen, able to help his family and those suffering in Fond-des-Blancs. He especially wants to help children who cannot go to school. He also wants to find a way to reunite everyone from Fond-des-blancs including the Diasporas to help make the changes the community so desperately needs. He hopes someday to become a model leader, useful to everyone everywhere, especially in Haiti, and to Fond-des-Blancs, his home. He further writes,
"Every day in life I am thankful to God for the life he gives me, I am also thankful to my family and to everyone willing and taking the risk to invest on my behalf. As always, I will keep doing my best to make them proud and use the opportunities that are offered to me to make my dreams come true and also the dreams of my community."
