Melissa's Place

10/16/2023

Hello everybody!

We’ve updated our website. Please take a look when you get a chance!

https://www.melissaplace.org/

As always, thank you for supporting Melissa’s Place!

07/20/2023

Dear friends of Melissa’s Place,
There have been recent reports that some individuals who operate orphanages in Haiti do so for personal gain. I would like to assure those who support Melissa’s Place that our founder and spiritual leader, Father Garry, has a reputation beyond reproach.
Lynn Anton, co-founder and team member, has known Father Garry for many years. In the attachment, she tells about their history of working together and their accomplishments. As you will learn from her report, Father Garry builds orphanages and medical clinics, but more importantly he helps young people learn how to be independent.
Thank you for your continued support of Melissa’s Place. Donations can be made on line or checks can be made to The Paul Meyers Foundation/Melissa’s Place and mailers to:
Julia Meyers
1845 Cedarwood Rd.
Birmingham, Al.35216

07/20/2023

Claudine wants to be a doctor. She is in her 6th year of school and resides at Melissa’s Place.

06/24/2023

Monise Eliassaint
7 years old
1st year of school

Monise wants to go to school to be a lawyer. She likes to read a lot. At the orphanage she wants to learn how to sew.

She likes being at the orphanage and having so many girls to play with and to do things with. Her mother was in Le Cay when the earthquake hit in 2021 and died. She doesn’t know who her father is and had no family to care for her.

06/16/2023

We’ve heard from Father Garry and here’s some updates about the girls who call Melissa’s Place home.

I’ll be featuring one every few days.

About Monica:

Monica Sainte Pierre
11 years old
5th year of school

Monica would like to be a doctor when she grows up. She wants to help people feel better and help them when they are hurt. She also wants to learn about cosmetology because she likes playing with hair and helping the other girls look pretty.

Her mother died and her father was not able to provide for both of them. There were many days when she did not have anything to eat. She likes being at the orphanage and having food to eat every day.

06/10/2023

https://trinidadexpress.com/opinion/editorials/there-is-hope-for-haiti/article_0dce2ae4-0723-11ee-a921-37f30bb9a95a.amp.html

TOMORROW, cautious hope for our Haitian neighbours will be kept alive when Jamaica hosts a stakeholder meeting aimed at finding consensus for a path out of the mounting suffering in

04/08/2023

New uniforms for the girls!

04/02/2023

https://sports.yahoo.com/why-cnn-journalist-renowned-chef-224738729.html

“The worse the humanitarian crisis gets the more hospitals and our services are needed.”

03/05/2023

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/kanaval-radio-documentary-celebrates-musical-link-between-haiti-and-new-orleans

WXPN debuts its latest radio documentary, exploring the historical and cultural connections between Haiti and New Orleans.

02/06/2023

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/fear-violence-and-chaos-grip-haiti-as-gangs-seize-control

The island nation of Haiti has moved closer to the brink of collapse. Heavily armed gangs have taken over the capital and are targeting police after the country has been without a single elected official since early January. Jacqueline Charles, the Miami Herald's Caribbean correspondent, joins John....

12/09/2022

In keeping with our desire for you to know those who help make Melissa’s Place successful, the following is a profile of Julia Meyers:

Julia plays a major role in Melissa’s Place success. She is personally responsible for our being part of The Paul Meyers Foundation. Our association originated from a phone call I received from Julia after Melissa’s death. I did not know Julia before the call but learned that they had gone to the same high school in Birmingham. Julia was on a committee to commemorate those who had died at an upcoming class reunion and needed a picture of Melissa.
From that call Julia and I became friends and she and her family made the offer for Melissa’s Place to become part of The Paul Meyers Foundation that had been established and named in honor of her brother, Paul. Paul died suddenly of undiagnosed heart disease. He was 33, only four years older than Melissa when she and her husband Dylan were in the accident that took their lives.
Julia handles most all aspects of fund raising and administration for the Foundation. She coordinates the primary fund raising event which is an annual golf tournament held in Birmingham. She works with the accounting firm to ensure proper accounting and certification of the 501(c)3 status. In addition to handling deposits from Melissa’s Place donors, she handles those for the other charities that the Foundation supports and insures that donations are properly allocated. She also oversees the time consuming task of making bank transfers to our Haitian bank.
Julia lives in Vestavia, Alabama. She has a business degree with a concentration in marketing and fashion from Ole Miss. After graduation she worked in NY City for Liz Claiborne and Tommy Hilfiger. After returning to Birmingham, she worked for the American Cancer Society.
Julia has her own business which is Over the Moon Gift. If you need baby products, book note cards, stationery, baby shower decorations, throw pillows, or college society novelties visit overthemoongift.com.
In addition to running her own business and donating her time to the Foundation, Julia is an advocate against human trafficking. As a member of the Jr. League of Birmingham, she created an anti-human trafficking committee.
Julia has two sisters, four nieces and a nephew.
Julia does a great job and we are most fortunate to have her on our team.
Peace, joy, and happiness to all our friends this holiday season!

The three sisters of Over The Moon Gift incorporate Southern charm into their custom designs for bonnie babies, tiny dancers, and all gracious gift givers.