Celebration Of Our 10 Years Of Service
10th Anniversary Program – Haiti On The Rise celebrated its 10 years of humanitarian service in Haiti on Saturday May 3rd, 2025 at St Mary’s Cathedral Event Center in San Francisco – the place where our first annual gala was held on January 16, 2016. The main program began after the serving of fine hors d’oeuvres, Caribbean cuisine buffet, & delicious desserts which will be described later in this article. Board member Randall Lee played a series of videos which highlight our 10 years of humanitarian work in Haiti in the areas of Construction & Reconstruction, Student Scholarships, & Food & Healthcare Distribution. Student scholarships are particularly important in Haiti in that 85% of schools there are private, thereby requiring tuition. With many families unable to send their young students to school due to socio-economic conditions, Haiti On The Rise offers scholarships to many who would not be able to afford school otherwise. Please click on the following videos to learn about our our first decade of work in Haiti: the April 2025 video of the High School, our Kindergarten through College Scholarship Program, and other Construction & Reconstruction Projects. Haiti On The Rise gives tremendous gratitude to videographer Alan K who has edited and produced all of our annual videos, a major attraction of our galas, since 2016.
Guest Speaker – Nehudza T, the first university graduate of our scholarship program, was the featured surprise of our program as guest speaker. As guest speaker, Nehudza explained what Haiti On The Rise meant to her; thanked the supporters for all of their assistance; and asked them to continue to help the young student students in our program to have an education. Nehudza completed her bachelor degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering in Port-au-Prince and had an opportunity to move to the US. Two years later, she joined the US Army and completed Basic Training. Please view the the following story where Jackie & Randall attended Nehudza T’s graduation from US Army Basic Training. Nehudza continues to be Army Strong as she later completed Airborne training and serves her country in her Airborne unit today. In the images below from left to right are Haiti On The Rise Co-Founders Jackie & Randall Lee and Executive Director Jackie with Nehudza T. Thank you Haiti On The Rise supporters for helping Nehudza be all that she can be and serve the US.
Annual Appeal – Paul V guided the evening’s attendees through the all-important Appeals part of the evening, and Annette V gave a brief testimonial on why she and her husband support Haiti On The Rise. In general the crucial Appeals segment is where Haiti On The Rise reaches out to its supporters for resources to help fund our Construction project and Education program. It is through the annual appeal and other donations throughout the year that enables Haiti On The Rise to build & complete La Grotte High School; grow & maintain our Scholarship Program; and engage in Food & Healthcare Distributions. The new high school’s 1st floor usage and 2nd floor construction are largely due to donations made during the annual appeals. Haiti On The Rise is proud to report that the evening’s Appeals goals were met, and we look forward to continuing our mission in the aforementioned areas. The people which we serve in Haiti thank you for your support.
The Setting & Silent Auction – Earlier on that beautiful afternoon in St Francis Hall at St Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, dozens of guests and volunteers gathered for an enjoyable evening of fellowship and celebration. Maril G provided the floral arrangement for all of the gala’s tables (ie Registration, Appetizers, Wine Bar, Buffet Line, Dining, Dessert, & Silent Auction). Each dining table featured a bottle of red and white wine and other beverages, such as Pellegrino water. The podium and stage area was beautifully decorated by Kalpana R. As melodic Haitian music played in the background, guests were able to peruse around 43 items that ranged from Arts & Culture, Fine Food & Beverages, Wine Tastings, Private Dining, Family Fun, Outdoor Recreation, Travel & Leisure, Sports Memorabilia, Health & Beauty, Jewelry, Household Goods, and Gift Cards. Please view the 2025 assortment of our Silent Auction items and thank you to all of our Silent Auction donors through the years who have helped Haiti On The Rise perform its missions.
Hors D’oeuvres & Wine Bar – As guests viewed the auction area and enjoyed each others camaraderie, they were able to enjoy fine wines provided by Mrs Jennie B and Due Ruscelli Vineyards. Our wine bar featured other beverages such as beer from the tropics and sparkling ciders. Graciously serving guests at our wine bar were Serge G, who has helped in so many ways over the years at our St Mary’s galas (below left,) and Sonia L. Guests were also pleased with the abundant assortment of appetizers available including authentic Haitian paté (below middle-left) and traditional antipasti platters (below right) provided by Libby S. Much thanks to those involved in providing, presenting, and serving the excellent hors d’oeuvres and refreshing beverages.
Caribbean Cuisine Buffet & Dessert – In our many years of annual galas at St Mary’s Cathedral, a perennial delight has been the Caribbean cuisine buffet, which features a unique mixture of Haitian, Native Taino, Central American, West African, and French culinary styles and ingredients. This year’s menu featured an assortment of delicious starters, main entrees, and side dishes (below) such as Fresh Garden Salad, Crab with Legumes, Haitian Pikliz, Salmon Fillets, Haitian National Rice, Chicken with Tomato, Garlic, & Onion Sauce, Spring Vegetable Medley, Fried Plantain, and Special Rice with Black mushrooms & Green Peas. Other delectable dishes not shown below included Pasta au Gratin and Split Pea Sauce with Coconut Nut over Rice. Thank you to our authentic and professional Haitian chefs, Mirlande G & Francilia N, whom have cooked at all of our annual dinners at St Mary’s Cathedral over the years. Much thanks also goes to professional Haitian chef Kekete T who traveled from afar these past two years to assist with cooking. Also helping in the kitchen and dining areas were Magda F, Joseph G, and Mikerlyne N. For guests who wanted to finish their dining experiences with dessert, Cathy S provided some of her baking specialties – homemade carrot and chocolate cakes. The Annual Dinner is always well-received and a key part of the galas due to our many chefs’, cooks’, and bakers’ culinary expertise.
Dancers Perform Traditional Haitian Dances – In between our program’s video presentations, guests were entertained with traditional Haitian dances performed by Ismene C, Kristerlynn D, and Carine G (below middle). Ismene in fact is an alumna of Haiti On The Rise’s Scholarship program and our first 4-year nursing school graduate. She works in healthcare today, and thanks Haiti On The Rise supporters for their assistance. In the left-most image below, Executive Director Jackie introduces Joseph Oriscar, who designed & tailored the traditional dance outfits, and dancers Ismene, Kristerlynn, & Carine.
Lighthouse Singers Chorus Out the Spirit – The Lighthouse Singers Gospel Choir (LHS) performed at our Annual Gala as they have in nearly all of the previous live and in-person events in the past. Please click on the Play arrow (below left) to listen to the audio clip of LHS singing I Go To The Rock, and I Need You To Survive” at our 10th Annual Celebration.
The Lighthouse Singers Gospel Choir are directed by composer & pianist Steven Roberts (below right). Both Jackie & Randall Lee sing in LHS as an alto and tenor, respectively. Founded in 1979 by the late gospel luminary Helen J. H. Stephens, the Lighthouse Singers perform their gospel music ministry through multiple engagements at public, private, and faith-based venues each year. Thank you LHS for the spirited music you have provided to Haiti On The Rise through the years.
The images in this article were shot by professional photographer Rob Martel, whose services we had also used at our 5th Annual Gala and will be using again at our upcoming 11th Annual Event on April 11, 2026 in San Francisco. Thank you Rob for capturing the spirit of our events through your marvelous images. To view highlights of the magnificent evening, please click on the 2025 Gala Video Recap presented by Lucy S. Thank you Lucy, and all the best in your continued Stanford University doctoral studies.
Come to our 11th Annual Gala in San Francisco Saturday, on April 11th and partake in a beautiful evening of love, giving, and hope as we have in past years. To register for this all-important event, please click on 11th Annual Gala Registration. Let’s furnish the interior of the new High School with library books, more desks & chairs, learning lab computers, and both electric & alternative energy sources. Also, let’s maintain and grow our Kindergarten through College Scholarship Program so that young students can receive an education that they would not obtain otherwise. Finally, let’s continue our much needed Food & Healthcare Distributions. If you have any questions about our upcoming 11th Gala or other matters, please email us at info@haitiontherise.org. Be well and see you on April 11th!
With Much Love & Gratitude,
Haiti On The Rise