HOPE FOR HAITI

ARTISTS in CANADA helping ARTISTS in HAITI

I believe that inside every human being is a desire to help others...

the problem is we don't always know how to best do that and my

passion is to facilitate opportunities that are not only fun and

creative, but help meet the needs of others which in turn meets

needs within our own soul we may not have known even existed.

Out of this belief, I began Hope for Haiti and mainly have used ART and crafting events here in Canada to help meet some very dire needs in Haiti and around the world. The goal is to draw women together in community (which we all need!) and to create ART (which is also therapeutic!) and to be pampered (because every woman deserves that!) all while raising funds to help bring hope and art to others less fortunate. I love a win-win!!!

 Below are assorted videos that give a brief glimpse into how this project has grown and expanded over the years. Thanks to LIVE DIFFERENT and CREATIVE SCRAPBOOKER MAGAZINE for partnering with us to accomplish this goal!! For more information and to donate, please go to our website:

Hope for Haiti

To see more of my personal BLOG posts about Hope for Haiti, 

please click HERE

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Well... another trip to Haiti has come and gone and true to form, it was life changing. I can't begin to thank everyone enough for joining with me to help these precious children... I pray that blessings will come back in ways you can't even imagine. My heart is breaking, however, over the sudden loss of Cole Brown, our "guy in Haiti" who passed away in a plane crash just weeks ago. I had the chance to interview him and am so very grateful that I was able to capture on film his vision for the school. I'm feeling like I need to keep going on this and help keep his vision alive...



My absolute favourite video from this trip is below... we were feeding the children and some of the older ones were stealing food from the younger ones (this is understandable due to the level of hunger in this community). As soon as we found out, however, we began to monitor and protect the younger ones... so amidst the chaos, I saw my husband Brad feeding this precious little girl who was utterly content to just let him... I almost LOST it though knowing how great the need for daily food there is in Haiti...



I took a quick break from construction to video how many Haitian workers we were able to employ (which means they were now able to help their families) all coming together to help build the new ART room... if you were part of our Crop for Haiti events across Canada... then THIS one is for YOU!!!


This past year we decided to expand our Crop for Haiti events across Canada and the response was simply overwhelming!! Check out this map of all the locations that came on board to host a crafting event in their community with other artists for some creative fun AND a cause :)

Check out photos from all the events across Canada that were published in Creative Scrapbooker Magazine!!! It still overwhelms me to think how many complete strangers agreed to jump on board and craft and create for a cause and trust me with helping promote their events and be a good steward of all the funds that were raised!! I know I get some pretty big hairy audacious goals at times, but this one was a doozie!! But it paid off in so many ways!!! You know I love a win-win!!

And check out all the ART banners that were decorated through all these events!!! I think we received at least 200 and some are still coming in!!! As promised, we will sew these together to form one long banner that we will hang in the new ART room once it is finished... it will hang as a reminder to those precious children that there are people back in Canada who love and care about them... makes my heart SING!!! A little piece of your ART can hang forever at a school in Haiti!! How fun is that?!?!?

Check out this fun video of an event in Okotoks I was at with my "Spin to Win" wheel!! (A special thanks to my hubby for building it for us!!)



This year's Crop for Haiti event I hosted in Calgary was again a humbling experience as women trusted me with a precious full day to come scrapbook, craft, take classes, eat some amazing home cooked food and enjoy creating and SHOPPING for a cause!! My heart was as full as the room was haha!!

We had so much fun with this "Spin to Win" game at several of the Crop for Haiti events... pretty sure Lisa single handedly won half the prizes at the Calgary one haha!!!

A video posted by Allison Orthner (@allisonorthner) on Jan 30, 2016 at 11:09am PST

Check THIS OUT!!! This grade 5/6 class from the small hamlet of Seven Persons in Alberta heard about our project and decided to join in!!! AND GUESS WHAT?!?! Together they raised over $3000 towards the school in Haiti AND created this beautiful piece of ART of their hand prints that I will take with me to Haiti to hang in the school there!!! Just imagine what these young children will continue to do in their lives to help others!!!!

And this little group of students in Elk Point Alberta also heard about our project and held a bake sale raising over $400 towards Hope for Haiti!!! Baking for a cause!!! I love how this is growing in ways I never imagined :)

Okay so those that know me well know I'm a crier!! It should come as no surprise then, that the last time I was at the school in Haiti, I went into major "ugly cry"!! Now the surprising part is that I actually video taped myself!!!! I wanted to never forget what I had just experienced, but honestly NEVER thought I'd ever publicly share it!! Haha... nope!! I used it as motivation for our fundraiser thinking we will never reach our goal and ended up having to share it anyways!!! So here is the "promise to share" along with the "ugly cry" below... still makes me cry to watch!!!