Detroit Free Press

A school grows in Haiti on Detroit sweat, love

A school grows in Haiti on Detroit sweat, love

November 7, 2011 | Detroit Free Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - The children nudged forward, like racehorses at the post. Some wore purple shirts, some wore blue."Are you ready?" someone yelled."YES!" they screamed back.Usually, kids are dying to get out of school. These kids were dying to get in. A ceremonious ribbon was cut. Not a real ribbon. Pink duct tape. It's Haiti. Close enough.Snip! The kids raced through the doors.And a small rainbow spread over the future.
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Lions set the bar high, and then go under it

Lions set the bar high, and then go under it

October 24, 2011 | Detroit Free Press
Matthew Stafford wore black on gray. Not a good sign. He limped across the locker room. Not a good sign. X-rays were coming, he predicted. Not a good sign. And when someone asked if it was a knee or an ankle or both, he pursed his lips and said, "I can't really tell right now."Not a good sign.
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Empty houses? Needy families? Time to mix

Empty houses? Needy families? Time to mix

October 23, 2011 | Detroit Free Press
There are certain sounds that are pure childhood joy. One is the clomping of little feet up the stairs. Another is the squeal of delight.This past week, in a freshly renovated house in Detroit, those two sounds came together. Seven children. Running up the stairs. Running into bedrooms.Cue the squeals."I call this one!" ... "This one!" ... "I got the top one!" They were laying claim to something every child ought to have - a bed - but they were giddy because they had been sleeping three to a mattress in a dingy house infested with mold.Now this?
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Mitch Albom writes about running an orphanage in impoverished Port-au-Prince, Haiti, his kids, their hardships, laughs and challenges, and the life lessons he’s learned there every day.

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