History-making Haitian swimmer Naomy Grand Pierre said she was encouraged by last week’s turn out at a Meet and Greet in Atlanta to raise funds for her country’s swim programme.
The meet and greets were planned by an organisation known as the Sons and Daughters of Haiti to raise money over US$100,000 to send Haitian swim teams to the CCCAN Swimming Championships in 2019 and 2020, as well as the Carifta Swimming Championships and the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The 22-year-old swimmer created history at the 2016 Rio Olympics when she became the first Haitian woman to represent the country at an Olympiad. An estimated US$3000 was pledged during the Atlanta event and Grand’Pierre described it as a moving experience.
“It’s one thing to know that you have support from a community, but it’s another to see and feel support and that’s what this meet and greet provided,” she said of the event where new partnerships with Carribean Apparel uniforms as well as five per cent revenue contributions from Itiah Coffee and Abdalia’s Designs were announced.
“It was really touching for me to see the Haitian community engaged in our efforts to change the state of our country. It has given me the motivation I need to continue, even on the hard days, because Haitians from all over are counting on us to provide a source of hope for progress and development in the country.
“We recapped the efforts for the Road to Rio and recognized notable members and contributions that made that journey possible. We also updated the progress - six international medals, 17 registered athletes and 19 Haitian records in three years.”
Following on that success, three additional events have been planned for Miami, Chicago and Boston in the coming weeks.
Miami’s event will be held at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex on May 31. Then on June 13 another such event has been scheduled for the Kizin Creole Restaurant in Chicago on June 13. Another is set for Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex in Boston on June 29.
Further information can be had at haitiroadtotokyo.com.