Evanston woman volunteers for Haiti relief

By Taky Ono
Monday, January 18, 2010
Viewed 778 times.

It's past business hours, but the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti is still bustling with activity.

Marie Toussaint is one of the volunteers. She has yet to find out if her cousin - who lives in Haiti - is alive. But she says her own optimism keeps her going.

“There's a saying that God will never give you anything you can't handle,” Toussaint said.

For that reason, Toussaint has refused to sit idle, spending all her free time since last Tuesday volunteering.

“The one thing that all my friends know about me is that I’m Haitian, and I’m proud of being Haitian. Those are our brothers and sisters, whether we are blood-related or not,” Toussaint said.

She is also thinking ahead to when most aid groups leave Haiti.

“By summer time, they're not gonna be there. Then, what?” Toussaint said.

Civilians can't get into Haiti right now, but Toussaint wants to prepare for when it eventually is allowed. Her dedication seems contagious.

“So many people are coming in to help, and they’re all waiting to hear from someone,” Toussaint said.

Toussaint says her hope has been high since she learned her in-laws were safe, after being unable to reach them for nearly two days. And this past Saturday, she heard the same great news about her aunt and uncle.

“So I'm like, relief!” Toussaint said. “At least I know they're OK.”

Toussaint said she is looking to go to Haiti by March or April to bring over the donated materials in a chartered airplane.

“You can't give up because giving up accomplishes nothing. We have to keep positive and keep moving,” Toussaint said.