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Parents of Lynn students killed in Haiti earthquake start charities
Three families of Lynn University students killed in the Haiti earthquake have started charities. From left: Frankin and Angie Hayes, parents of Courtney Hayes and Courtney's fiancee Matt Sears. In blue, fourth from left, Lin and Lenny Crispinelli, parents of Stephanie; In white, Jean and John Gianacaci, parents of Christine; and Leonard “Len” and Cherylann Gengel, far right, parents of Britney. (Taylor Jones, The Palm Beach Post / November 6, 2010)
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By Lona O'Connor, The Palm Beach Post
3:51 a.m. EST, November 8, 2010
BOCA RATON — On Jan. 12, four Lynn University students and their professors were in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on a volunteer aid trip when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck, paralyzing the country and crushing the hotel where they were staying.
After a long and agonizing search, the bodies of the six were found in the ruins of the hotel.
Two months later, no one would have blamed the parents of the four young women for still being in the midst of hard grieving, but they were already beginning to plan their daughters' legacies.
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"I feel like Stephanie is pushing us along," said Lin Crispinelli, mother of Stephanie Crispinelli, 19.
In June, two dozen of Crispinelli's friends and family built a schoolhouse in a small town in Jamaica over three days.
The group wore shirts that read, "Failure is not an option," and hung a banner near the work site that read, "Do Work."
On a video of the project, their faces, the tones of their voices, show that she lives on in every effort they make.
"Seeing what she saw, it really helps a lot," said her brother Nick on the video. "I hope we can come close to what she intended to do."
The school built there in June is called "Steph's Place," reflecting her love for that island country. It will provide an education and a safe building for about 100 students from three communities.
The school formerly held classes in an unfinished church building.
"If we didn't have this goal, I don't know what would have happened to us," said Lin Crispinelli.
Also in June, the family of Christine Gianacaci organized a golf fund-raiser for their daughter's newly formed charity. All four girls' families have started charities in their names. Lynn University and Food For The Poor, the international aid agency, sponsor of the trip, are planning memorials.
The Crispinelli and Gianacaci families created charitable funds that will help students who want to travel on humanitarian trips sponsored by Lynn.
Lynn has organized a new volunteer service trip, "Journey of Hope Jamaica," where students will travel with Food For The Poor to Jamaica for five days to meet and aid citizens in the country.
John and Jean Gianacaci founded the Christine's Hope for Kids Foundation to help children and to support local community agencies in the United States.
"We feel Christine's spirit all the time," Jean Gianacaci said.
"No question about it," said John Gianacaci, smiling. Christine Gianacaci was 22 when she died.
In June, the foundation put on its first golf tournament that raised more than $60,000 which helped more than 700 children go to summer camp, teen leadership conferences and swim lessons, as well as paying for baseball shoes, backpacks and school supplies.
Food For The Poor has started construction on a housing village in Haiti dedicated to the 12 Lynn University students and two faculty members, Patrick Hartwick and Richard Bruno, on the Haiti mission trip when the earthquake struck.
The "Journey of Hope Memorial Village" in Anse á Veau, Haiti, is scheduled to be inaugurated in January, with plans for chickens and fruit trees to augment the residents' diets, a community center, school and clinic.
Immediately after the earthquake, Angie and Franklin Hayes went to Haiti via the Dominican Republic. Rescuers assured them that they knew where their daughter Courtney, 22, and the others were in the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince and were certain they were alive.
For days, they hung onto hope.
The Hayeses decided to concentrate their efforts in their hometown, Douglas, Ga., where a mobile home factory and a chicken processing plant closed, bringing unemployment to 14 percent to 16 percent. The Hayeses' charity is providing economic assistance through a local church.
"Courtney loved helping people," said Angie Hayes. "She had a way with kids."
Cherylann Gengel usually deletes text messages on her cell phone, but for some reason she saved the last text message she got from her daughter, three hours before the earthquake.
"Why did I save that text?" she asks.
Cherylann and Len Gengel started Be Like Brit in their daughter's memory. They are building an orphanage in Grand Goave, half an hour south of Port-au-Prince. Viewed from above, the building is in the shape of a B. It will accommodate 33 girls.
"Just like the 33 days that Brit was missing," said Cherylann Gengel.
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