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 Ralph Oats and Cathy Oats, founders of
Wellness International Network, Ltd. (WIN), an undisputed leader in the
health and nutrition industries, made a difference in the lives of hundreds
of Haitians during the 2005 holiday season. While cruising with family
and friends, “In July we cruised the Caribbean
and didn’t realize at first that Labadee®, Hispaniola was actually
Haiti ,” says Ralph Oats. “We learned about the living conditions
of the communities that were fenced off from the private beach and couldn’t
believe it. A tour guide told us that locals make good use of anything
they find, water bottles are used to make crab traps and t-shirts become
sails for their boats — as the average Haitian income was something
like $200 a year.” They were While planning another Caribbean cruise
for the holiday season with family and friends, Ralph and Cathy Oats remembered
their experience and decided that instead of their annual gift exchange;
they would encourage the group to focus on helping the Haitians. “I
started researching and contacted the Canadian charitable organization
called Hearts Together For Haiti, a group that provides much
needed educational, medical and nutritional services to local communities
in Haiti,” Cathy Oats says. Through continuous correspondence with
“I thought it was an amazing idea
when we heard our families would be packing suitcases and boxes to ship
over there and it was a great way to teach our children about giving back
and they loved it,” says Lisa, a WIN distributor from California.
“We stuffed a huge suitcase with school supplies, clothes, Band-Aids,
cotton balls, you name it. Cathy sent us a list of what they needed and
it was just about everything. I mean these kids don’t even have
underwear, shoes, all the basic things The day Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas docked at Labadee® employees and security personnel helped the WIN group of 26 people load and transport an overfilled cart of their donations from the ship to the beach where they planned to meet Father John Duarte, co-founder of Hearts Together For Haiti, and some of the organizations’ visiting Board Members. “When we got off the boat no one from our group was rushing to go play, we were all there to make sure the Haitians got what they needed and we wanted to show our support,” says Lisa. On Labadee® beach there is a fence
which separates the cruisers from the rest of Haiti. “We were standing
on the pier “It was so nice to see that our kids really got it, that it’s better to give than receive,” says Cathy Oats. “Before we came it felt like we brought so much but when we were there we felt like we had so little to offer.”
“We were really excited about contributing to the charity, but it was horrible seeing the unbelievable poverty just yards away from you. Here you are on a cruise line, on a beach and everyone having fun, and these kids are just looking at you while you’re sunbathing or playing water sports,” says Jeff, WIN distributor from California. “Here we are traveling 10 days on a beautiful cruise line with our girls and right across a gate are people who can’t even afford a piece of gum. What really got to me the most was when we brought the donations, kids started swarming at the gate and their excitement level and the look in their eyes, just so happy to get a piece of gum or pencils for their schoolwork, it was very emotional. Even our girls said the most wonderful part of the cruise was giving presents to the less fortunate.”
“It’s sad seeing these children, they didn’t ask to be born on the other side of the fence. They don’t have the same opportunities as so many of us do,” says Paul, WIN distributor from the Netherlands. “We are blessed that we were born on the other side of the fence, that our children have opportunities.” Even though it was just a small group
they made a difference and helped spread the message to other cruisers.
“A lot Having seen the people of Haiti up close
and realizing how great their needs are, Ralph and Cathy Oats have decided
to wrap their arms around Hearts Together For Haiti and reach
out to the thousands of WIN The family members and distributors who went on the holiday cruise are also keeping Hearts Together For Haiti close to their hearts as many have made personal commitments to continue supporting the organization and spreading the message in their communities. “I believe there is a purpose of making money, I believe you should spend some of that money on people without any chance at all,” says Paul. “My wife and I are collecting money and the essential items for the charity ourselves, but being involved in WIN and the fact that it’s multi-level marketing, we have a huge network of people across the world that are interested in helping the less fortunate.” Through support from people like you, Ralph and Cathy Oats are confident that together we can improve the lives of many Haitians. If you would like to help make a difference, please contact WIN Marketing or visit www.htfhaiti.org to learn more about Hearts Together For Haiti, which has a passionate mission of “providing support and assistance to the Haitian communities as they learn the skills to go beyond surviving ... to thriving.” About WIN
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the
Oats organized a large charitable donation for Hearts Together For
Haiti, a charity dedicated to implementing educational and health
programs into the local communities. After experiencing all of the positive
things the organization is doing and the desperate need for donations,
Ralph and Cathy Oats are not only focusing more of their fundraising efforts
on this admirable charity they’re also spreading the message to
anyone who will listen, including the thousands of WIN Independent Distributors
worldwide.
particularly
moved when they saw some of the locals face to face. “The desperation
we saw in the eyes of the very thin men paddling their boats out to us
while we were jet skiing to present their handmade trinkets for sale was
an impression that never left us,” says Cathy Oats. 
Hearts
Together For Haiti they learned about the specific needs of the communities
which were basic needs like clothes and toiletries. “Our group was
coming from prosperous communities in the United States and the Netherlands
and we all wanted our children to see that everyone isn’t as fortunate
as we are,” says Ralph Oats. “Cathy and I have experienced
poverty in our lives, but nothing like what exists in Haiti. We really
wanted to try and make a small difference in someone’s life during
the short time we visited the island.”
we
take for granted.” While Janice, WIN distributor of Texas, was looking
over the list of needs the level of poverty hit her. “They can basically
use anything, that’s what clicked in my mind. Why wouldn’t
we help people like that? When I walked around the store I looked at everything
and thought they can use this and that, there wasn’t anything they
couldn’t use and it made me feel good knowing that we were able
to help in even a small way,” she says.
and
couldn’t help but be moved by the differences. To the left was a
beautiful beach with luxury everywhere — a waterslide and water
park, kayaks, jet skis, waiters serving drinks and a band playing. To
our right we saw many boats that didn’t look sea-worthy bringing
adults and children up to a small area on the other side of the fence,”
says Ralph Oats. “We walked over to the fence and started giving
the locals pencils, miniature cars, dress-up jewelry and gum through the
small openings. Our 10-year-old grandson, Jeffrey, came running over telling
us, ‘They like the same stuff we do! One of my friends said they
love Shaq and they know all about American sports — next time I
want to bring trading cards and sports stuff for them.’ It was heartwarming
seeing all the kids racing back and forth getting more to give.”
Only
a portion of the donations brought by the WIN group were given out through
the fence, as the rest were taken by Father John and Steve McDougall,
Chairman of the HTFH Board, for distribution to those most in need in
the villages of Labadie, Prunette and Bod Me Limbe. Bod Me Limbe is where
Hearts Together For Haiti is currently fundraising for and working
to improve, by creating opportunities for clean water and building a school
house. “The International nature of our mutual interest in helping
our less fortunate brothers and sisters in Haiti is both uplifting and
encouraging to me personally,” says Steve McDougall. “Daily
news is always filled with a lot of depressing events and our joint interests
stand in stark contrast as a ray of brightness and hope for humanity.”
of
the people on the beach were wondering what was going on,” says
Joe, WIN distributor from California. “Not only was this educational
for us and a great experience of giving back but there were a lot of people
sitting on the beach watching us hand out toys and money to the kids pressed
up against this fence. We shared the wonderful things the charity is doing
for the people of Haiti to those interested. I think it would be a great
opportunity for Royal Caribbean to make their cruisers aware of it and
maybe offer a destination trip where cruisers could volunteer.”
distributors
worldwide for those interested in playing a role. “This was an incredible
and unforgettable day for all of us, it didn’t take away from our
vacation, it made it,” says Ralph Oats. “We are traveling
on a company cruise in April with more than 100 distributors and are excited
that we can organize and bring more donations and money because the community
has so many needs.”