Salisbury And The Eastern Shore’s Response To The Children Of Haiti

In 2007 I had the privilege of representing Salisbury and the entire Delmarva Peninsula as coach of the West Salisbury Little League team that played in the Little League World Series in Williamsport PA. One of the most moving parts of that entire experience was seeing ,what felt like, the entire Eastern Shore community come together and live in a heightened moment in time for that summer. One high ranking city law enforcement official said that it was as if the bad news stopped for a few weeks that summer. The outpouring of support for our kids was overwhelming!

Let’s fast forward to Christmas day of 2009. I was driving to my mother’s house with my own 3 children and wife to celebrate family Christmas. At 3:30pm I received a phone call from Sherriff Mike Lewis telling me that they had just came out of the woods from finding 11 year old Sarah Foxwell’s body. Wearing the hat of a pastor and not a coach I was asked to ride with Sherriff Lewis and Gary Baker to notify the families of the tragic news about Sarah. Though one of the most difficult things I have ever done I felt a bigger obligation and sense of duty than just Mike Lewis and our relationship. As one who lives in this community and was born and raised on the Eastern Shore I felt like a custodian over Sarah. It was like she was mine. It was like I was responsible for her. I saw that in Mike Lewis and Gary Baker that day as well. It was like we all became responsible for her.

Even though the summer of 2007 was a celebration, and Christmas of 2009 was a crisis of horrific proportion, they both had one thing in common. They were heightened moments in time for us as a city, a county, and a community known as the Eastern Shore. As was seen and witnessed across the media on Christmas day at Shorebird Stadium by the turnout of thousands, the outpouring of support for one lost child was overwhelming!

Its now January of 2010 and we are faced with another heightened moment in time. Haiti is facing disaster of HORRIFIC proportions. Salisbury and Eastern Shore natives Tom and Beverly Brumbley have been in Haiti for 38 years and have given their lives to working with the children of Haiti. They are missionaries and school administrators who have built nine (9) schools; the largest campus having an enrollment of 900 children, and the total number of kids in the nine schools being 2300. Yes, these Salisbury natives have spent their lives there, and are responsible for these 2300 lost kids, soon to be forgotten kids, in Haiti.

According to the 2008 Census the population of Salisbury is 28,800 people. 20,000 dead Haitians were piled into pits by large front end loaders in the last 2 days and their bodies burned. That is like nearly 76% of Salisbury being wiped out in a week! 500,000 people are waiting, YES WAITING, to receive medical attention! That is 5 times the population of Wicomico County!

Now wearing the hat of a pastor, coach, father of 3, and simply a humanitarian, a human being, I am pleading with this community to come to the aid of the Brumbley’s, and these children, in Haiti. I plead with your spiritual senses, I plead with your parental senses, I plead with your sense of right and wrong, I plead with your sense of who we are as a people on the Eastern Shore, please help the Brumbley’s and these children in Haiti!

Those kids from West Salisbury baseball in 2007 were our kids. Sarah Foxwell was our child this past Christmas. The Brumbleys are our people from right here on the Eastern Shore. I believe as in times past, the outpouring of support for these children in Haiti will be overwhelming!

Here’s how we as a city, a county, and a community called the Eastern Shore can help. There are 13 drop off sites throughout the Salisbury area and Delmarva where you can drop off desperately needed supplies. You may also donate toward the 500,000 dollars that is being raised to rebuild the schools in Haiti that were destroyed by this earthquake. 100% of all donations go to the Brumbleys in Haiti and these specific children under their care. For information on drop off sites, a list of supplies, or how to give financially go to http://www.theuprisingchurch.org/ and click on Brumbley Haiti Relief.

This is not a call from a church. It is a call and a cry from the Eastern Shore for the children of Haiti!