A refurbished four-wheel drive vehicle just weeks away from shipment to Haiti’s most devastated area was severely damaged in a freak late night accident last week.
The 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee was scheduled for shipment next month to a critical medical clinic in Mariani, Haiti. The clinic, just six miles north of the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake, is operated and funded by Medford-based Hope Alive! Clinic Ministries, Inc.
The vehicle was donated to Hope Alive! in 2009 and had just completed repairs, including new brakes and battery, power steering and suspension repair, a tune up, in addition to four new donated tires. The SUV was to be shipped to Haiti on July 8. The vehicle would have been used to transport medical and pharmacy staff and supplies to Hope Alive!’s five clinics and two pharmacy stations in Haiti, and to distribute medicine, food and supplies to six orphanages.
“This is a disappointing setback for our relief efforts, so desperately needed by the people in Haiti,” said Frank Jacobs, President of Hope Alive! “Our board is going to have to go back to the drawing board and revise our plans for this year.”
Hope Alive! had raised the $2,000 to refurbish the Jeep, and ship it to the island, still struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake. Shipping and custom fees to transport the vehicle by container from New York to Port au Prince was expected to cost $3,000 more.
The accident occurred some time on the middle of the night and wasn’t discovered until the next morning. The driver had entered the private driveway, traveling over 50 feet before striking the parked Jeep.
Headquartered right in Medford, Frank and Leslee Jacobs, along with their 13-member board, organize mission trips each year. The missions vary, bringing volunteering health professionals and everyday folk ready to roll up their sleeves. Hope Alive! Clinic has been ministering to the poor in Haiti since 1998.
No one in the U.S. collects a salary from this ministry. To donate and for updates, please visit their website www.hopealiveclinic.org or send a tax-deductible check to Hope Alive! Clinic, PO Box 964, Medford, NJ 08055
