PN - Rony Delgarde từ Haiti di cư sang Mỹ, trong
túi chỉ vỏn vẹn năm đô la và cuốn Kinh Thánh. Xuống phi trường quốc tế
Miami, hình ảnh đầu tiên đập vào mắt anh là các tòa nhà được phủ sơn đầy
màu sắc.
Lúc đó, Delgarde đã nghĩ thầm: “Họ sơn nhà
với nhiều màu vàng, trắng, đỏ, xanh, nhìn rất tươm tất. Sao đất nước
này nhiều sơn đến thế! Khi nào kiếm được tiền ở đây, mình sẽ mua sơn đem
về cho quê hương mình”. Tổ chức Sơn toàn cầu vì mục đích từ thiện
(Global Paint for Charity) ra đời từ ý tưởng này, nhằm tái chế sơn thừa
của các doanh nghiệp, các hộ dân cư để tặng lại cho những gia đình nghèo
khó ở các nước đang phát triển.
Trong trí nhớ của Delgarde, ở Haiti, việc chế tạo sơn diễn ra như
sau: “Chúng tôi chặt cây làm củi đốt lò. Chúng tôi nhặt đá từ sông, cho
vào lò lửa, đóng lò lại và nung trong vòng một tuần, là có một chất bột
tuyệt vời để sơn phết”. Thế nhưng, loại sơn bằng bột thế này rất dễ bị
nước mưa làm trôi đi, chưa kể nếu cứ tiếp tục chặt và đốt cây, còn đâu
môi trường tự nhiên.
Sơn được thu gom để dành tái chế, và tặng lại cho những nơi có nhu cầu (ành: Internet)
Cơ quan Bảo vệ Môi trường Mỹ ước tính, trong số 637 triệu gallon sơn
(một gallon khoảng 3,785 lít) bán ra hằng năm đã có khoảng 10% sơn thừa.
Hai năm nay, Delgarde bắt đầu việc thu gom sơn. Đầu tiên, Delgarde tìm
đến các công trình xây dựng ở Atlanta (Mỹ) và đề nghị: “Tôi muốn thu gom
sơn thừa để tặng cho những nơi người dân không có đủ sơn”. Sau khi thu
gom sơn, Delgarde lái xe đến kho chứa hàng, phân loại sơn theo màu,
nhãn hiệu, đặc tính và tiến hành tái chế tổng hợp.
Một lớp học ở Haiti trước và sau khi được sơn từ thiện (ảnh: internet)
Đến nay, Delgarde đã góp nhặt được 6.000 gallon sơn cho các dự án ở
Kenya, Haiti và Uganda. Delgarde mới trở về từ Equatorial Guinea, nơi
anh vừa tặng 200 gallon sơn cho một nhà bảo trợ trẻ mồ côi bị nhiễm
HIV/AIDS. Anh tâm sự: “Ở đó vẫn còn nhiều trường học, bệnh viện, nhà cửa
không được sơn phết gì, vi khuẩn bám đầy trên những bước tường hoen ố
làm tôi chạnh lòng. Tôi phải đẩy mạnh hơn nữa công việc của mình”.
Những ngôi nhà ở thế giới thứ ba được phủ sơn từ thiện (ảnh: internet)
James Doherty, một chuyên gia làm việc ở Bảo tàng Jimmy Carter tại
Atlanta đã nhiệt tình đóng góp sơn thừa sau khi sơn sửa bảo tàng. James
nói: “Nhất cử lưỡng tiện”, dự án này giúp sơn không bị chảy ra bãi rác
mà được sử dụng một cách có ý nghĩa”. Ed Spencer cũng “góp sức bằng sơn”
và cảm kích Delgarde: “Anh ấy đã nghĩ ra cách thức đúng, an toàn và
tiết kiệm chi phí cho cả người cho lẫn người nhận, trong khi để thải
loại lượng sơn lớn như vậy mà không gây hại môi trường sẽ tiêu tốn nhiều
tiền”.
Sát cánh cùng Delgarde ở Tổ chức Sơn toàn cầu vì mục đích từ thiện
còn có các tình nguyện viên, chủ doanh nghiệp nhỏ, viên chức nhà nước.
Happy Holidays from Global Paint for Charity, INC.
Dear Friends,
My
name is Rony Delgarde, and I am the founder & President of Global
Paint for Charity, INC (GPC). I know you have heard about this new
initiative from many sources, but as we go into only a day before
Christmas, on behalf of the Global Paint for Charity, I would like to
take a moment to wish you all the best presents of this holiday season:
Comfort, Love, Care, Giving, Peace, Happiness, and Hope!
First
of all, allow me to say THANK YOU for all the support and donations
this year. Without your help, the organization would not have been able
to accomplish all the great success and activities it has so far. As
we come to the end of the year, I want to thank those who will continue
contributing to our success, and ask if you will help us once again. The
holiday season is the perfect time to show those in needs how much you
care. If you are looking to make a donation to a specific organization,
please consider supporting our global paint project by donating to the
Global Paint for Charity of Atlanta Georgia. In return, your donation
will be recognized and we will post holiday notes mentioning your kind
gesture on our Facebook Page. The Global Paint for Charity is a
charitable recycling service established in 2010, our mission is to
recycle discarded leftover paint from businesses and residences,
reprocess it and donate it to vulnerable individuals and families in
developing countries around the world. Making a donation is easy, and it feels great. Simply click on the following link: http://www.globalpaints.org/Donate.aspx to submit your donation online.
I
would also like to acknowledge the media: a special thanks to AJC and
CNN for sending a team out to do a documentary about our organization. A
special thank you to Gracie Staples for her great article "Global Paint For Charity Recycles Leftover Paint In Third-World Countries" in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And a very special Kudos to Suzanne Malveaux anchors CNN Newsroom International and Natalie Snedden CNN Senior Producer, and her coworker Chris Hrubesh Senior Editor/Producer at CNN for airing our story on CNN. Last, I would feel very bad if I don't say thanks to our wonderful SashaThe Diva News Anchor on KISS 104 for featuring our story twice on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Thank you all for your kindness! Please LIKE US on Facebook at www.facebook.com/globalpaints.
Here is a list of our program highlights for this year:
·Collected about 25,000 gallons of leftover paint
·International Trips (Ghana, E. Guinea, Kenya, Uganda, Haiti, Mexico, and D.R.)
·Donate 6000 gallons of paint to developing countries
·Donate 300 gallons of paint for local homeless centers and community projects
·Featured on CNN Impact Your World
·Featured on 25 Newspapers in 18 states in U.S.
·Featured on 4 Intl. Newspapers France, Chile, Greece and Uganda
Stay
tuned for more innovative programs in 2013, as we continue protecting
the environment, changing lives and painting the world one gallon of
paint at a time!
Wish
you a merry Christmas and happy holidays. I appreciate the opportunity
you have given us to help many people in needs around the world. We are
grateful for this privilege and we promise to keep working hard to make a
difference every day. Once again, thank you for your support!
Rony Delgarde reprocesses donated paint and ships it to organizations in developing countries
Delgarde founded the nonprofit Global Paint for Charity in Atlanta
His goal is to rehabilitate and beautify struggling communities and protect the environment
Global Paint is raising money for a machine to process large quantities of donated paint
(CNN) -- Rony Delgarde immigrated to the United
States from Haiti with only $5 and a Bible. The first thing he saw when
he landed at Miami International Airport were all the colorfully painted
buildings.
"People paint their house
yellow, white, red, blue and I said, 'Wow, there's so much paint in
this country!'" Delgarde says." I said, 'When I get money in this
country, I'm going to buy paint and take paint back home.'"
From that idea, Global
Paint for Charity was born. Delgarde, who is 38 and works as a health
care consultant, states the mission: "to recycle leftover paint from
businesses and residents, processes it and then donate it to vulnerable
families in developing countries all around the world."
Delgarde explains the process for making paint in Haiti.
"We cut down trees and we
started fire. We pick out rocks from the river and we put it inside the
fire and close the fire for a week. And once it's done, it's a
wonderful powder." He points out that this type of paint washes away in
the rain.
Delgarde's nonprofit organization wants to make a lasting difference.
Two years ago, Delgarde
started going to construction sites in the Atlanta area, asking them
what they did with their leftover paint.
He told them, "I want to
collect your paint and take it someplace where people don't have access
to paint. We'll give them paint and we'll change their lives. That's
when I started collecting paint."
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency estimates that approximately 10% of the 637 million
gallons of paint sold annually is left over, equal to about 64 million
gallons per year.
So far, Delgarde has
donated 6,000 gallons of paint to projects in Kenya, Haiti and Uganda.
He recently returned from Equatorial Guinea, where he donated 200
gallons of paint to an orphanage for children who lost their parent to
HIV/AIDS.
"We looked at schools,
hospitals, family homes and they were not painted. It really touched my
heart to see the bacteria on the walls that were not painted. I said we
have to do something," he says.
Those looking to donate their leftover paint can visit the website of the group, GlobalPaints.Org, and fill out a request for a pickup.
Ed Spencer, a consultant
in Atlanta, says he donated his paint for several reasons. "Recycling
is number one and helping people is obviously number two. I think he's
taken something very difficult for people to do correctly, that's
recycling paint and created a way to do it and do it safely. And quite
honestly, he's made it very inexpensive for people. It can be very
expensive to get rid of large amounts of paint."
James Doherty, museum
information specialist at the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in
Atlanta, was thrilled to be able to donate the museum's leftover paint
to such a good cause.
"I was really excited to
hear about Global Paint and the use for the paint in Third World
nations because we have such a hard time getting rid of paint, and this
kills two birds with one stone. It keeps the paint out of the landfills
and it also goes to a good use," Spencer says.
Although he has received
phone calls from all around the country, Delgarde gets most of his
paint donations from the Atlanta area.
In addition to paint
donations, Delgarde also receives monetary donations to help offset cost
of shipping the paint. He doesn't do it alone either; he has a board of
directors that consists of volunteer small business owners and
government officials.
After picking up the
paint, Delgarde drives to one of three storage units. "The other units
are already completely full," he says.
As he slides up the door to the unit, it's obvious; this one is almost full as well.
"We used to have a small
warehouse where we would process the paint. We would separate the paint
by color, by brand, by characteristic and then go through a
consolidation process. We put it all into five-gallon containers and
that we ship to people in the developing world."
Delgarde says that the
calls for paint donations have grown from 12 weekly to between 300 and
400 hundred per day. Now, he needs to find a new warehouse to start
processing paint again.
"We've been receiving a
lot of paint. We need that paint, so we can give paint to everybody, to
beautify the world, that's my goal. But we need someplace where we can
process the paint," he says.
Students from Georgia
Tech have partnered with Global Paint to design a machine that can
process the paint. The board of directors for Global Paint has been
working to raise the $95,000 it will cost to build the machine.
"We will be able to make
3,000 gallons of paint per day if we have that machine. That would be
my dream come true," Delgarde says.
Delgarde recalls a letter that he received from a woman in Uganda who received paint.
"Her painted house
uplifted her spirits. She feels happier. She feel the kids bring joy in
the house because she can hear the noise, they are so happy. We bring
joy with the paint we were able to donate. To me, that touched my
heart."
Heartiest Congratulations to Barack Obama and Joe Biden for the Presidential term 2013 - 2017 . You really deserve your second term to carry out the blueprint laid down for another 4 years
Obama's Victory celebration 2012 in Chicago . After a close race, President Barack Obama thanked the crowd as he spoke in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday morning , November 7th. 2012
Barack Obama delivered his victory speech at the McCormick Place convention cenenter in Chicago this morning: Full transcript of his victory remarks
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward. It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.
Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.
I want to thank every American who participated in this election, whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time. By the way, we have to fix that.
Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone, whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.
I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign.
We may have battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service and that is the legacy that we honor and applaud tonight.
In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.
I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America’s happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden.
And I wouldn’t be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago.
Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation’s first lady.
Sasha and Malia, before our very eyes you’re growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom.
And I’m so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now one dog’s probably enough.
To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics...
The best. The best ever. Some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning.
But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together and you will have the life-long appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley.
You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything that you’ve done and all the incredible work that you put in.
I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym, or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you’ll discover something else.
You’ll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who’s working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity.
You’ll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who’s going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift.
You’ll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse whose working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.
That’s why we do this. That’s what politics can be. That’s why elections matter. It’s not small, it’s big. It’s important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.
That won’t change after tonight, and it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.
But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America’s future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers.
A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.
We want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt, that isn’t weakened by inequality, that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.
We want to pass on a country that’s safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this -- this world has ever known.
But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being. We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant’s daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag.
To the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner.
To the furniture worker’s child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president - that’s the future we hope for. That’s the vision we share. That’s where we need to go - forward.
That’s where we need to go.
Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path.
By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. A long campaign is now over.
And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you’ve made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.
Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual.
You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We’ve got more work to do.
But that doesn’t mean your work is done. The role of citizens in our Democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That’s the principle we were founded on.
This country has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth.
The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great.
I am hopeful tonight because I’ve seen the spirit at work in America. I’ve seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job.
I’ve seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.
I’ve seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm.
And I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.
I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father’s story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own. And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That’s who we are. That’s the country I’m so proud to lead as your president.
And tonight, despite all the hardship we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future.
I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.
I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.
America, I believe we can build on the progress we’ve made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you’re willing to try.
I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.
And together with your help and God’s grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth. Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States. END
Mitt Romney , the Republican Presidential Candidate Concession Speech 2012
Full transcript of Mitt Romney Concession Speech 2012
ROMNEY: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, my friends. Thank you so very much. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory. His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. ROMNEY: His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. I wish all of them well, but particularly the president, the first lady and their daughters. (APPLAUSE) This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation. (APPLAUSE) ROMNEY: I want to thank Paul Ryan for all that he has done for our campaign. (APPLAUSE) And for our country. Besides my wife, Ann, Paul is the best choice I’ve ever made. (APPLAUSE) And I trust that his intellect and his hard work and his commitment to principle will continue to contribute to the good of our nation. (APPLAUSE) I also want to thank Ann, the love of my life. (APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: She would have been a wonderful first lady. She’s -- she has been that and more to me and to our family and to the many people that she has touched with her compassion and her care. I thank my sons for their tireless work on behalf of the campaign, and thank their wives and children for taking up the slack as their husbands and dads have spent so many weeks away from home. (APPLAUSE) I want to thank Matt Rhoades and the dedicated campaign team he led. (APPLAUSE) They have made an extraordinary effort not just for me, but also for the country that we love. And to you here tonight, and to the team across the country -- the volunteers, the fundraisers, the donors, the surrogates -- I don’t believe that there’s ever been an effort in our party that can compare with what you have done over these past years. Thank you so very much. Thanks for all the hours of work, for the calls, for the speeches and appearances, for the resources and for the prayers. You gave deeply from yourselves and performed magnificently. And you inspired us and you humbled us. You’ve been the very best we could have imagined. ROMNEY: The nation, as you know, is at a critical point. At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work. And we citizens also have to rise to the occasion. We look to our teachers and professors, we count on you not just to teach, but to inspire our children with a passion for learning and discovery.
We look to our pastors and priests and rabbis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the enduring principles upon which our society is built: honesty, charity, integrity and family. We look to our parents, for in the final analysis everything depends on the success of our homes. ROMNEY: We look to job creators of all kinds. We’re counting on you to invest, to hire, to step forward. And we look to Democrats and Republicans in government at all levels to put the people before the politics. I believe in America. I believe in the people of America. (APPLAUSE) And I ran for office because I’m concerned about America. This election is over, but our principles endure. I believe that the principles upon which this nation was founded are the only sure guide to a resurgent economy and to renewed greatness. Like so many of you, Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign. (APPLAUSE) I so wish -- I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader. And so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation. Thank you, and God bless America. You guys are the best. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks, guys. (APPLAUSE)
The Global Paint story is in the rundown to air on CNN btwn 12:30p-2pm show with anchor Suzanne Malveaux..I get you the link in case you miss it.. you all for your supports.. God bless!!
NAAAP Member Spotlight
Member: Rony Delgarde
Meet our July NAAAP Member Spotlight Rony Delgarde. Rony comes to us with an extensive educational background beginning in his native country, Haiti, and most recently received his MBA from Strayer University. Rony is the Founder and the current President of Global Paint for Charity, a non-profit organization that collects and donates paint to developing countries like Kenya, Mexico, Ghana and Haiti. Rony recently became a NAAAP member but has been attending NAAAP Atlanta events for three years. He most enjoys the networking events where he can connect with business professionals and corporate leaders and appreciates that each member, regardless of their cultural background, is encouraged to pursue their interests and learn from one another in a positive and respectful atmosphere. In additon to his work with his own charity, Rony is also involved with other organizations including CARE International, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, The World Affairs Council of Atlanta and The Gwinnett Public School's Community Program. His next big project will take him to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea from August 20-25th to renovate an orphanage center and a basketball court for 800 orphans in Malabo. Rony would like to invite everyone to attend the N3 July event and help GPC reach their goal to recycle 20,000 gallons of paint in order to continue their work in Haiti. Please bring your leftover paint and recycle them to beautify under-served communities for those affected by the earthquake that killed over 200,000 people and left million others homeless in the country since 2010. For more information, or if you would like to get involved please visit www.globalpaints.org or like GPC on facebook www.facebook.com/globalpaints .
Interesting Member Fact: Rony had lived in three different countries and speaks four languages. Through his work with Global Paint for Charity, he has traveled to 18 different countries and he considers himself a citizen of the World. I think we can all agree with that!
Be sure to come out to our next NAAAP Atlanta event to meet other members like Rony!
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You, Luther Laveaux, Angie Rodriguez and 7 others like this.
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Dahna M. Chandler Awesome! Congratulations, Rony!
July 16 at 10:54pm · Unlike · 1
Ron Saikowski Sharp Dresser!
July 16 at 11:13pm · Unlike · 1
Dahna M. Chandler Yes, he is, isn't he? I thought this was Usher Raymond for a minute!
July 16 at 11:18pm · Unlike · 1
Rony Delgarde WOW.. I really feel the adrenaline reading this...I don't think I deserve the spotlight. This is an incredible honor!! Thank you so much for your support. My sincere appreciation to all of you at NAAAP-Atlanta.....:)!! Thank you.....
July 17 at 11:20am · Like
The Global Paint for Charity and the National Association of Asian American Professionals of Atlanta would like to ask you to join us for a great cause on Thursday, July 19, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Andrews Entertainment District. Help us reach our goal of 20,000 gallons of paint & Global Paint for Charity to continue our work in HAITI...! These paint donations are intended to contribute to the efforts of rebuilding of the country.
WHERE Andrews Entertainment District
56 East Andrews Drive, Atlanta, GA 30305
Atlanta's premier hospitality destination for great cocktails and lively entertainment centralized in the heart of Buckhead. Enjoy complimentary appetizers, inspired music, desserts, drinks (open bar), dancing, door prizes, and of course, donate for a great cause, network with fellow professionals and make new friends at this neighborhood hot spot! Complimentary valet parking available.
A man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Please, bring your leftover paints and help us recycle them to beautify under-served communities in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and other areas affected by the most recent natural disasters. If you can’t make it but would like to make a donation please visit www.globalpaints.org or contact us at info@globalpaints.org. Paint Collection (limit 20 one-gallon cans per donor; dried-up and oil paint is acceptable)!
RSVP The event will be hosted by our partner NAAAP-Atlanta. For more information about attending, please contact Ashley Mack (ashley.mack@naaapatlanta.org) or Rony Delgarde (info@globalpaints.org).
Please download the flyer to view more details about this event or visit http://www.naaapatlanta.org/Events/tabid/2093/vw/3/itemid/2853/d/20120719/Default.aspx Once again thank you for the support and we can’t wait to see everyone soon!
“Changing lives and protecting the environment, one gallon of paint at a time.”
That’s the mission of Global Paint for Charity, an Atlanta-based
volunteer group that is dedicated to recycling discarded and unwanted
paint in the U.S., reprocessing it, and distributing it to refurbish
homes and communities in developing countries around the world.
Photos: Global Paint for Charity
Global
Paint for Charity, founded by Rony Delgarde, ships up to 500 gallons of
paint at a time to seaports in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Haiti, Cambodia
and Mexico.
In just over two years, the organization has sent up to 500 gallons
of paint at a time to seaports in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Haiti, Cambodia
and Mexico. The group has organized numerous paint-collection drives and
has many more in the pipeline.
The organization’s work has also led to partnerships with the
Salvation Army, Goodwill, The Home Depot, Sherwin-Williams and waste
management agencies in the Atlanta area.
Transforming Communities
For Global Paint founder Rony Delgarde, a Haitian immigrant, the
vision is “to give others in developing countries a home and community
they can be proud of.”
“When I left the political chaos and economic trials in Haiti 10
years ago with only $5 and a Holy Bible in my pocket, I knew it would be
my life's work to improve the lives of those less fortunate around the
world,” Delgarde says on his website.
“I've learned over the years that the most gratifying way to give
back is to be anonymous and selfless. It is the way that all of us can
help our fellow citizens of the world.
“And the Global Paint for Charity was created to do just that.”
The organization’s mission is to “change lives, transform
communities, and protect the environment one gallon of paint at a time.”
Seeking ‘Any Can, Gallon and Bucket’
Delgarde says the group needs a “good amount of paint” to stay afloat.
“On average, it takes about 2,000 gallons of half- or ¾-full
containers of leftover paint to get 300 to 500 gallons of good or better
paint,” he said.
Thus, Global Paint will “happily take any can, gallon and bucket
containers of latex or oil paint, regardless of the amount, the age or
the condition.”
Once the paints are donated, they are screened by volunteers for
undesirable particles; sorted by similar characteristics, colors, and
types; and then blended into a final product.
The paint is then shipped to regions in Africa, Caribbean and Central
America with the assistance of various non-profits, church groups, and
corporate partners, Delgarde said.
The organization processes donations to help paint hospitals, schools, churches and prisons in developing countries.
Donated paint that cannot be used is disposed of, but all of the
containers, metal or plastic, are recycled and kept out of landfills,
Delgarde said.
'Nothing Left to Spend on Paint'
For the recipients, the donated paint fulfills a critical need.
In some countries served by the organization, vegetables and fruits
are often used to make an ersatz “paint” because people can’t afford to
buy commercial-quality products.
“Over 2.5 billion people live on less than $2 a day,” Delgarde said.
“For them, paint is very expensive. When making consumption choices that
involve spending money on basic needs, there is nothing left to spend
on paint.
“People are already starving, so they should not have to use their food resources to beautify their homes and communities.”
The U.N. Human Settlements Program estimates that more than 1.6
billion residents of developing countries are living with substandard
homes, unpainted schools, refugee camps or prisons, and hospitals with
dirt walls and lack of sanitation.
A fresh coat of paint on
walls, roofs and floors not only brightens a structure’s appearance and
lifts the spirit of the community; it can also protect exteriors and
interiors from heavy bacterial objects, virus, diseases and temperature
changes, experts say.
Future Plans
Global Paint hopes to find more organizations and corporations to help address the paint shortage in developing countries.
Said Delgarde: “If we can partner with more organizations, we’ll be more efficient and more sustainable with what we’re doing,”
To learn more about Global Paint for Charity, visit www.globalpaints.org or email info@globalpaints.org.
At 75, he fathered his 20th child. At 103 he left his native Haiti and resettled in South Florida. And now at 119, the twice-widowed, retired vegetable farmer -- a man who has 185 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
Naturally, age has slowed Vilsaint. He walks with the assistance of a cane. His eyesight is blurred. And some events in his life are faint memories.
But the Haitian emigrant, who lives in Fort Lauderdale with one of his 10 daughters, has defied great odds.
If world health organizations are to be believed, Vilsaint is blessed. Born and reared in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, he has doubled the life expectancy -- 53 years -- for Haitians. That's among the lowest life expectancy rates in the world, and certainly the lowest in the Western Hemisphere.
Surviving Haiti is by no means easy. Persistent political strife, economic hardships and sobering health issues are but a few things that challenge Haitians. The relentless hardships on the island forces hundreds to take to the sea and to place their lives in the hands of fate.
According to the Pan American Health Organization, Haiti's infant mortality rate is 80 deaths per 1,000 births compared to 5.3 deaths per 1,000 in Canada. So if Vilsaint is as old as he claims, he has nicely trounced the odds.
He was born on Aug. 13, 1893, when Grover Cleveland held the White House, and Florvil Hyppolite the Haitian presidential palace. As proof of his age, Vilsaint holds a Haitian passport. To get one, he had to produce his birth certificate, said Haitian officials in the United States and Haiti.
Vilsaint credits his longevity and vitality on a herbal bush tea he drank periodically, to his strong belief in God, and to good genes.
His father, he said, lived to 110. His mother, to 100. He hopes to live as long as his father, but if not, he said he's accepted the unavoidable.
''I'm more than prepared,'' Vilsaint said recently in Creole. ``Jesus could come get me now. I'm ready.''
A deeply religious man, Vilsaint has memorized the Bible, and takes joy in reciting scriptures.
''If I hadn't kept God I would have been gone a long time [ago],'' he said, advising his sons, daughters, grandchildren, and others to ''Keep God'' in their lives.
For Vilsaint, life's been long, and by no means easy. He had to make do with $500 a year to clothe, feed and educate his brood. Like his father, he became a farmer, cultivating yams, potatoes, plantains, bananas, and tending livestock. What the family didn't eat was sold.
Vilsaint left Haiti for Cuba for nearly two years to harvest sugar cane. He recalled that the field was run by Fidel Castro's father, Angel Castro.
He remembered seeing the future Cuban dictator, then a young boy, hanging around the sugar cane fields, having fun while his father managed the field workers.
FIRST MARRIAGE
When Vilsaint returned to Haiti, he met and married Anastasie Telisma. During their 25-year marriage, they produced 10 children. Like his handshake, he was firm, said his daughter, Hermantilde Saintil, 65, of Fort Lauderdale, who now takes care of him.
At 53, Telisma -- the first love of his life -- died. Vilsaint was left to raise his 10 children alone.
In 1949, he took another trip to the altar, marrying Merceila Azar. With Azar he had another 10 children. Between the two women, Vilsaint had 10 boys and 10 girls. Azar died five years ago in Haiti, at 71. Four of the children he had with his first wife have also died. Today, 16 children remain, seven in South Florida, and nine in Haiti. Vilsaint had his first child at age 27. The youngest is his son, Willy, 32, and the oldest is Vilina, 80. Both are in Haiti.
Vilsaint said he wakes up at 5 a.m. most mornings, and doesn't go to bed until 10 p.m. He doesn't speak English, so his days are spent listening to the radio, and taking walks in the neighborhood. He used to enjoy watching television, but his vision has gradually grown weak. He has checked with doctors, but not much can be done for blindness caused by old age, he said he has been told.
But he enjoys the company of his children and grandchildren. Asked if he has a favorite among the grandchildren, he smiles the widest smile yet, revealing no teeth. Then he declines to answer.
''I don't want to make any of them feel jealous,'' he said, through his son, Josue Vilsaint, 52, a baker by trade.
His daughter Hermantilde and son Josue laugh, because they say they all know that he does have a favorite among the bunch. That would be Hermantilde's daughter, Guerline, 34, because she showers him with affection.
Of his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, 99 including his grand-daughter Solange Vildor's Son, Rony Delgarde, 40, live in the United States, and 95 in Haiti.
On Sunday afternoons after church, the family gathers in Hermantilde's home. Then, Vilsaint feasts on his favorite food, chicken and rice. In Haiti, he grew up eating foods he grew organically, Josue Vilsaint said.
MOVE TO FLORIDA
Vilius Vilsaint got his first taste of South Florida in 1990, coming by plane and returning to Haiti three months later. He came back to Florida in 1991 for nine months. The South Florida branch of the family decided this was the best place for him at this time in his life. So in 1998, he boarded a plane for the permanent move to Fort Lauderdale. He likes the Sunshine State, but misses Haiti at times.
Rutha Vilsaint, 11, one of his granddaughters, said she likes having him here. ''He's usually outside,'' she said. ``He talks to me and asks me about school.''
A sixth-grader at Parkway Middle School in Fort Lauderdale, Rutha speaks Creole with her grandfather. Her brother, Amos Vilsaint, 19, a Fort Lauderdale's Dillard High senior, said he gets a kick out of having a grandfather who is 107 and spunky. ''If he can live to see my kids I would be happy,'' Amos Vilsaint said. ``I would be joyous.
The Global Paint for Charity is a non-profit organization dedicated to
effectively recycling leftover paint nationwide, reprocess it &
distribute it to vulnerable individuals and families in developing
countries around the world for global housing rehabilitation projects
including schools, hospitals, jails, churches, or local cultural
education and entrepreneurship.
Get Involved, visit
www.globalpaints.org
Rony Delgarde
Founder
www.globalpaints.org
Calling all volunteers!
Looking for some volunteer service hours? Volunteer with us during the Earth Day event. Volunteers will be assigned to serve from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Visit www.globalpaints.org or www.volunteergwinnett.net to sign up as a volunteer for this event.
