BishopAccountability.org
	Picking up the Pieces on Haitian Charity CT Post August 20 2010 http://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/Picking-up-the-pieces-on-Haitian-charity-623798.php The story of Douglas Perlitz is a tragedy on all fronts. The once-lauded founder of Project Pierre Toussaint, a humanitarian initiative that helped young people in Haiti, admitted last week that he sexually abused at least eight boys at the center. It was a devastating end to a shocking story of betrayal. The people served by Project Pierre Toussaint live in poverty unimaginable by most Western standards. By giving his life to serving people in desperate need, Perlitz was honored over the years as a humanitarian of great proportions. It was all a lie. Today, the facility is shuttered and Perlitz is going to jail. Everyone involved in the sad saga, including those who knew nothing of the crimes committed far from home, has a responsibility to try to bring something positive from this disaster, something to give back to people who have had so much taken from them. To their credit, officials at Fairfield University, where Perlitz went to school, say they are hopeful they can work with donors and other charities to try to reopen Project Pierre Toussaint. Though the university had no official connection to the organization, Perlitz was held as an example of good words undertaken by former students, and ties between the school and donor groups ran deep. University President Jeffrey P. von Arx says in a letter in Sunday's Connecticut Post that the school "will not abandon (its) efforts to help Perlitz's victims." It is a laudable goal, and one everyone involved is urged to follow through on.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.