The Fifth Annual Maine Walks with Haiti took place in Portland around Back Cove on Saturday, May 31 and teams from Lincoln County and nearby areas were among the largest contingents. A number of organizations and churches in Lincoln County have for years helped Haitians improve their health and education systems. This year, many of these groups came together to participate in the annual walk with Haiti which is organized by the Portland-based NGO Konbit Sante which partners with Haitians to improve health outcomes in the northern city of Cap Haitien (www.konbitsante.org).

Thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club of Damariscotta/Newcastle a bus was available to take participants from Newcastle to Portland. The largest contingent on the bus was the eight students from Lincoln and Erskine academies who will be participating in this year’s Maine Music Outreach (MMO) program. Maine Music Outreach is a newly formed 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers Maine high school musicians to make a difference in the lives of others. This summer, MMO students will travel to the Holy Trinity Music Camp in Cange, Haiti, where they will work alongside other musicians, share their love of music, and learn, through service, to understand the people and culture of Haiti.

The MMO students played the national anthems of the United States and Haiti to kick off the Walk and then transformed themselves into a traditional Haitian RaRa band to lead the walkers around Back Cove. Stowing their instruments in the bus, the students took up plastic buckets donated by Hammond Lumber of Damariscotta and under the musical guidance of noted Haitian musician Gifrants beat out traditional Haitian rhythms.

MMO founder and board President Hugh Riddleberger of Nobleboro, who joined the students in the RaRa band, said the students had a fantastic time and “through the magic of music had an incredible cross cultural experience.”

MMO students participating in the walk were Elizabeth Simmons, Alex Enders, Cole Wentworth, Nancy Billings and Jordan Metz from Lincoln Academy and Richard Preston, Rebecca Reed, and Jennifer Kochaver from Erskine Academy. The academies’ band directors, Liz Matta and James Johnson, and MMO Executive Director Jaja Martin also participated.

Many of these students will be playing again at the annual MMO fundraising party that will take place on June 18 in the gardens of former Ambassador to Haiti Dean Curran in Damariscotta. For further information on this event or to learn more about MMO please call Jaja Martin at 207-529-2099.

St Andrew’s Church in Newcastle has participated in the walk for several years and was led this year by the intrepid Frazier Meade, at 86 the oldest walker to complete the course. Other St Andrew’s team members were Kathy Coughlan, Marie Martin, Eric and Gail Thompson and Bob and Judy Stephan.

St Patrick’s Church in Damariscotta Mills fielded a team this year for the first time. Team Leaders were Barbara and Ken Williams of Damariscotta and their children Katie and Patrick. Katie Williams will be heading to Gros Morne in northwestern Haiti this summer for a year long internship helping to establish a literacy and micro credit program for women. This project is funded by the proceeds of the annual Lincoln County Ecumenical Committee Haiti Benefit Dinner.

In addition to Lincoln Academy students in MMO, Lincoln Academy graduating senior Thomas Williams also represented the Academy and his brothers in the Alpha Sigma Gamma service fraternity. LA Headmaster David Sturdevant and his wife Beth were also there to cheer on the LA students.

Bob Stephan represented the Damariscotta/Newcastle Rotary Club and Newcastle residents Margo O’Leary, Nancy Adams, Cory Hanna, Scott Smith and Jan Curran joined Dean Curran of Damariscotta to form Team Curran, which raised nearly $3000 for Konbit Sante. Overall the Lincoln contingent raised over $4,000 for Konbit Sante, Maine Music Outreach and the Haiti Fund of St. Andrew’s Church. The event netted nearly $60,000 total for Konbit Sante and is Maine’s largest Haiti focused event each year.

The organizers wish to thank their many supporters in Lincoln County and beyond, at Lincoln and Erskine academies, at St Patrick’s and St Andrew’s Churches, at the Rotary Club and Hammond Lumber for their support, energy and donations which made this a memorable and successful event.