NILES, IL, September 20, 2010 – The aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti has been a time of extreme chaos, with the government and various relief organizations struggling to aid the island’s residents. Among those trying to bring some semblance of normalcy back to the island are Touch The World, a non-denominational Christian charitable organization, and Pastor Roger Wilson Charles of Église Communion de la Manne Évangélique d’Haïti (Manna Fellowship Evangelical Church of Haiti), located in Petionville, near Port-au-Prince. Touch The World executive director Greg Prairie was visiting Pastor Wilson in Haiti on the day of the disaster.
“Seeing everything first-hand, we mobilized quickly, and aided the church with funding for food. We also donated medical supplies and shoes,” reports Prairie. “When Pastor Wilson asked for help in replacing the church’s sound system, we were determined to see if we could help with that as well. Fortunately, we found that Shure was a willing partner to help this church get back on its feet.”
Like most structures near the epicenter, Église Communion de la Manne Évangélique had absorbed structural damage to its roof, requiring the pastor to temporarily minister to the church’s 1,200 members in the street. Eventually, inspectors determined that the basement could be used for meetings and services until the roof is replaced.
“In a time like this, we need every kind of help,” says Pastor Wilson. “We tried to help our people in any way we could, in both the physical and spiritual areas. We are very thankful for the equipment from Shure. Our basement is very hot and damp, and the people are squeezed in. To have a working sound system under these conditions is a real blessing to us.”
To arrange the donation, New Jersey-based Touch The World partnered with pro audio products retailer American Musical Supply (AMS), who put the group in direct contact with Shure.
“For a country like Haiti, I knew I needed gear that was proven to be durable, reliable, and high quality,” notes Prairie. “I knew from my days running a production company that Shure would deliver that, so they were really the first company I wanted to contact. Out of all the companies we approached about a donation, they were the first to respond and were enthusiastic about helping make a difference. They were great to work with throughout the process.”
Shure donated a dual-channel Performance Gear® wireless system with PG58 handheld transmitters along with several SM58® and SM57 microphones and one Beta 52®A microphone. “We cannot use the full system until our building is repaired and secure, but we are using the wireless system right now,” notes Pastor Wilson. “It works very well for our needs, and helps us bring our community together in this difficult time.”
