Art and Soul Gala Funds Medical Center in Haiti

POUGHKEEPSIE – The Vassar Haiti Project’s (VHP) fifth annual Art and Soul reception and fundraiser will be held on Thursday, May 4, at the Vassar College Alumnae House. All proceeds from the event fund the staffing, supply, and operation of a medical center in northwest Haiti that serves thousands of local residents.

Art and Soul will feature beautiful, vibrant Haitian art, live entertainment from Vassar student musicians, and cuisine from Poughkeepsie restaurant, Twisted Soul. The program runs from 5:30pm to 8:00pm, and is open to the public. Tickets are $65 each.

This year, the Vassar Haiti Project will honor local physician Dan Katz, MD, for his commitment to and leadership in sustaining medical care in Haiti. “Dr. Katz is an extraordinary advocate for the Chermaitre-Fiervil Clinic,” says Andrew Meade, Director of International Students at Vassar College and Co-founder of the Vassar Haiti Project. “Dr. Katz has made two trips to Haiti and has helped to change the face of healthcare for thousands of people living in the northwest mountains of Haiti by treating patients in the clinic and making important recommendations based on his medical expertise and experience there.”

Dr. Katz collaborates regularly with the local Haitian physician, Dr. Gueslin Joassainvil and the VHP’s dynamic Medical Advisory Board.  The Medical Advisory Board is a group of local physicians and community members who help support the ongoing efforts of the clinic.
VHP also receives much direct local support. Recently, the group collaborated with the Poughkeepsie – Arlington Rotary Club to secure a $54,000 grant to bring a water purification project to the village of Chermaitre. “Nowhere does a dollar go further or mean so much as it does to the people of Chermaitre and Fiervil,” said VHP Medical Advisory Board Chair, Dr. Daniel Z. Aronzon, former CEO of Vassar Brothers Medical Center.

Art and Soul tickets may be purchased online at www.thehaitiproject.org. All art purchases are tax deductible. For more information on ticket prices and availability please contact haitiproject@vassar.edu or call (845)797-2123.