Medical Help for the Haitian People

Part of the deal for coming to Haiti was to help Dr. Don's team

administer medical help while in Port-au-Prince. Since I don't like

the sight of blood and have absolutely no medical skills, I have been

assigned to dispense medications as they are being prescribed.

Our first clinic was held today in a small church on the outskirts of

town. The church holds about one hundred people and it was packed. We

started at 11:00am and worked non-stop until 4:00pm. Dr. Don and

Nurse Lynn consulted and prescribed. Dr. Don's wife, Joyce, and I

filled the prescriptions.

The medicines were purchased by the medical team with some help with donations. Some of the medical supplies were contributed by D.L.I's friends at PharmPac and 

American Family Health Care. They were brought over on the flight with the medical team. 

Haeberle, a local Haitian who also works for the U.N., helped

translate the proper doses of the prescribed medications to each

patient. The smiles of the children and the gratitude of the parents

and the church pastor were pretty special.

-Jerry Shelly

Upon the First Tour of the City

I am still trying to digest what I saw during my first tour of the

city. The organized chaos of the traffic system is complicated by the

recent introduction of the occasional red light. They are just few and

new enough that drivers cannot remember if they are supposed to go or

stop on red or green.


Tap-taps are the primary mode of public transportation in Haiti.  They are small trucks individually owned, with a covered back and bench seating.  They are called tap-taps because you tap on the side of the vehicle when you need to get off.  It costs an average of 12 gourdes for a ride.


One sees buildings flatted by the earthquake,

rubble still partially blocking some streets and potholes as big as my

first house. Garbage piles are everywhere, waiting to be picked up by

the city's collectors. Collections are dependent on whether or not the

city has paid their employees.

Toward the end of the tour, we dropped by another tent city to locate

a Haitian nurse who had worked with Dr. Don's medical team in the

past. She had been displaced by the earthquake and was living in a

tent with her children and grand-children. She invited us into her

home. A daughter was preparing the main meal of the day. Although

there was a propane stove in the tent, the meal was being cooked on a

charcoal grill because there was no money for propane gas. The floor

was made of dirt and there were five people living in an area that

measures less than 250 sq. feet.

The anxiety of being in a third world country is nothing compared to

that of being out of the country on Valentine's Day without your wife.

For some reason, a trip to Haiti was not what she had in mind when I

asked if she wanted to spend Valentine's in the Caribbean. So with

that in mind, our next stop was the downtown open air market to find

the perfect Valentine's gift. With few tourists to buy their handmade

crafts, it is pretty easy to spot a mark. I was lucky to escape with

only three items, knowing that she probably will not like any of them.

I will still find great pleasure in reminding her that she could have

spent Valentine's Day with me in the Caribbean.

-Jerry Shelly

The Presidential Election

The Presidential election runoff will be held in March. It is between

Ms. Manigat and Mr. Martelly, better known as Sweet Mickey. There is

tremendous interest and hope for this election. The young people are

mostly behind Sweet Mickey. That's understandable. That he is a

successful musician who has helped sustain Haiti's own style of music

- Kompa - plays well with the young people. But he also has a much

broader appeal to the general public due to his history as a community

organizer who possesses charisma (sounds familiar).

Ms. Manigat is considered to be part of the establishment. The wife of a

short-term past president, she had the second most votes, placing her

in the run-off with Sweet Mickey. The feeling is that Sweet Mickey is

odds on favorite to win.

Melissa's Hope

I met Pascal, who runs an orphanage for mentally and disabled children. Born in Haiti, he grew up in Brooklyn. When he came back to Haiti he met the priest who founded the orphanage and was hired as an assistant. One day the priest and his wife decided to visit the Dominican Republic and then never came back. Since then, Pascal and his wife have run the orphanage.

Pascal is smart and enterprising. Sister Mary says that he has done an amazing job keeping the kids healthy and well cared for. He gets some assistance from several sponsors but is unsure of the orphanage’s future because he does not control the property.

I am drawn to this enterprise for various reasons, not the least of which is that he is working on a possible affiliation with another orphanage group called Melissa’s Hope.

-More from Haiti,

Jerry Shelly

Shelter in Port-au-Prince

My stay in Haiti will be spent at a place called Mathew 25. The best way to describe Matthew 25 is that it is a haven for those who come to Haiti with a desire to help, no matter the background.

Mathew 25 is part of a national organization called the Parish Twining Program of America (P.T.P.A.) which was established by a Catholic priest and his wife in 1978 when the couple got off a cruise ship and were shocked by this country’s poverty. They developed a program that pairs parishes in the US with parishes in Haiti that then work together to address specific needs in agriculture, education, construction and mission work.

The accommodations are pretty basic but made more than comfortable by the warm hospitality of Sisters Mary 1 and 2. The place comes with open air sleeping quarters (with screens), indoor plumbing (with cold running water which feels good in the heat), bottled or filtered water only (had to toss my toothbrush when I forgot and rinsed it in the tap water) and some of the most interesting people from all walks of life. As would be expected, there are plenty of doctors and nurses staying here. There are also electrical engineers, restaurant owners, T.V. producers and college professors and a freelance writer recording her experiences in hopes of educating the world to Haiti’s plight regarding human rights. Most of those who are here come to observe, learn and try to make a difference; one does not have to look very hard for opportunities.

My bedroom overlooks one of the tent cities in Port-au-Prince. It is situated adjacent to the property on what was a soccer field. In comparison to the tents, my quarters are quite palatial. Dr. Don took me on a tour of the tents. As tents go, they are fine. They would be great for an overnight stay or maybe two at some nice shaded campground with a view of a lake, but to live in one for a year or two or three – not so good. Most of the inhabitants stay outside due to the heat on the inside. Cooking is primarily done outside using charcoal from what wood can be scavenged. There is not much vegetation around the city because it is burned to make charcoal – causing erosion and poor soil conditions. During the rainy season the campgrounds become a quagmire – perfect cholera conditions.

It is predicted that many people will be living in these not-so-temporary homes for some time to come – not unlike those that lived in FEMA trailers after Katrina. Which begs the question – is it better to be in a tent or a trailer with formaldehyde fumes? There are now only 70 tents housing some 500 people at this site, down from 170 tents that housed upwards of 500 after the earthquake.

-Jerry Shelly February 2011

Haiti-One Person's Journey

We at DLI are proud to announce that the President of our company, Jerry Shelly, will be traveling to Haiti in efforts to aid in any way that he can, the people of Haiti who still suffer from the effects of last year's earthquake, a Cholera epidemic and a host of other problems.


Here is his story.

I am told that by going to Haiti, the chances of my changing anyone’s life there is minimal.  In the same breath, those who have been tell me there is a good chance that by just going, it will change mine.  I will find out soon.  A week from today I will be there.

I am going with a small medical team led by my friend Dr. Don Lafont of Jackson, Tennessee.  Dr. Don has been providing free medical assistance in Haiti for over twenty five years.  He was there a week after last year’s earthquake and said that he witnessed carnage that could only be compared to that of war’s aftermath.  He feels that he occasionally makes a small difference when he goes but knows that his medical help provides no long term solutions to the people he treats.  He says what they need are jobs.  Because I have had some success in business, Dr. Don wants me to go to see if I can see any opportunities that might result in creating some jobs there.

I am not sure if I will be able to do any good, but I am inspired by a business associate, Ann Piper of the Joe Piper Company in Birmingham, Alabama, who has made multiple trips to Haiti since the earthquake.  She just returned from a trip where she leased some land that will be used to grow habanero peppers which in turn will be sold to a local processor resulting in four new jobs initially.

While getting my shots for the trip, I was informed by Birmingham’s Kirklin Clinic that Haiti has gone from last to first as the most frequently traveled foreign country by the people of Birmingham.  It is amazing how many feel the need to help a country that in its history has never been able to demonstrate the ability to help itself.

It is reported that $1.4 billion has been donated by Americans alone but only $53 million has actually been spent on Haiti’s recovery and rebuilding efforts.  The reports say the money is being held up due to the bureaucracy, red tape and corruption that are well known to exist in Haiti.  It is not surprising to learn that most of Haiti’s past dictators are back in town with that much money left in the balance.

Just getting donated supplies into the country is arduous.  Dr. Don has been taking medicines in his luggage for years to insure that it gets to the right place.  Having something shipped in and being assured that it gets to the intended destination is almost impossible unless there is someone there to work the system which I’m told usually involves money.  I have a large quantity of medicines and clothing that have been generously donated by my customers, employees and friends but I am being advised to wait until I get there and find someone that I can trust (?) to help get these donations through customs and then on to the final destination.  I am in contact with a gentleman who runs an orphanage for disabled children as one possibility.

More from Haiti.

-Jerry Shelly

The Benefits of Point of Sale Materials in Beverage Promotions

Point of Sale materials can benefit the beverage industry in major ways. Effective POS should be eye catching in order to attract the consumers' attention. By making a product easy to see, it will also be easier to buy and can lead to an increase in sales.

By using POS, a product instantly has an advantage over their competitor. Most of us buy Dr Pepper rather than a knock-off brand. Taste is not the only factor that contributes to this. Point of Sale materials promoting Dr Pepper are easy to find. It is a rare occasion to see a competitor cling or pole sign. If a product is hard to find, it is also hard to purchase.

Point of Sale materials make introducing a new product into the market significantly easier. This can mostly be contributed to effective POS such as cling, pole signs, and ceiling signs rather than a flashy advertising campaign.
POS is also designed to communicate the price point. The price of a product is of great importance to a consumer and may determine if the product is purchased and if so, how much will be bought.

Point of Sale materials can also make a product seem more aesthetically pleasing. Bright colors, bold print, and vibrant designs may cause the consumer to believe that because something looks better it will taste better too.

Ultimately, using effective Point of Sale materials make the product easier to see and therefore easier to buy!