By Kay S. Pedrotti Haiti was a poor country before the 2010 earthquake. Now it is destitute, and those suffering most include orphans at Grace Orphanage and Theophile (love of God) School in a Port-au-Prince suburb. A team of caring people including two from Pike County, three from Barnesville and two from Spalding County ‘“ leaving for Haiti on June 28 ‘“ has plans to change the lives of some ‘graduating’ orphans. Organizer Andrew Harnack of Barnesville said the team will teach young women 17 or 18 years old, who must leave the orphanage this year, how to make a living by sewing. They must have a definite way to provide for themselves since Haiti has a 90% unemployment rate and about 200,000 people still homeless after the earthquake, he said. Other team members include Ellen Granum of Barnesville, Butch Armistead and his daughter Courtney Armistead from Zebulon, Carly Proud of Milner, Ethan Miller and Mary Rachel Mayo of Griffin, and Karen Acker of Auburn, Ala., who has been previously to Haiti. The ‘sewing teacher’ is Harnack’s granddaughter Karen Ramnath of Memphis, Tenn., a professional seamstress.
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