The Student Ambassadors at Johnston Community College recently made a donation of $3,500 to Mission Emanuel to assist in the relief effort to rebuild Haiti after the devastating earthquake in January.

The students raised the money by selling 200 “Helping Hands” t-shirts on campus for the cause.

Mission Emanuel is an ongoing Dominican Republic outreach ministry of The Gathering/USA, a non-profit organization that has brought together short-term missionaries dedicated to improving the lives of the Dominican people by providing health care, education, better living conditions and spreading the Christian word.

These missionaries, working for and with Dominicans, have constructed a church, two schools, two medical clinics, a dental clinic, a water purification system and homes in the communities of Nazaret and Cielo near Santo Domingo.

Holly Lewis, assistant to the executive director for Mission Emanuel, visited JCC recently to accept the donation. She said the gift will assist her organization’s effort to lend a hand to their neighbor during a time of critical need. To date, the organization is helping Haiti by providing clean water, clothing, and medical attention at its local clinic.

“This donation on behalf of JCC will go back into Mission Emanuel to help provide clean water, medical treatment, and clothing in Haiti,” Lewis said. “On behalf of Mission Emanuel, we are very grateful for this gift. We appreciate JCC thinking outside the box and supporting people in need that they will never see again.”

Thomas Dean, Student Ambassador advisor, said the students overwhelmingly supported the idea after the tragic earthquake. “We were looking for a community service project and this seemed like a natural fit because there was such a great need in Haiti,” he said.