Domond Foundation
OLA parishioners are invited to renew their support of the Domond Foundation’s work in Haiti by attending its annual fundraiser on Saturday, April 22 in Claremont. The gala at a private residence includes dinner, music, dancing and a live auction for $80 per person. Reservations will be available at an information table in the auditorium April 15-16 after all Masses or by calling Marissa Esquibel at (909) 851-5522. Deacon Joe Domond, who serves at OLA, established the foundation in 2006 as a memorial to his son Jeff. Since then it has grown to include a Catholic elementary school and medical clinic in rural Haiti, support for orphans, and clean water projects. Deacon Joe is currently in Haiti supervising the operation of a dialysis center, one of the few still operating in the capital of Port Au Prince which has been engulfed in gang violence. When fully operational, the clinic will provide medical, surgical, dental, vision and physical therapy services to the poor who have no other access to care.
For over 20 years, The Jeff. C. Domond Foundation has brought hope to the people of rural Haiti near Marbial. Deacon Joe Domond organized an annual medical mission to Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, beset by poverty and natural disasters. He took doctors, dentists, physical therapists, ophthalmologists and others to people who may never have received professional care. The mission trips ended with the pandemic of 2020-22. But the work of the Foundation continued.
Construction advanced on a small hospital dedicated on June 15, 2022 (the date of Jeff Domond's birthday, see below). It is now being equipped for surgery and maternity care. A life-saving dialysis center in Port-au-Prince, in the capital, has been in operation during the pandemic in spite of the civil unrest there. On frequent trips to Haiti, Deacon Joe supervises the progress of a building to house teachers at a Catholic elementary school supported by the Foundation. He also visits a girls' orphanage and oversees the clean water program for homes in the community.
