Happy holidays, better life possible for Haiti’s orphans
DONNA VICKROY dvickroy@southtownstar.com | (708) 633-5982 December 9, 2011 10:38PM
John Shattuck is the international representative for corporate in-kind donations for Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos. | Matt Marton~Sun-Times Media
More Info
For a complete list (with photos) of items needed, visit www.SDRLIVE.com.
For more information, contact John Shattuck at (855) 737-1212, Ext. 804 or John.Shattuck@SDRLIVE.com.
To donate
Tools and supplies are being collected through Jan. 1, and musical instruments through April, at these Charter Fitness locations:
2465 E. Joliet Highway, New Lenox; (815) 463-8500
16010 S. Harlem Ave., Tinley Park; (708) 614-5000
2545 W. 111th St., Chicago; (773) 445-7300
1987 Franciscan Way, West Chicago; (630) 293-1100
8237 W. Golf Road, Niles; (847) 470-1562
9825 W. 55th St., Countryside; (708) 354-7100
857 Center Court, Shorewood; (815) 730-0500
3106 Three Oaks Road, Cary; (847) 516-7500
Article Extras
Updated: January 12, 2012 8:03AM
On a chilly Wednesday morning, Frankfort businessman John Shattuck backs his car loaded with donated supplies into a huge warehouse in Munster, Ind.
“We can use just about anything anyone wants to donate,” he says, pulling a child’s wagon that was left on his driveway from the back of his Jeep.
He is greeted at the storage facility by Champ Merrick, executive director of Children of Abraham, a nonprofit group that collects medical supplies in the United States and distributes them to needy people around the world.
Merrick provides a section of free space for Shattuck’s mission, which is to bring humanitarian relief to poverty-ravaged Haiti. As a member of COA’s board, Shattuck also is able to procure hospital beds, syringes and medications for the devastated third-world country to which he has voluntarily devoted so much of his time, energy and passion.
Even before the devastating earthquake in 2010, Haiti was among the poorest nations in the world. Malnutrition and disease continue to wreak havoc. And then there’s the crime.
“The average life expectancy in Haiti is 43; the average education is a third-grade level,” he said. “We’re working to change that.”
There is progress to report.
While the rest of us are bustling to tick off the items on our holiday gift list, Shattuck is attending to several lists of his own. He is preparing to ship his 22nd 40-foot cargo container of supplies to Haiti in January. He’s looking for much-needed materials to help finish and stock a new high school, technical school, music school and hospital that he and other humanitarian groups have helped build for Haiti’s huge population of orphaned and homeless children.
So far, Shattuck has delivered some $16 million in aid to the country. Food, water, tents, generators all have been shipped, along with medical supplies. He’s also set up businesses in neighboring Dominican Republic, employing locals, all with the intent of helping Haiti.
He’s gotten considerable help from organizations such as Children of Abraham and celebrity-comprised Artists for Peace and Justice, which has been instrumental in building the schools.
“It’s amazing to see these kids so happy just to be able to go to school,” he said.
Shattuck, a Richards High School graduate, also has received support on the homefront, from his wife, Toni, their two sons and a number of local businesses, including Jeffrey LaMorte salons and Charter Fitness. Seems whenever he asks fellow Southlanders for help, he somehow always gets it.
He’s hoping that will be the case with his newest quest.
Among the specific items he’s looking for this time are tools, PVC pipe, video projectors, office supplies and chairs, which can be donated through Jan. 1. He’s also collecting musical instruments, to be used in the new music school, through April. The materials do not have to be new and can be dropped off at participating Charter Fitness centers.
“People probably don’t even know what they have laying around, cluttering up their homes,” he said. “They can clean out and help others at the same time.”
Shattuck’s interest in Haiti predates the earthquake by more than a decade.
He first learned about the charity Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, an international nonprofit that cares for orphaned and abandoned children in nine Latin American countries, through St. Elizabeth Seton Church in Orland Hills. In his efforts to make sense of his then-2-year-old son’s bout with leukemia, he got involved with the organization. His son survived the disease and is today studying to become a doctor.
Meanwhile, Shattuck — who owns his own appraisal business in addition to Secure Data Communications, a new company striving to bring Internet access to Latin America’s poorest countries — has turned humanitarian relief into a full-blown, albeit unpaid, career.
Today, he is the international representative for corporate in-kind donations for Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos. He is also vice chairman of Friends of the Orphans Midwest.
“Through baby steps and education,” he said. “That’s how things will change in Haiti.”
So while you’re pondering your own list of holiday wants, consider the simple needs of some folks who are working tirelessly to give the less fortunate not just a happy holiday but a better life.
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