About Us

Our beginning

In January 2010, the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti, served as the catalyst that would propel Marcie Dubuche-Lherisson-Elysee and Paul Lherisson to become the founders and unite family members to help their hometown of Jacmel, Haiti. After several nights of strategizing, Renaissance Jacmelienne de New York Inc (RJNY) was founded.

We immediately began collecting emergency relief donations from the community in New York in preparation for the first relief mission to Haiti. On February 12th, five members of the organization traveled to Jacmel, Haiti with 41 suitcases containing medical supplies, toiletries, food, and clothing. Upon arrival, the members were utterly shocked at the dire living conditions that the media had not addressed. The relief items were donated to the residents most in need, primarily in remote, rural areas. RJNY, Inc. members realized that one trip was not enough to truly affect change, so they proceeded to make 2 more trips that year fully equipped with relief donations.

After building strong relationships with local organizations, schools, and community leaders, RJNY, Inc. stayed committed to the reconstruction of Jacmel in hopes of continuing its humanitarian efforts for years to come.

Where we are now

After 10+ years in operation, RJNY is currently focusing its efforts on supporting children’s education in Jacmel and the southern areas of Haiti. As we all know, children are the future. Throughout the current political and geographical instability plaguing the nation, our goal is to ensure that children have access to a quality education, so that one day they can create the changes needed for their community. Approximately, 80% of the schools in Haiti are private institutions, and an overwhelming number of families are unable to afford to send their children to school.

RJNY has a team on the ground in Jacmel that works closely with local private schools to identify families that are in need of financial assistance. Thus, with the help of your donations, we provide students with a full year of tuition. Without our help, 40+students would not be able to attend school this year alone. We hope that you can help us continue our fight to ensure that every child has an opportunity to learn despite their family’s financial situation.


Future Goals

RJNY, Inc. strives to take a holistic approach and adopt the concept of “One Community at a Time” to create a positive impact in the southern region of Haiti. We hope to expand our reach by providing sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. Access to water and electricity are some of the most significant issues facing Haiti today. Some of RJNY’s goals are to build water wells with filtration systems and install solar panel systems in the southern communities that are most in need. In addition to financial donations, we welcome experienced professionals from the water and energy industries, who are able to advise us with strategy and implementation. With your belief and assistance, RJNY, Inc. will achieve these goals and have a positive impact on one community at a time. At this time, we hope to raise $206,000.

These funds are needed to help a school and a community in Jacmel, Haiti and to maintain and enhance the services that we currently provide for the students that we sponsor. We are especially dedicated to helping the 40+ students that we currently sponsor. Included in the funding that we hope to raise is $10,000 for tuition and canteen expenses for the 2022/2023 school year. The average cost for one student’s tuition is $500 per year; $9.61 per week or $1.37 per day.

RJNY, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and your donations are non-taxable. Any amount that you donate is priceless! Please help us reach our goal so that we can continue to help our students and community. With your generous help, we can achieve a positive change for the community. Please click the link below for more information about these projects. Click Here

Officers

Juliette Dayana Oriol Bistoury

Co-Founder and Secretary

Co-Founder and Secretary of Renaissance Jacmelienne de New York, Inc. (RJNY, Inc.) is the Director of Operations at Mobilization For Justice, Inc., a non-profit organizations. Although she finds her job rewarding, Dayana’s involvement in RJNY, Inc. brings tremendous satisfaction as she witnesses the difference that RJNY’s work makes in someone’s life. Dayana’s goal is to alleviate the people’s suffering by providing them with basic necessitates to live decent and healthy lives.

Florence Lazard-Dubûche

Co-Founder and Treasurer

Co-Founder and Treasurer of Renaissance Jacmelienne de New York was a Manager in the Finance/Budget Department at New York Presbyterian Hospital. She retired in July 2020, and spends a portion of her time in Jacmel, Haiti. She works with local schools to provide tuition assistance for the students sponsored by RJNY. Her many talents include floral & craft designs for special events and home decor. Florence’s involvement with RJNY, Inc. has allowed her to contribute to her native country in unexpected ways. Her dreams as that of many others is that Haiti will become a successful & prosperous nation and no longer be referred to as “the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.” Being on the ground in Jacmel, she witnesses the day to day frustrations and struggles of the people. It’s sad to see a country with so much potential being wasted through violence, political chaos, greed and desperation!

Kathleen Lhérisson-Belot, LPN

Co-Founder and Director

Co-Founder and Director of Renaissance Jacmelienne de New York, Inc. (RJNY, Inc.), is an ER nurse at Queens Hospital Center. She has also worked for the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System in Manhasset, NY, and with various agencies in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Kathleen is greatly concerned about children’s education in Jacmel, and her dream is to have all children in school, getting an education. She knows that without a strong, universal education system in Haiti, the country will not move forward. In addition to helping to rebuild schools in Jacmel, Kathleen wants to work for universal, mandatory education, which does not now exist in Haiti. Kathleen believes that one day Jacmel, Haiti will become a prosperous town and gain the respect of the International community.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADVISORY BOARD

Marcie Dubûche-Lhérisson-Elysée

Founder & Advisory Chair of RJNY

Nurse & Labor Organizer, 1199SEIU

Onika Shepherd Barnabe

Advisor of RJNY

Political Director, 1199SEIU

Gabrielle Marcelin-Cappelli

Co-Founder / Advisor of RJNY

Licensed Master Social Work, Rutland Nursing Home & Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center

Daphnée Dubûche

Advisor of RJNY

Medical Assistant, Pro Health