HOULTON, Maine — To figure out an 11-year-old’s birthday party can be pretty confusing, especially if he does not know what he wants to do. That is what Amanda Willette was facing with her son. She waited. His birthday plans were very unexpected.
“There is nothing that I need for my birthday,” Braden Dow unequivocally announced to his mother. “So, would it be OK if I asked for donations for Strong Tower Orphanage instead of presents so I can help them get things that they need?”
“It totally surprised me. I said ‘Absolutely, I think that is a great idea,” said Willette.
Dow, a fifth-grader at Greater Houlton Christian Academy, has been learning about the orphanage in Haiti supported by the Military Street Baptist Church for two years during chapel at the academy.
“I saw that they were donating money at chapel and I thought I would raise a lot of money to help with the girls’ needs,” Dow said. “The girls need clothes and food. I wanted to support them for awhile.”
“I was not aware that he was giving to [the orphanage] until I saw the invitation to his party,” said Nathan Foster, fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at GHCA. “He is a giving individual who thinks deeply about others who are in need.”
“I have enough things and I thought it would be good to help them out,” Dow added.
When Lori Gardiner, treasurer and board member of Strong Tower Orphanage, read the email from Willette she said, “I had tears in my eyes. What a wonderful and generous thing to do.”
After his party on Feb. 16, Dow and a friend counted up the donations.
“We were ecstatic,” said Willette. “I wanted him to see this through and personally hand the money to the person who would get it to the orphanage.”
On March 3, Dow presented $310 to Gardiner and Pastor Randall Burns of the Military Street Baptist Church — The Church on the Hill. Burns left March 5 for Haiti and was able to present the gift in person to officials at the orphanage.
“It felt awesome. Yeah, I thought it felt great, ” said Dow. “I was kind of worried that the money would get lost. But, I got to hand it to Pastor Burns and he said he would take it for me and he was surprised at how much money I was able to raise.”
One American dollar will equal nine Haitian dollars.
“The amount that Braden gave will take care of two girls for a month,” said Burns. “It really is amazing. That is their food, shelter, education, care, house mothers … absolutely everything they need to sustain them.”
Dow’s generous gesture is starting the process of securing funds to cover a year’s expense to bring a couple of more girls to the orphanage.
“We celebrated that with our Haitian partners, who were so grateful,” said Burns. “They do not have anything that they can bring to that equation. There are no jobs. There is no financial income that can do any of that. So whenever an example like this comes forth, especially from a child, they just praise God.
“We continue to explore when we can get some more girls off the streets and into care,” he added. “That has become the huge burden since we have come back. That needs to be our ongoing priority because it is God’s priority.”
Burns said the girls were “thriving” and it was “unbelievable to see the change in them since November.”
With such a gift, Burns noted there is “a deep humility” from their Haitian friends and a “deep, deep gratitude because they know there is no way they can bring in the resources. Braden has been a huge link in the partnership aspect, whether he knows it or not. He has had a critical role in a dually aligned [partnership]. They do all they can. We do all we can. And together it is making something awesome, as God supplies, inspires and multiplies what we give back to Him for orphan care.”
“This experience is very memorable for him,” Willette said.
Dow extends thanks to all who supported his endeavor.
“Thanks for coming and helping,” he said. “I plan to do as much as I can to help in the future and I pray that their needs are met.”
“To see the joy both in our host church — those who are providing hour by hour care for the girls — and the girls’ faces with what life has brought to them and is bringing. They have hope. There is a new anticipation … the possibility … it is hard to describe,” said Burns. “What Braden brought is all part of what it takes.”
