Greensboro/Winston Salem HOA Management Company Provides Aid for Haitian Orphans During Recent Trip
Greensboro, NC (PRWEB) March 11, 2015 -- Paul and May Gayle Mengert, founders of one of the Carolina's leading homeowner association management companies, Association Management Group (AMG), have worked for years helping their client communities improve their properties. Now, AMG and the couple have also become committed to helping improve the lives of 28 orphan children in Cap Haiten, Haiti.
In October 2012, Bahamas Habitat was looking for pilots to deliver supplies and pedal crank sewing machines to Pignon, a small village in north Haiti. The Mengerts and their company agreed to help and have been connect to Haiti ever since. Paul Mengert, a commercial pilot and president of Association Management Group, which manages several hundred community associations in the Carolinas, was joined by Sam Schoolfield, a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Marine Corps, a pilot experienced in flying not only in the US, but also in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Since that trip, Mengert has made several deliveries to an orphanage in Port Au Prince. He was also recently invited to serve on the board of REBUILD Globally, a charity based in Orlando, Florida that trains Haitians to manufacture sandals from recycled tires. That project has enjoyed recent success thanks to apparel designer and retailer Kenneth Cole, who has started selling the "Love Haiti" sandals in stores.
In December, Paul Mengert, President of AMG learned of a new mission. While delivering Christmas presents and clothing to Port Au Prince, he heard about a struggling orphanage near Cap Haitian that was caring for 28 children, but doing it without reliable electricity and running water, and with insufficient food, medicine and beds. In a rented car, he drove to the orphanage with a Canadian missionary to see what could be done to help. Mengert, experienced with successfully implementing projects in community associations, was ready. "I figured that since we have been successfully implementing complex projects for communities for 25 years, we could figure out a plan to make a real difference for these 28 children," he said. “Maybe not for every needy child in Haiti, but for these 28, we could." With the financial help of the Ostberg Foundation, volunteers organized a food delivery, retained a doctor to visit the children and hired a handyman.
In February, Mengert, accompanied by May Gayle, his wife and business partner of nearly 30 years, along with his friend Sam Schoolfield and 17-year-old Sam Jr., returned to Haiti, 1,000 miles southeast of North Carolina. This time, the with beds, linens, towels and clothing. “Kids who did not have a bed to sleep in now do," Schoolfield commented.
While the Clinton Foundation and others have pumped millions of dollars into Haiti, it’s often the small person-to-person assistance like the Mengerts provided that has immediate and tangible results. "We all have opportunities to help others,” May Gayle Mengert pointed out. “But, if you’re like me, you think, with my busy schedule, just how much difference can I make? Particularly when you are talking about solving the problems of a country with massive needs like Haiti, it is a bit overwhelming. But, if we can help even one child have food and medical care, that child's life will be improved. We can make a real difference."
The Mengerts, Association Management Group has rallied behind helping. May Gayle remarked, "Virtually all of all staff members have helped." Paul added, "... AMG has a great team of people and we can do great things for those less fortunate."
The Mengerts say they intend to return again in March. They will be taking more beds and clothing. May Gayle said, "Our staff and many clients have supported our mission and helped us change the lives of these precious 28 children who were born into unfortunate, very difficult circumstances. We have been able to get them medical help, supplies and thanks to a wonderful small charitable foundation, even hired two new teachers who are teaching the children five days a week."
Donations to assist with supplies and future missions may be made by visiting Bahamas Habitat click DONATE, then choose the Haiti Relief Fund.
About Association Management Group, Inc.: AMG offers assistance to community associations and their executive boards throughout the Carolinas. The firm has offices in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Raleigh NC and Greenville and Aiken, SC. Effective community associations must have experienced management in order to protect the interests of residents within their community, and AMG is the company to provide such management. AMG is knowledgeable in enforcing community governing documents effectively, with a proven set of processes and techniques. AMG assists communities throughout the Carolinas with a broad range of services, which can be tailored to individual community needs. Association Management Group, Inc. is a locally Accredited Business by the BBB and is a nationally Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC) by the Community Associations Institute.
Nikki Warhurst, Association Management Group, Inc., http://www.amgworld.com, +1 (336)273-8600 Ext: 2015, [email protected]
Share this article