By Laura Medina
Dr. John F Sessa
Dr. John F. Sessa isn't a medical doctor, but a PhD. in Doctorate of Business Administration concentrating in International Business and Global Finance from Argosy University with a big heart of gold.
When he's not working as a business and marketing analyst Elite International Partners, a Venture Capital firm with global projects, John volunteers for Organics of Chicago (www.organicsofchicago.org), a non-profit that works with growing healthy neighborhoods, lives and lifestyles through the best of green innovation and social responsibility. He also volunteers for StopYulinForever.org (www.stopyulinforever.org), a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise awareness and end the Yulin Dog Meat Festival forever in China.
Which led him to be the Executive Director of The Vanderpump Dog Foundation and co-founder of Vanderpump Pets with Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd and is currently work on the release of the documentary The Road to Yulin (2017), which is Dr. Sessa’s directorial, writing and producing debut.
His with Vanderpump Pets, in turn, lead him to Haiti and it's earthquake orphans.
Paraphasing him, it's been seven years since the Haiti Earthquake and there are a generation of kids who never grew up with flipping on a switch for electricity. Yes, being with Vanderpump Pets to rescue to the dogs. But, it bring him to a bigger awareness, the orphans.
This had John form Today's Promises, with The Mission Light Church of Life in Haiti. After the 2010 earthquake, the Mission Light Church led
by the Estiverne family of Haiti established an orphanage for children who were in various distressed situations. Most of the children had either lost their parents during the earthquake or were abandoned by their relatives as they could not care for them.
This past Sunday, John used his Hollywood entertainment connections to raise fund at a pool party silent auction party.
The fundraisers’ sponsors were
The Abbey,
Crumble Catering and Events, Setting Entertainment, and
Unbreakable Performance Center.
There's an organization that offers dream trips to raise funds for charity.
There's an auction house to offer rare memorabilia and jewelry to bid on, also to raise money for charity.
Despite being a incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization, as recently as seven months, Today's Promises got the ball rolling as quickly as possible, plus they don't want the children of Haiti to be forgotten as they were seven years ago.
Currently the children are being housed in rented accommodations.
The rental is in a very poor area with no electricity or running water. The short- term goal of Today’s Promises is to move the children to a new rental that provides the basic human needs. This new rental is in a secured environment and has clean running water, electricity, room for a garden and a chicken coop. Phase 2 of the project is to build a community for the children that would meet all their needs and provide peace and serenity daily. Today’s Promises has identified a piece of land where a permanent shelter for the children will be built. The home will be complete with a children’s dormitory, medical facility, school, church, auditorium, cafeteria and a small farm for growing vegetables and rearing chickens for food and protein.
ORGANIZATION’S OBJECTIVES
Short Term / Immediate Objectives
- Presently, the children are housed in a dilapidated building, in a rundown neighborhood. The immediate need is to relocate them to a rented accommodation, while funds are being sought for the purchase and building of a new facility. The rented foundation has electricity, running water, room for a garden and chickens.
- Secure donations for emergency interventions such as providing food, clothing, healthcare and education for the children.
- Set-up standard operating procedures, define organizational policies & ethics, operational, strategic and financial goals. The organization needs policies to prevent child abuse at the facility, recruitment of caregivers and financial management.
- Develop a business plan for the organization.
- Start building relationships with key stakeholders such as government, child rights organizations, funders, etc.
Long Term Objectives
- Raise sufficient funding to build a permanent structure at the identified site.
- Develop the facility into a state of the art orphanage with recreational facilities and a vocational skills training center.
- Introduce animal welfare programs in the orphanage.
- Be financially sound and self-sustaining.
Legal Structure
The organization is in the process of being registered in the United States as a 501(c) 3 non-profit.
They are currently a pending 501(c)3 non profit.
THE CONCEPT
They envision providing a home for orphaned and abandoned children in Haiti. The proposed facility will be complete with standard facilities for such care. Children will be in the age groups of 0-18 years. They will live in dormitories where their daily needs will be handled by caregivers and the administrative staff. Adoptions, family reunions and community reintegration will be important aspects of the work we will doing. The orphanage is a direct response to the precarious condition many children in Haiti find themselves in after the 2010 earthquake. The long term goal will be to educate the children and teach them to be self -sustaining.
The core principles of the organization are centered on offering spiritual comfort, nurturing healthy mental and physical development and in building a community spirit. These are key to bringing up the children to be successful members of their community.
If you miss out on the pool party auction, you can go directly to http://todayspromises.org/get-involved/#sponsor-a-child or donate directly to...
or write a check to...
1431 Market St., Chattanooga Tennessee 37402
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