Reiser Relief fund-raising event keeps wheels turning, brings hope to Haiti
by Sue Austreng
Staff Writer
Rev. Bernard Reiser, faithful humanitarian and man of tireless compassion, extends an invitation to the fifth annual Keep the Wheel Turning Reiser Relief fund-raising event.
Rev. Bernard Reiser, founder of Reiser Relief, Inc. and founding pastor of Epiphany Catholic Church in Coon Rapids, last year expressed heartfelt thanks to Tom Hoffman, director of Totino-Grace Jazz Ensemble. The ensemble will again entertain attendees at the annual fund-raiser. File photo by Sue Austreng
The gala, staged at the Courtyards of Andover from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, is set to entertain and inspire, fuel the fire and elicit the energies and raise the dollars necessary to continue Reiser Relief efforts in Haiti.
“Join me in our efforts to help the neediest people in the western hemisphere and bring hope where hope is so desperately needed,” Reiser said.
That hope is extended via Reiser Relief, Inc., a volunteer run non-profit 501(c)3 corporation founded by Reiser in order to “help the impoverished people of the Caribbean country of Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
The social and environmental problems are the greatest challenges the people of Haiti are facing today,” as stated on reiserrelief.blogspot.com.
For just a $5 general admission fee, guests attending the April 26 event can enjoy food and entertainment, auction action, raffles and live music.
Sherwin Linton and his band is set to provide musical entertainment and the Totino-Grace Jazz Ensemble will also perform during the event.
A collection of Reiser’s best columns from the past three decades has been compiled in book form and that book, “Reiser’s Ramblings,” will be sold at the event, too.
All profits from the sale of the book go to Reiser Relief’s Haitian relief efforts.
In fact, all donations to Reiser Relief are 100 percent tax deductible and a receipt is issued for each contribution.
“All donations are carefully handled and directed to our Haiti projects and each dollar is accounted for,” Reiser said.
More about Reiser Relief
Reiser Relief provides essential services to aid Haitians in their day-to-day efforts to survive.
These services include providing fresh water, stocking food centers and funding education and eldercare facilities.
Many Reiser Relief outreach projects serve impoverished people living in or near Cité Soleil, a slum near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
Reiser Relief funds a water truck that operates six days a week, delivering hundreds of gallons of fresh water – free of charge – to the poor neighborhoods of Cité Soleil.
Reiser Relief also supports the transportation of highly nutritious food packets provided through Feed My Starving Children.
Each packet provides all the nutrition necessary for one person to survive for one day.
“Thank you for joining us at the Keep the Wheel Turning event… It is a marvelous opportunity to share in a spirit of thanksgiving to God for all we have received,” said Reiser.
“In gratitude, we can share our gifts with the poor in Haiti and thus give them renewed hope. Our gifts of water, food, shelter and education provide them with the essential elements of life.
“By helping them, we become more aware that many of God’s people are far less fortunate than we are.”
For more information about the April 26 Reiser Relief event, call Doris Schulte at 612-282-0106 or visit www.reiserrelief.com/haiti-relief-event.html.
To learn more about Reiser Relief, Inc., visit www.reiserrelief.org.
Sue Austreng is at sue.austreng@ecm-inc.com
