Berkshire Juvenile Court Probation Officers
Usher in 2007 Helping Out in Haiti

Berkshire County Juvenile Court Probation Officers Colleen Murphy and Alexander Daugherty are among a group of volunteers -- students and professionals-- who will assist medical staff at a rural clinic and participate in a habitat-building project in Haiti.

The mission is part of a program called the Haiti Plunge, a program sponsored by the Church Outreach To Youth (COTY) Project, Inc. in North Adams. Throughout the year, eight to 10 teams of volunteers travel to the Caribbean country to provide medical assistance and help build the infrastructure of a nine-bush village rural agricultural cooperative located in the Matheu Mountain Range. The cooperative covers a 25-mile radius and is in the Central Plateau of Haiti, 60 miles north of Port au Prince, Haiti’s capital.

As part of Haiti Plunge 2007, Murphy – who embarked on the 12-day mission on December 29th -- is helping to staff a rural health clinic which is undergoing renovations to add a much needed pharmacy. The clinic serves 20,000 people.

Daugherty, who is scheduled to leave for Haiti in February, will work with the habitat-building team whose goal is to complete the construction of three houses. Both Daugherty and Murphy will also assist in teaching English to Haitian students who will travel to the Berkshires this spring as part of the Haiti Plunge student/work exchange program.

Berkshire Chief Probation Officer William Gale said of Murphy and Daugherty, “I commend both Probation Officers for their continued commitment to helping young people and their families. This project is another example of our Probation Officers going beyond the call of duty to serve the less fortunate. I wish them well.”

Daughtery said his trip to Haiti as part of Haiti Plunge 2007 is the realization of a goal he made three years ago.

“It is one way to further my aspirations as a volunteer,” said Daugherty, an avid volunteer and mentor to troubled youths. “I am committing myself to a project I think is worthwhile.”

He is especially looking forward to working side-by-side with residents of the village, using the local raw materials to build homes that will replace the one-room, shanty-type structures with more sturdy dwellings, Daugherty said.