"I am Chair of Free the Kids"

From: Bill Commer
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2011 5:09 PM
To: 'paul.kendrick@rbc.com'
Cc: 'chad.scott@freethekids.org'
Subject: Free the Kids/Pwoje Espwa

Mr. Kendrick

I am the Chair of Free the Kids. It has been called to my attention that you posted a comment on Father Marc’s blog that would indicate that I’ve somehow ignored a concern that you may have raised with regards to our organization and the Haitian children in our care. Sir, I’m not aware of any communication from you or with you, but I would, of course, be happy to speak with you at a convenient time.

In fact, I’ve asked our Vice-President, Mr. Chad Scott, to find a convenient time for the three of us to discuss your concerns. Mr. Scott will be at our facility in Haiti for the next two weeks, but I feel certain that he will make some time upon his return.

From what I’ve been told, you have further expressed aggravation to one of our Board Members, Mr. Robert Morris. Although I am a bit unclear about your specific concerns, I can assure you that Free the Kids/ESPWA is singularly focused on providing a safe haven and a nurturing environment for many vulnerable Haitian children. Our policy is quite simply one of zero tolerance with respect to child abuse, whether the abuse is from our staff, our volunteers, our visitors, our residents, or even our Founder.  

I assure you that Mr. Scott and I will endeavor to address your apparent concerns at our earliest mutual convenience. In the interim, I would kindly ask you to have some respect for the efforts of our organization and those who support our work with Haiti’s children. That respect could best be shown by not posting further derogatory comments on our website.

We will thank you in advance for showing us some respect. We will also respect your need to convey your concerns to us. Mr. Scott or I will be in contact with you as soon as he returns from his field work.

Regards,

William Commer