In 1979, it was decided that Bill and Alice White’s commitment to their church, Providence United Methodist Church (“PUMC”), located in Charlotte, North Carolina, would be through making Haiti a better place. It was in 1980 that Bill and Alice decided to donate their 50 foot sailboat, The Pieces of Eight, to the church and set sail from the Chesapeake Bay towards Haiti. They had a calling and they
felt a connection to a beautiful country that so desperately needed help from many! Their passion for helping this country quickly spread and the Haiti Mission was born. In an effort to strengthen the volunteer and donation base, The Haiti Mission Foundation, a 501(c)(3) was created, where Alice White still sits on the Board of Directors. The Foundation organizes regular trips to a clinic in Tovar, 45 minutes outside of Cap Haitian, with a team of doctors and volunteers armed with one goal, spread the faith through help and healing. The history of The Haiti Mission is not without its failures; however, the structures and achievements made over 30 years, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, is what many would call a miracle. In 1979, when PUMC accepted Bill and Alice’s donation, Bill was charged with navigating the ship to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Bill quickly assessed the repairs and outfitting this would take and got to work. With the help of friends and family, The Pieces of Eight set sail towards Haiti on August 8, 1980. He made several stops along the way at various Caribbean islands where his crew (friends and family) were replaced by others. On August 25, 1980, The Pieces of Eight arrived at Port-au-Prince and was officially turned over to Reverand Edouard Domond, the general superintendent of the Eglise Methodiste of Haiti. In December of 1981, Bill and Alice flew to Haiti aboard their twin engine Seneca airplane. This was Alice's first trip and also the beginning of a lifelong commitment to the people of Haiti. "We were profoundly touched by all we saw and learned during that trip,” explained Alice. The Pieces of Eight was then charged with transporting goods and humanitarian supplies to villages on the west coast of Haiti and to the island of La Gonave, population of 20,000, with no direct connection to the mainland. An attempt was made to turn the vessel into a full service fishing boat to serve the villages on the west coast; unfortunately, the waters off the west coast proved to be inadequate. While Bill was busy navigating the waters of Haiti with goods for its people, Alice was conjuring up another plan for the people of Haiti. Alice began to understand the people and their needs by immersing herself in the communities. She saw a medical need and returned home with one goal in mind - enrolling in nursing school, earn a degree, and create a clinic to provide medical services. To this day, she is the fundamental driving force for many medical missions that continue to serve Northern Haiti. In 1982, as the efforts in Haiti began to grow, the church began collaborating with Bill and Alice on creating the “Haiti Mission”. PUMC became a vital component of the success of this mission by providing financial and volunteer support. This same year, a second fishing expedition was executed in an effort to create a more sustainable industry. Bill and Alice toured the southern area, including Port-au-Prince, and the western area near Petit Goave. To reach the northern region near Cap Haitien, they relied on Bill and his airplane. They were met by Reverand Ed Holmes, the pastor of the Cap Haitien Circuit, who guided them on an extensive tour of the northern area. Upon return from this excursion, the PUMC missions committee reported back to the church and its members. After seeing the poverty and deplorable living conditions in northern Haiti, it was decided that this would be their humanitarian effort focus. Much had to be done - both money and people needed to be recruited. Over the years, the Haitians were unable to maintain the boat in spite of Bill and Alice frequent visits to conduct repairs. Bill advised the Haitian Church that unless they could maintain it properly, it should be sold. In 1984, The Pieces of Eight was sold to a man named Volel. The proceeds from this sale were used to construct the second phase of this amazing story. It all started with the boat, but ends with the building of the Dondon and Tovar Medical Clinic. In 1985, construction began on the Dondon and Tovar medical clinics and within that same year the first medical team (all volunteers who paid their own way) arrived and got to work. Their efforts focused on providing medical services to patients in need, finishing touches on construction issues, and development of wells that would provide water to the communities. The patients flocked to these clinics and the need for larger medical teams grew. These teams included: internists, family practitioners, pediatricians, opthalmologists dentists, surgeons, nurses, and staff - all volunteers who paid their own way. To this day, medical, surgical, and dental teams from all over the United States travel to the Tovar and Latannarie Clinics 4-5 times a year. Individual medical personnel travel on a frequent basis whenever they can take time from their practices at home. Professional Haitian medical personnel now share the responsibility for medical care at these clinics. With the encouragement and support of the Haiti Mission of the Providence United Methodist Church, Bill and Alice White’s dreams are being realized. There is still much to do, but with the generosity and kindness of hundreds of people it will continue to be done. For a more in depth presentation of this story, please see: "The Real Miracle: United Methodist Missions at Work" by Rev. Harvey Dickson, Providence House Publishers, 2000.
