Seeing a need in Haiti, student springs into action

By Heather Miller, The Daily Iberian

NEW IBERIA – For some, watching the coverage of the devastating earthquake that recently destroyed Port-au-Prince, Haiti, brought a sense of sadness and helplessness.

But for eighth-grade Highland Baptist Christian School student Amy Hayes, the tragedy not only hit closer to home than most, it inspired her to keep alive a mission that could have gone by the wayside when her relative died in the aftermath of the earthquake Jan. 12.

Hayes had never met her cousin’s wife, Jean Arnwine, who was on her first mission trip in Haiti delivering eyeglasses to clinics that treat the eyes of the overwhelmingly poor Haitian population. Arnwine brought with her to Haiti more than 800 used pairs of eyeglasses that she collected through donations.