Ten years ago, 12 Lynn University students and two faculty members visited Haiti as part of a humanitarian course called Journey of Hope. They served the poor and brought hope to countless people with visits to a children’s handicapped home and an all-girls orphanage.
Following their service on Jan. 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Port-au-Prince. It devastated the island and took the lives of four of the 12 Lynn students and both faculty members. The university remembers Stephanie Crispinelli, Britney Gengel, Christine Gianacaci, Courtney Hayes, Dr. Patrick Hartwick and Dr. Richard Bruno every year, at the moment the earthquake struck.
Lynn held a ceremony to honor the 10-year anniversary on Sunday. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends and family, as well as several surviving students, gathered in Remembrance Plaza—a place of reflection and inspiration. President Kevin M. Ross led the moment of silence before attendees paid their respects inside the memorial.
“After the earthquake, members of our Lynn community gathered in this area to hold candlelight vigils, and they made sure those luminaries glowed brightly every single evening until we had found the last missing member of our Lynn family,” Ross recalled. “Many of you never had the opportunity to meet these remarkable six individuals, but you know their story through this incredible memorial, which stands not only to remind us of their service, but to inspire us as well.”
Families carry on the legacies of their loved ones in many ways, from creating funds and scholarships to building schools and running an orphanage in Haiti.
Lynn also honors the Journey of Hope legacy during January Term through its annual Knights Unite Day of Caring, a single day of service that began Jan. 12, 2011, and the Citizenship Project. Over the past three years, participants packed and delivered 2,000 Comfort Cases for children in foster care.
Since 2011, Lynn has partnered with 38 different organizations and completed over 40,500 service hours as part of the Citizenship Project. This year, 34 classes are participating in 110 service experiences with Big Dog Ranch Rescue, Boca Helping Hands, Boca West Medical, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Paint Your Heart Out and more.
“Together, we have done so much good work over the past decade as we carry on Stephanie, Britney, Christine, Courtney, Dr. Hartwick and Dr. Bruno’s spirit of service—thank you to everyone who has helped make a difference in their names,” said Ross. “We are proud to share their story with future generations through this memorial and the acts of goodness they will continue to inspire us to do.”
