On October 7, 2010 Fairwinds Trading, BrandAid Haiti, Macy's and other partners held the launch of Macy's Heart of Haiti collection at the Dadeland store. The Heart of Haiti program began in June, 2010 when the William J. Clinton Foundation sent out a call for private firms to help rekindle the Haitian artisan economy.

Working extraordinarily quickly, Fairwinds Trading, with their partners BrandAid, and the amazing artisans of Haiti were able to design, develop, produce and bring to market approximately 20,000 hand-crafted Haitian items within 100 days. This project provided immediate employment for 235 artisans and has generated income for packers, suppliers, and shippers, and significantly improving the lives of 2,100 individuals.

The opening celebration featured a panel discussion with three of the primary artists who were chosen for the Heart of Haiti project: Metal artist Serge Jolimeau, Papier mache artist Pascuale, and master artisan Pierre Satyr. City of North Miami Mayor Andre Pierre moderated the event, which featured speakers such as Willa Shalit, founder and CEO of Fairwinds Trading and our own Kimberly Green, president of the Green Family Foundation. To hear Kimberly Green's speech, visit our YouTube channel.

Fairwinds' Shallit says, "Heart of Haiti follows the Fairwinds model of connecting cultures through business, art and understanding.  Americans can now have a piece of the brilliant culture of Haiti in their own homes, and the Haitian artists are connecting to the marketplace, resulting in prosperity and hope."

FastForward Haiti, a content partner of the Green Family Foundation, provided multimedia and videos for the event which was well-attended and featured folkloric dancers (see a performance), Haitian drummers and singers, and Haitian foods.

CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO SEE IT LARGER AND READ CAPTIONS

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