AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new primary school for 500 children in Minoterie, Haiti was dedicated today to the memory of Dobbs and Reed Eddings, who were tragically killed in a car crash in Charlotte, N.C. last year.
Following the accident, Gentry Eddings, a pastor at Forest Hill Church in Charlotte, and his wife, Hadley, asked that donations in memory of their sons go to Mission of Hope, Haiti, an organization they had both worked with in the past. Almost $200,000 was donated and their church committed to additional funds to collectively pay for construction of an elementary school in honor of Dobbs and Reed.
"Most people who live to be 100 don't leave a legacy like this," said Hadley, who was pregnant with Reed at the time of the crash. Dobbs was 2-years-old.
Mission of Hope completed construction on the Dobbs and Reed Elementary School last month. The school has already enrolled 360 children, whose education is made possible by individual sponsors through Mission of Hope. In total, 500 students will attend the school. The children will receive a hot meal every day and a Christ-centered education.
During the emotional ceremony today, Eddings family members and Forest Hill Church staff gathered with Mission of Hope to honor the memory of Dobbs and Reed and pray for the students who fill the classrooms.
"In a situation like this where so much bad has happened, this is one way we can really see God's goodness in this and how he can use evil and make it good," explained Hadley, who says she and her husband have forgiven the driver responsible for the accident.
Minoterie is just north of Port au Prince and has a high homeless population as a result of the 2010 earthquake. There are very few jobs in Minoterie, and very few children are educated. Mission of Hope is working to change this reality by educating the next generation and building sustainable housing in the community. The organization believes education is critical to bringing hope to the people of Haiti and to seeing a nation transformed.
For more information on sponsoring a child, click here.
For interviews or more information, contact Bridget Henderson at bridget@mohhaiti.org.
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