Public Charity to Bring Greater Opportunities For Support and Partnerships
In response to the growing needs of its expanding educational and humanitarian efforts in Haiti, The Mortel Family Charitable Foundation has announced the formation of “The Mortel High Hopes for Haiti Foundation” a 501(c)(3) recently recognized by the IRS as a not-for-profit public charity.
The Mortel High Hopes for Haiti Foundation (Mortel HHH) will assume financial, administrative and operational responsibilities for several schools in Haiti founded and operated over the last 15 years by the Mortel Family Charitable Foundation (MFCF), a private foundation established in 1997. Both Foundations were established by Dr. Rod Mortel, a native of Haiti, who was the Founding Director of the Penn State University Cancer Center after an outstanding career in surgical oncology, and in his retirement from the medical field, decided to give back to his native country.
The mission to “Empower Through Education” began over 15 years ago with the construction and operation of an elementary school in St. Marc. Since that time, it has expanded and now also operates a pre-school, secondary school, and adult literacy program, all serving the economically, socially and intellectually deprived people of Haiti.
As a public charity, Mortel HHH will have greater access to opportunities for funding with the ability to attract support from other public charities, corporations, and private foundations. “Haiti faces so many challenges with extreme poverty and a lack of infrastructure that limits access to electricity, clean water, and quality nutrition and education. Issues that affect our students and their families regularly,” said Dr. Mortel. “We must find ways to obtain the resources needed to educate, inspire, and support Haiti’s next generation of leaders for years to come.”
Mortel HHH’s mission will be to form a new generation of Haitians who are empowered through education to lead self-sufficient and productive lives and to become responsible citizens and community leaders. The organization will operate from its headquarters in Hershey, PA, with offices in Baltimore, MD and St. Marc, Haiti. The MFCF will continue to operate as a private foundation and indirectly support the schools in Haiti.