For the past three years, Saint Francis sophomore basketball player Wisler Sanon and his father have volunteered at a clothing drive in New Jersey.
“We take everything – clothing, jackets, shoes,” said Sanon.
Widely advertised across New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, all items collected through the clothing drive are sent to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Haiti has been highly unstable since the assassination of its former president, Jovenel Moïse, in 2021.
Port-au-Prince – the nation’s capital – has been a very dangerous place since Moïse’s assassination, with violent uprisings and gang activity a daily occurrence throughout the city.
Last month, the United Nations Security Council approved sending an international police force – led by Kenya – to Haiti, in an effort to quell the violence.
“We wanted to find a way to give back and help the people of Haiti,” said Sanon.
The annual clothing drive opens at the beginning of each October, with donations gathered at a community center near Sanon’s hometown of Sicklerville, New Jersey. At the end of the month, all of the items that are collected are sent to Port-au-Prince.
The clothing drive carries a lot of significance for the Sanons – Wisler’s father, Wisler Sanon Sr., has roots in Haiti.
“My father was born and raised in Haiti,” said Sanon. “When he came to America and started to make a living, he wanted to give back to his native community.
“My dad has been to his village frequently in the last couple of years and saw the struggles that have been going on first-hand,” said Sanon.
Last year, Sanon had the opportunity to visit Haiti with his family.
“We saw the village where my dad was born,” recalled Sanon.
Despite the distance between Loretto and Sicklerville and the time that he must dedicate to his studies and his sport, Sanon said he intends to continue making time to volunteer to this cause.
“We plan on doing this for as long as we can.”
