from the Chicago Tribune, July 12, 2000

AGENCY FOUNDER REACHES OUT TO CHILDREN

Janna Graber

        Susan Krabacher has a passion for the children of Haiti. The

36-year-old woman runs the Foundation for Worldwide Mercy and Sharing,

a non-profit agency that cares for more than 1,600 children at five

orphanages, six schools and two medical clinics in Haiti.

        A former model who lives in Aspen, Colo., Krabacher first learned

about Haiti--and the fate of its children--six years ago. "I saw a TV

program on orphans that made me want to get involved," she says.

        A few weeks after seeing the show, Krabacher traveled to Haiti.

She was shocked by the conditions she found, and determined to come

back and make a difference. "I originally thought I was going to come

down to sponsor a child," Krabacher says. "But I just couldn't walk

away. In the U.S., we have poor, but there is always some way to get

help. Here there isn't. There are children on the brink of dying--and

who do die of starvation."

        In 1995, Krabacher and her husband, attorney Joe Krabacher, co-founded

the Foundation. While she spends most of her time fund raising,

Krabacher spends at least three months a year on the island.

Her work is often dangerous--especially at the Foundation's school in

Cite Soleil, Haiti's largest slum. Each day, more than 100 students

cram into three tiny rooms at the school. There is no electricity or

water and the heat is stifling. The school is threatened by gang

activity. Yet the students seem happy to be there. In addition to an

education, the school provides, for many, their only meal of the day.

        Across town, the Foundation runs the Mercy House, an orphanage for ill

or disabled children. Here about 35 children, many who were found

abandoned in a back room of a hospital, receive love and care.

        Besides directly helping the children, the Foundation has created

desperately needed jobs. Eighty-two Haitian employees are involved

with the Foundation's work.

        Caring for so many children is no small endeavor, but Krabacher has

had some help. In June, American Airlines donated use of a 757 jet to

take 30,000 pounds of supplies to Krabacher's orphanages. The diapers,

food and cleaning supplies were gathered and delivered by Airline

Ambassadors, a non-profit group made up of employees from various

airlines who donate time to charitable projects.