To
succeed, you must first believe that you can. That’s
what Paul and May Gayle Mengert, founders and top executives of AMG, Association Management Group,
Inc., one of the Carolinas’ largest professional homeowners
association managers, discovered was their volunteer mission: helping people in
need believe they can succeed. Their area of focus? Haiti, a Caribbean country
of 9.9 million people on 11,000 square miles on the island of Hispaniola. Independent since 1804,
it’s the only nation in the world established as a result of a successful slave
revolt, a country that soundly defeated three European nations: Britain, Spain and
France.
Like
many, Paul first volunteered in Haiti, already the poorest nation in the
Western Hemisphere, after the January 2010 earthquake that registered a
catastrophic 7.0 on the Richter scale, claiming countless lives and leaving
millions homeless and jobless. A commercial instrument-rated pilot and
PTI (Piedmont Triad International)
Airport Director and Treasurer, Paul joined the Haiti mission flights of Bahamas Habitat, an international service
organization that partners with volunteer pilots and aviation industry
professionals to provide dignified humanitarian outreach in the form of
disaster relief and basic medical, economic, housing and other aid to the
people of Haiti, The Bahamas and Mexico. In the last year he’s made three
flights to a Cap Haitien orphanage that was caring for 30 children with no
beds, unreliable water and electricity, no medicine and little food. Mengert
and his mission co-pilot Sam Schoolfield, a US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel,
along with their wives and other volunteer pilots, delivered beds, clothing,
food, soccer balls, board games and toys and, most recently, worked with local
residents to complete repairs to the water pump. The Mengerts’ team also raised
nearly $10,000 for Bahamas Habitat’s Haiti relief. “We love being able to
make a difference in children’s lives,” Paul observed. “We believe we’re
helping create a culture of opportunity and success.”
The Mengerts thrive on going beyond serving and
actually helping create something viable and sustainable. They have long been
supporters of Rebuild Globally,
a nonprofit started a few months after the earthquake which found that, once
aid was delivered and basic food, water, shelter and medical needs were med,
what Haitians really wanted–needed–was work Rebuild Globally builds social businesses to equip and
empower vulnerable citizens around the world. Paul, now a board member, helps
advise Haitian entrepreneurs at Port-au-Prince’s Deux Mains Designs, the
for-profit arm of the organization that supports the fight against poverty in
Haiti in the most dignified way. Deux Mains craftsmen and women create and sell
authentic, handmade Love-Haiti sandals made from up-cycled tires and
locally-sourced goat leather to merchandisers in the US, including clothing
designer Kenneth Cole. Like the
Mengerts, Cole was moved to action after the earthquake. He launched an
in-store shoe drive, sending thousands of pairs of shoes to Haitians in need.
Supporting Love-Haiti sandals is the latest in a long line of in-store
fundraisers, employee volunteer trips to rebuild communities, opening a store
in Haiti and endowing The Kenneth Cole Haiti Health Center at St. Mary’s
Hospital in Cité Soleil. “Paul’s generous and incredible willingness
to fly manufacturing machines into Haiti has been absolutely imperative to help
us meet our goals of employing people in Haiti,” said Rebuild Globally founder
and CEO Julie Columbino. “Without that equipment, our craftsmen and women would
not have the ability to produce sandals in an efficient manner that makes us
competitive in the international sector. With every bit of
technology that we are able to implement into our model, we become more
sustainable, ensuring families in Haiti have access to dignified employment. We
have also been without electricity at times, which is absolutely detrimental to
our production. The generator that Paul flew in for us allows us to
always stay open.”
The
support, attention and empowerment are working. Deux Mains has up-cycled nearly
9000 tires, employs more than 20 earthquake survivors and has grown sales 760%
since its founding in 2010. First Lady Michelle Obama was featured on the
August 2014 cover of Essence Magazine wearing a dress designed by Haitian
American Azede
Jean-Pierre, who made her official New York Fashion Week debut in
September of 2013.
Paul
received the Order of The
Long Leaf Pine from Governor Bev Perdue for his relief work in Haiti.
The award inspires and encourages acts of kindness, charity and service to
others by recognizing North Carolinians who have demonstrated exemplary service
or made an exceptional contribution to the State or their communities. “Serving
in Haiti is not easy because of the politics and logistics,” Paul remarked.
"While donations are an immediate help and badly needed, learning a skill
allows one to become self-sufficient without the need to rely on outside
support. That’s what May Gayle and I enjoy: using our business skills not only
to assist our community association clients but also to empower people in
need."
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