Neptune Police Captain Joins Team to Haiti
By DON STINE
Neptune Police Capt. William Bailey is accompanying Team Haiti Exemplary Mission on a mission to Bon Repos and Cabaret, both located near the capital city of Port-au-Prince in Haiti.
It is the first time a township officer has accompanied the team. He is participating as a volunteer with St. Pauls Church of Ocean Grove.
The team will treat dental problems among poor young people in the poverty-stricken country.
The police department is very proud of the fact that Capt. Bailey is going. We are, of course, concerned with the poverty and conditions facing the children in Haiti and admire the fact this group is going. We are just hoping people here recognize the problem and will donate needed items or money to assist in this effort, said Police Chief Howard ONeil.
The mission is sponsored by St. Pauls Church in Ocean Grove and will run from May 23 to May 28. The mission will assist the Light and Peace Mission Christian School and My Fathers Orphanage, both in Haiti.
The mission will be assisting a team of dentists, led by Dr. Dale C. Whilden and Dr. Sarah C. Brevet, both of Ocean Grove. The team will provide dental relief and care for children – the first such care many of them have ever seen.
My Christian faith calls on me to take care of the less fortunate and this is something Ive chosen to do on my off-duty time, Capt. Bailey said.
To me its an honor to be a part of this team. Chief ONeil and the police department have been overwhelmingly supportive of me in this mission and I have been impressed by that, he said.
Capt. Bailey said his daughter, Mary, was a member on a previous mission and listening to her stories is part of what motivated him to go.
The needs are so great in Haiti and this group has been there before and done great work, he said..
The group is seeking donations of money or supplies for the mission and the Neptune Police Department has established a special collection center for people to drop off the needed supplies or money.
Donations will be accepted until Sunday, May 4 and can be dropped off 24 hours a day at the Neptune police department at 25 Neptune Blvd.
Supplies needed include childrens Tylenol, all sizes of protective non-latex gloves, new toothbrushes, AA batteries, toys, childrens jewelry and soccer equipment.
Classroom supplies, such as composition books, pens, construction paper, crayons, watercolor paint sets, glue stick, drawing tablets and sidewalk chalk, are also being sought.
According to the U.S. State Department, Haiti remains the least-developed country in the western world and one of the poorest in the world.
I will be assisting the team dentists in setting up equipment and doing a lot of the logistical support. I hope we fill a need there that the people there may never have another opportunity to get, he said.
Capt. Bailey said there are serious dental issues among young people in Haiti.
Often, if these dental issues arent addressed, they can develop into infections and other severe medical issues, he said.
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