Lack of medical, dental supplies spurs local Christians to reach out in love

DETROIT — In 1996, Dr. Dominique Monde-Matthews and her husband, Roger Matthews, visited Haiti so Roger could meet Dominique’s family.

While in Haiti, Roger was exposed to the deep-seated poverty in Haiti. When the couple returned to Detroit, they knew they had to do something.

So Roger, a businessman and a parishioner at St. David Episcopalian Church in Southfield, and Dominique, a pediatrician and member of Corpus Christi Parish in Detroit, asked their friends and fellow parishioners for money and supplies to establish a medical clinic.

“We decided we were going to do something for Haiti,” Dr. Monde-Matthews told The Michigan Catholic. “I figured since I was a physician, I can give back in that way.”

Dominique and Roger returned the following year with medical supplies, and a year later brought volunteer physicians to establish a medical clinic.



Fast forward two decades, and the couple’s vision has become the Haiti Outreach Mission, an independent nonprofit collaboration of several local — and one out-of-state — Catholic and Episcopal churches.

Dr. Monde-Matthews serves as the president and chair of the 501(c)3, which yearly sends a group of around 25 physicians, dentists and builders to help the people in and around the town of Mirebalais, Haiti, where the Catholic and Episcopalian parishes serve as centers of operation.

In 2018, the medical clinic saw 827 patients and the dental clinic treated 111 people.

Bill McNeece of Corpus Christi Parish is a member of the executive committee that oversees the day-to-day operation of the Haiti Outreach Mission.

“I’ve been part of the mission from almost the beginning, helping with fundraising and logistics,” McNeece said. “There are many, many supporters over the years who have donated thousands upon thousands of dollars. Not everyone can go to Haiti, but anyone who donates provides tremendous support.”

With Haiti’s hot summers and poor infrastructure, coupled with the long hours volunteers work on a given day, McNeece said the physical work isn’t for everyone — though the charity has applications for those who are interested in going, with a preference for physicians and hygienists or those with building experience.

Since its first efforts in 1998, the Haiti Outreach Mission has grown from a small clinic in an annex building of the local Episcopal church to a two-story clinic that is open five days a week with an intern physician and full-time dentist.



Today, the mission has begun to focus its efforts on providing mobile outreach clinics in areas of the country where doctors and dentists aren’t as prevalent.

“The places we go to are places where there is no physician in town, so they don’t do routine stuff,” Dr. Monde-Matthews said. “We travel with construction guys who set up private areas and move benches and roofs so we can give people privacy while they see the physicians.”

James Lotito of St. Blase Parish in Sterling Heights — one of three local Catholic parish sponsors of the Haiti Outreach Mission along with Corpus Christi and Our Lady of Victory in Northville — served on the construction crew of the 2017 and 2018 mission teams, doing what he described as “grunt work” in setting up temporary shelters and doing repairs and maintenance.

“When I first met Dominique and saw what these people were about, I realized that I need to go down to Haiti and see it for myself,” said Lotito, a former automotive engineer. “What really surprised me the most was how much we take for granted in the United States. It’s difficult to explain unless you have been there, but things like clean water to wash your hands and brush your teeth, that’s so important.”

The Haiti Outreach Mission is supported yearly by members of the three parishes and their Episcopal partners, with fundraisers throughout the year to buy medical supplies and building materials for the mission, in addition to volunteers, who fund their own airfare to Haiti.

“I think people genuinely are willing to help if they can see that what you are doing is worth it,” Dr. Monde-Matthews said. “The people who go with us come back and tell their stories, and their friends feel compelled to see the good we do and are willing to help us achieve our goals.

More information

To support or learn more about the Haiti Outreach Mission, visit haitioutreachmisson.org.