Panther News: Friday, January 28, 2022 (video)

Watch this week's episode of Panther News featuring insights on Haiti   https://youtu.be/usewYfUKXnk

"Everybody was up in arms about the government doing what they were doing”

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Town Councilor Glenn Jones has seen a few things during his missionary trips to Haiti - the devastation of the 2010 earthquake that first drew him there to help in the aftermath, then the rebuilding as he returned. He has seen abject poverty, unwavering faith, and stalwart determination. 

What he had never seen, up until a few days ago, was outright rebellion. A member of the New England Chapel doing work with Mission E4 Inc., Jones was in Haiti when widespread protests over a government-planned spike in fuel prices erupted over the weekend, spreading out from Port-Au-Prince. The protests effectively shut down commerce and travel on the island nation, and prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a shelter in place advisory to American citizens and diplomats there. 

“I’ve never seen that kind of an upheaval in my life, ever,” said Jones. “It was extraordinary to see the burnt out trucks, the broken glass, the burning wires and smouldering piles of trash and tires, and just all the makeshift things they had set up to keep people from traversing the country.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180713/franklin-councilor-reflects-after-witnessing-civil-revolt-in-haiti

In the News: Councilor Jones delayed in Haiti; Brightman cutting wood to fund raise for cancer

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Franklin Town Councilor Glenn Jones was stranded in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti Sunday, where protests escalated over the weekend after a government-backed spike in fuel prices. 

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti issued an advisory urging American travelers there to shelter in place and not to travel to the airport unless they had a scheduled flight. Jones, an electrician, is there working as a volunteer on a building project at a girls orphanage in Leogane, Haiti, where he has volunteered previously through his church. He began the work on Thursday. He and his daughter, Jillian, 17, were in Haiti in April on a similar mission at the same facility. 

Sunday’s advisory followed a slew of demonstration alerts issued by the U.S. State Department in recent days as unrest over fuel prices escalated."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180708/franklin-councilor-faces-upheaval-in-haiti

"Cancer seems to strike a chord with everyone. But harmony is found with a much different cord in Tim Brightman’s backyard. 

For $150, people from Franklin and surrounding communities can have a quarter cord of wood trucked over to their house by Brightman. All proceeds go to the Jimmy Fund through Brightman’s Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) fundraising efforts. 

“If you order a quarter cord of wood to be delivered to your house, you’re going to pay the same price with me as you would with anyone else,” Brightman said. “But all of my money goes to charity. So take your wood and make a donation.” 

Brightman has been raising money for the PMC for 30 years, about half of his life. He starting raising money for cancer soon after his brother, Steve, died at age 36 after a battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma early in life, before a deadly encounter with melanoma later on."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180706/franklin-man-is-axing-lot-to-fight-cancer

To donate for this cause  http://profile.pmc.org/tb0006

In the News: Jones to Haiti again; comfort care and 'conversation project'

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"As a member of the town council, Glenn Jones is among those who seeks to help out his community. 

This week, he spreading that wealth of community service to another community, more than 1,000 miles away in Haiti, considered to be the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Accompanying him is another generation of community servants: His 17-year-old daughter, Jillian. 

Members of the New England Chapel, the Joneses have been on prior missions, but not together. Jillian, a junior at Franklin High School, went on a Mustard Seeds mission trip to Jamaica last year. 

As for Glenn Jones, Haiti has become a familiar place. It’s his third trip back and he has become such a familiar figure to the people from his past trips that he’s earned the nickname “Dig Dig” -- “because the first time we went all we did was dig.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180416/franklin-councilor-daughter-in-haiti-on-mission-trip

"As she nears death at age 92, former first lady Barbara Bush’s announcement that she is seeking “comfort care” is shining a light — and stirring debate — on what it means to stop trying to fight terminal illness. 

Bush, the wife of former President George H.W. Bush, has been suffering from congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to family spokesman Jim McGrath. 

In a public statement Sunday, the family announced she has decided “not to seek additional medical treatment and will focus on comfort care.” 

The announcement comes amid a national effort to define and document patients’ wishes, and consider alternatives, before they are placed on what has been described as a “conveyor belt” of costly medical interventions aimed at prolonging life."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20180416/barbara-bushs-end-of-life-decision-stirs-debate-over-comfort-care

The Conversation Project can be found online  https://theconversationproject.org/

The conversation starter kit will lead a couple through the conversation about end of life planning  https://theconversationproject.org/starter-kits/

The Conversation Project

Q&A - Glenn Jones on Haiti

I (FM) followed up with Glenn Jones (GJ) to find out more about his trip to Haiti. We exchanged email to complete the question and answers to share here:


FM - What memory from your first trip to Haiti lingered/lingers the most?

GJ - It was the third day of the Mission trip. I was working with my crew installing conduits for a new electrical generator, when ‘Sue’, one of the medical crew comes up to me asking to use my cell phone. She appeared rather distraught and I asked what was bothering her. She cried while explaining to me that a baby that came into the medical clinic just died. She talked about how she had assured the mother that all should be well, the baby had an elevated temperature and short of breath. The Baby had a chest infection. Not long after the mother left to wait outside the baby went into cardiac arrest. Sue mentioned how this should never have happened. If this were America so much more could have been done to save the baby, but it was not. The Medical clinics have extremely limited resources and the Hospitals are so far away and understaffed them selves. We said a prayer for the baby that night at dinner.

FM - Why go back to Haiti?

GJ - I am heading back to Haiti on October 16th to continue the work I started during my March trip. No matter how much I may be able to contribute to the rebuilding of Haiti, it is just a mere scratch on the surface. An estimated 230,000 people were killed during the January 2010 earthquake. Most of those deaths were caused by falling buildings and houses. Donating my experience and skills as an electrician to the devastated people of Haiti is the least I can do.

FM - Why go now?

GJ - Things have not really improved much since the January Earthquake. The Haitian people are just as much in need of our help today as they were the days following the quake. The Media has grown bored covering Haiti’s destruction and despair and has moved on to other international problems, like Iran building a nuclear power plant. However, we can not allow ourselves to forget those who are very much in dire need of International attention. So, why now? Because there is no better time than the present to help.

FM - How can someone help you in this effort?

GJ - A small donation goes a long way in helping me help Haiti. All donations have an immediate and direct impact. Unlike larger National Relief Organizations that have to jump through hoops to get things done, my Mission Trip this October will bring help as soon as I step off the plane. I simply need to raise the funds necessary to pay for a round trip flight and accommodations while in Haiti. Also, additional funding will go to support Mission E4’s continued efforts in Haiti. Please visit Mission E4 at http://www.missione4.com/ . Donations can be made directly to me. Glenn Jones – 172 School St. – Franklin, MA, 02038 – 508-439-7011

FM - Is there anything you'd like to add to this?

GJ - I would like to thank everyone that helped me in March and those that are helping now. I know for certain that the Haitian people are much appreciative of Mission E4’s continued support. It is never to late to help. Take a look around someday and see who may need you. Help is needed everywhere you look. There is no need to go as far as Haiti to help people. Find a local organization and start participating today in your Community; Senior Center, Franklin Food Pantry, and many others. Doing God’s work is what it is all about.

Related posts on Glenn Jones can be found here:

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/09/earthquake-is-over-disaster-is-not.html

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/10/town-council-candidate-glenn-jones.html

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/09/town-council-candidate-glenn-jones.html



Franklin, MA

"The earthquake is over, the disaster is not"

Glenn Jones is returning to Haiti to help with the recovery efforts from the earthquake. He will be

"continuing to contribute my electrical skills to a small village called Leogane. Leogane was in the epicenter of the Earthquake that shook Haiti in January."

Glenn wrote this letter to explain his contribution and seek your help:

Glenn Jones Letter on 'Going to HAITI'



A video summary of the work of MissionE4:




This is a great example of a "good news" that I'd like to share more often. If you have a good news story, please let me know.


Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document and video.


Franklin, MA

In the News - Haiti, cyberbullying

Network needed for aid in Haiti

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

The New England Chapel is located in Franklin

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Cyberbullying too real for teens

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Abby Jordan/Daily News staff

Teen Angels is a group of middle school students working to raise awareness amongst their peers on cyberbullying. The TeenAngels presented to the School Committee earlier this month. You can see what they did here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-teen-angels.html

and here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/teen-angels-pledge-text-think-send.html

In the News - two connections with Haiti

Recent candidate for Board of Health, Koren Kanadanian, is on his way to Haiti

Franklin man rushes to the rescue

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

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Communications with four members New England Chapel which operates in Franklin have been confirmed. 

Hearing from loved ones in Haiti

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

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