Employees and leaders of The Keane Insurance Group are working to help preserve Haitian families.

President and founder of The Keane Insurance Group, John Keane, initiated the Haiti Orphan Project (HOPE) in 2010 after the deadly earthquake rocked a significant portion of the country of Haiti.  Since that time Keane’s foundation, The Keane Charitable Group, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help build an orphanage, a school, and a medical clinic in Gonaives, Haiti.  John Keane’s work was featured in a local newspaper last year: “The Good People at Kirkwood-Based Keane Insurance are Committed to Improving Lives in Haiti.”

Because The Keane Insurance Group provides medical malpractice insurance for physicians and hospitals all over the United States, the medical clinic is a natural arm of the charity.  Keane has brought many doctors, nurses, and dentists from the U.S. to its clinic in Gonaives for a week at a time to care for families and kids in the community.  HOPE was highlighted in the news a couple of years ago on NPR Radio: “Nearly Six Years After Haiti’s Deadly Earthquake, St. Louisans Continue to Offer Aid.”

Shifting its focus within the last 2 years, the goal of what is now called, The HOPE Community Project, is to protect children and keep vulnerable families together.  Through education, medical care, and economic resources, HOPE is making a difference in the community by encouraging and helping parents to find ways to care for their children and stay in their own homes.  HOPE Director, Les Prouty, makes frequent trips to Haiti to visit the children and takes groups of people from churches and other organizations who want to be involved in some way.  In fact, Prouty and Keane are both visiting Haiti this week with group from St. Louis.

Much of the groundwork for HOPE is facilitated by former Keane Insurance Group employee, Julie Brouwer, and her husband, Luke.  The Brouwers committed to moving to Gonaives with their 3 kids  in 2014 along with another couple from South Carolina.

Current projects include:

• HOPE Medical Project – the goal is to have a clinic staffed with Haitian doctors for basic medical care including a program providing formula for infants.
•  HOPE Education Project – helps pay for school tuition, uniforms, and meals for at risk families
• HOPE Economic Project – teaches families how provide for their children through small businesses such as raising poultry, agriculture, food service, and more.

Learn more about the work in Haiti on the HOPE blog.  The latest entry, “Our Chicken/Egg Cooperative Update,” explains success of the last year of work on egg production businesses.

The Keane Insurance Group raises funds for The HOPE Community Project through an annual golf tournament each June, an  exclusive wine tasting event in February, and a 5K Race in September.  Find out more by calling Monte Shields at (800) 966-7731, or send and email to monteshields@keanegroup.com.

Find out about getting involved in HOPE and our trips to Haiti by calling Les Prouty at (800) 966-7731, or send an email to Les@hopecphaiti.org.