Marie-Yolaine Eusebe '91
Humanitarian,
speaker and actor, are just some of the words one could use to describe
Howard graduate Marie-Yolaine Eusebe (B.S. ’91), who saw a calling and
an opportunity in the wake of utter devastation.
In
May 2010, with her father’s legacy of duty to country instilled in her
heart, Marie-Yolaine, a Haitian-American took action. The January 12th,
earthquake that struck Haïti, killing over 300,000 people, some in her
own family, compelled her to move. She resigned from her marketing
position at American Express and with the experience she had gained with
her Howard degree in communications and business management created
Community2Community (C2C) to help rebuild her father’s hometown of
Petite Goâve. Her goal: to replicate the pilot project throughout Haïti,
offering Haitians across the Diaspora and those with a heart for Haïti
an opportunity to be a part of something greater then themselves.
Community2Community, www.community2community.info,
is a non-profit service organization dedicated to building
self-sufficient communities by working with the community. C2C recently
launched the Haïti Restoration and Transformation Pilot Project in Petit
Goâve in April 2011. Their
first fundraiser to fuel the project was held at the legendary Apollo
Theater in Harlem, NY, in January 12, 2011, the one year anniversary of
the earthquake; celebrating Haïti's resiliency and culture. They raised
over $40,000. In less than one year, C2C,
working with local residents, broke ground for a new water distribution
system. C2C is also working to restore the road, promote the community’s
reforestation efforts already in progress along with plans to build a
community school to house 350-400 students. With the support of Brooklyn
Borough President, Marty Markowitz, the 2012 “Hope and A Future”
Benefit Concert for Haïti moves to Brooklyn. Sponsored by
the New York Daily News, in partnership with WBLS FM/WLIB AM, and
Christian Cultural Center, the concert will feature special performances
by Oleta Adams and Haitian Kompa sensation Carimi to raise awareness
and much needed funding for the project.
Marie, also a sought after motivational speaker, was selected to kick-off the 2011 Princeton TEDx event. As
an actor, she most recently starred in the female lead role in Lorey
Hayes’ drama, “Haïti’s Children of God,” which ran at Harlem’s Dwyer
Culture Center and has also appeared at the prestigious Kennedy Center
in Washington, DC at Shakespeare on the Green.
With
the foundation of a quality education enhanced with diverse, global
perspectives solidly planted from her years at Howard University, Marie
is a social entrepreneur who continues to dedicate her life and her
numerous talents to serving others.