April 12, 2021 - Poughkeepsie, NY – Three-time Grammy Award winner and Platinum music producer Jerry Wonda and the Rotary Clubs of the Hudson Valley will be honored at the Vassar Haiti Project’s (VHP) annual Art & Soul Gala, which will be held virtually on April 28. 

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The annual gala, supported by local physicians and businesses from throughout the Hudson Valley, provides funding for a medical clinic in Haiti that is also financed through the sale of Haitian art and crafts. “We have an exciting program scheduled for the Art & Soul Gala this year,” said VHP Co-founder Lila Meade. “We’ll be hearing from our amazing honorees who have done profound work in forwarding the immediate and long term needs of Haiti.”

The event is a collaboration with VHP’s Medical Advisory Board, which is composed of a group of physicians and community members from the Hudson Valley. This group oversees the programs and the operations of the Fiervil clinic, which serves patients from more than 45 villages. Many patients walk for more than four hours to receive medical care at this clinic , which is tucked away in the remote mountains of northwest Haiti.  

VHP Student Co-President Alice (Yiqing) Fan says that Art & Soul is one of the most meaningful events the organization plans each year. “It is a night of celebration, remembrance, and looking forward,” Fan said. “The funds raised support our clinic in Fiervil, Haiti, for a whole year. All VHP’ers are looking forward to this event and all the new possibilities we will create!"

This past October, thanks to donations from local Rotarians and sponsors, the Vassar Haiti Project and our Haitian partners began construction of a solar-powered diagnostic lab in Chermaitre. The solar lab will bring electricity to the clinic, and with it, lights, refrigeration, and diagnostic technologies. This will have a lasting impact for the people of the 45 villages the clinic serves. The doctor will be able to better diagnose patients with more advanced technologies, even when the sun goes down, and will be able to store vaccines and other refrigerated medications. Dr. David Cho, the chair of the Medical Advisory Board called the project “a dream realized to take the clinic to the next level; harnessing the power of the sun to create a place of healing, comfort, and hope. I am forever thankful to all that have supported us to make this happen.” 

About the honorees

Jerry ‘Wonda’ Duplessis, is a film score composer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a highly regarded Haitian music producer who emerged from the hip-hop era in the early 1990’s. His music career includes three Grammy Awards and more than 16 nominations, a publishing catalog of more than 300 titles, and multi- platinum music records with more than 300 million single and album copies sold. The self-taught musician has worked with musical greats including Whitney Houston, Rihanna, Shakira, Santana, Beyonce, Mick Jagger, John Legend, Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, and others. Jerry founded the NYC Platinum Sound music recording studio in NYC, serves as a Governor of the NY Chapter of the Recording Academy (the Grammy’s) and co-chairs its Producers & Engineers Wing. He is a Goodwill Ambassador who supports the Haitian people on humanitarian relief, education, health, sustainable business, and community development Wonda is a member of the Board of Directors of the Vassar Haiti Project.
 
Rotary Clubs of the Hudson Valley has been a partner of the Vassar Haiti Project since 2010 to bring clean water, health care, education, and economic opportunities to over 45 villages in northwestern Haiti. Thanks to the Rotarians’ passion, guidance, and commitment to our work, they have shown the Vassar Haiti Project it can achieve what once seemed impossible. The Vassar Haiti Project students are inspired by Rotary members, their partnership, and dedication to being agents of positive change in the world. Through their mentorship, a RotarACT Club has been established on Vassar College’s campus. 

Vassar College is a coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Contact Larry Hertz, lahertz@vassar.edu, 845-518-3098; 845-437-7938 (Vassar College)