The Grange Hotel’s charity, Indian Ocean Disaster Relief - IODR - assisted in the immediate aftermath of the Haitian earthquake with temporary housing. Grange Hotels have now been involved with supporting the Haitian Paralympians in their journey to attending the games, by assisting with fundraising, providing them with training equipment and kit, enabling these special athletes to compete in the Paralympics for the first time and to highlight the plight of their country men, women and children who survived the earthquake but continue to need assistance.
Grange Hotels, have been working through The Dream – a charity focused on helping Haitian athletes with disabilities train for and partake in the London 2012 Paralympics. It has been an aim of Grange Hotels to provide infrastructure for long term support systems within disaster areas through a variety of projects including community sport. In a country where stigma, judgment and discrimination are daily realities for people with disabilities, one aim of Grange Hotels and The Dream has been to help establish a long term community sport project which will provide a platform to overcome the many difficulties and obstacles.
The Dream stated “The Dream would like to thank the help of Grange Hotels in their support in making this a truly historic moment for Haiti’s Paralympic team. Thank you for your on-going help... Having the opportunity to share this Haiti Dream with others has been something that Grange Hotels has been able to get right behind and lend its prestigious hotels, its enthusiasm and reach to others to make The Dream real. Thank you”
The Haitian Paralympians began their games on the 29th of August 2012. Three athletes: Josue Cajuste and Neftalie Jean Louis compete in both shot-put and javelin during the games, whilst Leon Gaisli competes in hand cycling. Grange Hotels are now delighted to celebrate these Paralympians’ hard work and achievements, representing the people of Haiti in these amazing events.