Gift gives W.I.S.H. its best year ever
Wed, May 14, 2008 
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BY CLARENCE POEL
Focus on People
An unexpected gift of $175,000 gave West Indies Self Help (W.I.S.H.) its best year ever. It came from a grumpy older neighbor who would have nothing to do with others in his neighborhood.
Bruce Roquet, secretary for W.I.S.H., is from St. Louis, Mo. He told about the man who lived like a hermit in his cluttered home. A woman neighbor tried to make friends with the recluse, but he rejected the idea of friendship.
Then neighbors discovered the man was in poor health, Roquet told W.I.S.H. supporters here at their annual meeting at the Grand Haven Community Center.
"She then knocked at his door and offered housekeeping help," said Roquet, who is also a pastor. "With the help of several of her children, they spent a Saturday cleaning and straightening up the place. He told her no one had ever done anything like that for him and he appreciated their good deed."
It was then she learned from him that he had cancer and was quite ill. Continuing to stop over and help him, she told him about the Christian faith and learned he was confirmed in a Catholic church, but did not attend it. He began to talk more about his life and wondered what to do about a will.
To her amazement, he said he was a millionaire and wanted to give most of his wealth to the Catholic Church, knowing his illness would soon be fatal. In their discussions, she had talked to him about W.I.S.H. that was helping very poor people on the rocky tropical island of LaGonave, Haiti, where enough pure drinking water was a serious problem.
On his own, he expressed a desire to help those Haitians among the poorest people in the world. In his will, he left $175,000 to W.I.S.H. to continue their good work on LaGonave. Roots invading their small pipeline from a mountain spring had almost shut down their water supply.
When W.I.S.H. founder Tony Wolf, a Robinson Township farmer, started the mission in 1968, the Wesleyans had begun the work there years earlier, and there were just three water spigots for the village of 700.
Today, LaGonave has 18 fountains, an ice plant, airport, dental clinic, a computer and TV shop, and a mall with 13 businesses. There is also a welding business in the community grown to 7,000 residents.
W.I.S.H. Treasurer Herb Boelens of Grand Haven has volunteered his services for almost 30 years.
Businessman Bob Poort of St. Louis, Mo., the mission's president, makes almost a dozen trips to the island each year at his own expense, and developed the ice plant.
W.I.S.H. has provided $26,000 for food for children, is finishing a library and a six-unit senior center, and is building a school for 250 students.
"All is made possible by generous care-giving supporters of the mission," said Boelens, who is a retired CPA and active Grand Haven Gideon camp officer.
