Racing for a Safe and Solar St. Paul’s School

“30 Kilometers for 30 Years” Run to Be Held in April

"Having a new school building for our youngest students and solar power for the campus will be transformational for our community."

- Maxo Valcin, St. Paul's Principal

Colorado-based athletes accustomed to the steep trails of our state will take their running shoes to a new mountain range this April in support of a capital campaign to build an earthquake resistant school building in Petit Trou de Nippes and transition the campus to solar power.

Our partners in Petit Trou will host the athletes as they run 30 kilometers to raise awareness about the urgent initiative to safeguard St. Paul’s School, which currently educates 322 students ranging from preschool to 9th grade. There will be several “sister runs” taking place in the Denver/Boulder metro areas to support this same urgent campaign. (If you would like to get involved with these runs, please email info@coloradohaitiproject.org.)

CHP is proud to have a 30-year history of working in partnership with Petit Trou’s educators, who have supported St. Paul’s students as they excel at state exams and participate in thriving enrichment programs focused on agriculture, girls’ empowerment, and entrepreneurship. For the past several years, 100% of 6th and 9th graders at St. Paul's have passed the national exam, earning the staff at St. Paul's School a Certificate of Excellence from the Haitian Ministry of Education. The initiative to safeguard the school is one of many ambitious plans to help the next generation of students thrive.

The new school building will be built to international seismic standards and provide a safe, long-term learning environment for students currently attending classes in provisional structures. There is no public power system in the area where we work, and, to date, the school has functioned with intermittent electricity from a diesel generator on campus. Solar power is not only clean and renewable, it will also provide more consistent power for the students and community programs housed on the campus, as well as set the groundwork for a future computer lab.

"My first trip to Haiti was life-changing. I'm so happy to be going back, and to be running for such a great cause!"

- Jamie Kilcoyne, CHP Board Member

The lead runner of the 30K for 30 Years Run, Jamie Kilcoyne, is motivated by his connections to St. Paul’s students and a lifelong love of outdoor adventure. A member of CHP’s Board of Directors, Jamie has competed in ultra-running events in the United States, Austria, Germany and Chile. He has run the Leadville 100 three times and placed 5th in the 2018 Leadman competition. Eight other Coloradans will join him in this run.

Interested in supporting Jamie and others as they race? Consider giving to their peer-to-peer fundraising efforts at mightycause.com/story/30khaiti. Fiscal sponsorship opportunities are also available (see below for more details). All financial contributions to the run will be designated to an existing capital campaign to safeguard St. Paul’s School. At present, we have raised $150,000 of $250,000 needed for this urgent effort. To learn more about the history and details of this campaign, visit coloradohaitiproject.org/thenext30.