As I Held My Son In My Arms, I Saw A Facebook Post That Shocked Me...

On August 19, Deena gave birth to our son, Mark Evans III. (Check out these awesome pics on my Facebook page and be sure to like the page to get some great info and the occasional adorable pic of Mark III).

 The DM jr. ... dreaming of making deals!

As you can imagine, I'm pretty excited and the little guy has already inspired me to level up my game even further (plus he amped up my motivation to do even more deals to provide an amazing life for him).

While sitting there holding him in my arms, I was just feeling so thankful and thinking about how there are millions of kids in the world who wouldn't be born into a family that had all the privileges and advantages that he had.

Then, almost as if the universe heard my thoughts, I saw post on Facebook about Hope To Haiti (a non-profit organization that does amazing work in Haiti). They talked about how there was a school in Haiti where the children had to sit on a hard cement floor in order to learn. (Some of the kids couldn't go to school at all.)

Now, I didn't love school but I was fortunate enough to have a desk and chair. And when Mark III goes to school, he's going to have a desk and chair too. But these kids in Haiti WANTED to learn and SHOWED UP to school but had to endure a lot of discomfort. Wow.

Little DM looked up at me and it was like he was telling me to do something about it.

So Deena and I and Mark III talked about it (well, Mark III didn't contribute a lot to the conversation -- lol) and we decided then and there to donate the materials so desks and benches could be built for those students.

Here's the really cool reply we just heard back from Hope To Haiti

(Source: This information was written by Hope To Haiti and published in their newsletter)

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I want to say a special thank you to the Preston Scott Morning Show on100.7FM Tallahassee, Florida. He along with my dear friend Dr. Ed Moore, put out a challenge to Preston's listeners to donate for this cause. They raised enough funds for thirteen benches !!!

I also wanted to share this story. It is amazing who we are able to reach when our friends that receive our newsletters and FaceBook posts SHARE and then repost or forward a friend. We often receive support from people we have never had any interactions with beforehand.

One of H2H's number one fans is Doug Doebler, we have been friends for almost eight years. He is a member of the Caring House Foundation's Board of Directors, and is always quick to forward my emails to others within his network.

When Doug saw our need for the school desks, he posted it on his FaceBook page. His friend Mark Evans saw the need and immediately pledge support for an entire school!!!

From Doug, here is Evan's story.....

H2H Donors and Palm Beach Residents Mark and Deena Evans were blessed with a healthy baby boy, Mark III, on August 19, 2015. Just hours after watching his son enter the world, Mark saw a Facebook post that H2H desired to provide new school benches/desks for the Guernsey Family Village multi purpose building we recently built with The Caring House Project Foundation.

The Facebook caught Mark's attention because the School/Church/Community Center is located near St. Marc in Haiti -- a country Mark had visited in 2007. During that trip, Mark was shocked at the conditions there, and although much progress has been made in Haiti, there is always more to do and Haiti has always remained close to Mark's heart. So Mark and Deena sent a note to H2H that they were so grateful to have their first child, a bouncing baby boy born in the good old USA, and they wanted to do something special to honor the birth of their son.

Providing the funds for new school benches sounded like a great idea. Less than 30 days later, the benches are built and in use in the new School/Church/Community Center building.

Thank you Mark, Deena & Mark III for your generosity.

Check out these pics of the desks and benches being built...

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Here's how the DM feels about school...

I wasn't great in school. I never went to college. And the truth is, I think college degrees are often overrated (although definitely necessary sometimes... I'm glad that the doctor who helped Deena give birth had a degree!)

But the value of school, especially in the formative years for children, is so powerful. Kids drink up information and they also benefit from the discipline and routine of school plus the exposure to information that they might not get if they didn't go to school.

I may not have been a stellar student but when Mark III grows up, you can be sure that I'm putting him into a great school with the best support he can get. I won't have an expectation that he'll get a degree but I'll make sure he doesn't blow off school either.

And I firmly believe that if Haiti is going develop as a nation, it will be because their children had the invaluable benefits of education... and I'm thrilled that my family of 3 can contribute to the education of 150 Haitian kids, and to the future of Haiti.

Your friend and mentor
Mark Evans DM,DN

PS, I also encourage you to give. You can get more information and arrange a donation to Hope To Haiti at http://www.hopetohaiti.com.