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Hamilton shop 'Made to Love' sends Haitian children to school

Posted at 5:47 PM, Oct 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-21 19:07:21-04

HAMILTON, Ohio -- From the catastrophic earthquake of 2010 to the devastating hurricane last week, Haitians need some help.

At one store in Hamilton, locals can help out children in Haiti by doing a little shopping.

Tony Harris is a Hamilton firefighter, but he's constantly reminded of the people he had to keep helping after a mission trip to Haiti.

"Just seeing the most basic needs not being met was really hard to see," Harris said.

That trip was the seed that grew into Made to Love, located at the corner of Second and High streets in Hamilton. Harris runs the shop with his wife, Christin Harris, and her friend, Shari Miller. They want to see Haitian kids taken care of, down to their shoes.

Most of what the store carries was made in Haiti, providing an income for the artists. Then the proceeds go to Haitian children.

"There's not a lot of opportunities there," he said. "So without jobs, parents aren't able to send their kids to school."

Now the shop is paying for the education of more than 300 children in Haiti.

"We pay for the teacher's salary. We pay for the building. We pay for the groundskeeper and the security guard," Miller said. "We pretty much pay for the upkeep of the school, and the kids go for free."

More information about Made to Love is available on their Facebook page.

"They really haven't had an opportunity to show America and the world what they can really do," Miller said. "And I feel like that's what Made to Love does -- we give you the best of Haiti and let you see all of the wonderful things Haiti has to offer."