Doris T. Hill and Ruth Paul-Caudle have a relationship that spans thousands of miles and a large body of water, yet they’ve never been in the same room.  

Hill is the founder of the ESPN Academy at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Memphis while Paul-Caudle runs a school in Haiti.  Their collaboration is making education and living conditions better for Haitian children and opening new vistas for academy students.

Ruth Paul-Caudle’s book helps support the Spirit of Truth orphanage school in Haiti.

Figuratively speaking, the Spirit of Truth School was born out of death of Paul-Caudle’s father in 1999. Thousands made the trek from all over the country to Haiti’s Kenscoff Mountains as a final tribute to “Brother Paul.”  

“Hundreds of people came to tell us about how my father had sent their children to school, given them money, and provided food,” said Paul-Caudle. “There were 12 of us children and my mother. We never knew he had given so much away. I was proud of my father. The things they said made me happy, but it was during those moments that I realized his work had to continue.”

Newly graduated from Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill., the young woman had made her home there. Before returning to Illinois, she visited youngsters at the Spirit of Truth Orphanage that her father had founded in 1981. Paul-Caudle left the orphanage a changed woman, with a commitment to help young people in her native land.

Fast-forward nine years later. A three-story edifice, built in 2003, is a thriving center of education and athletic competition for hundreds of youngsters, thanks in part to Paul-Caudle making the “Memphis connection.” Now, young children no longer have to walk miles to school.”

The Memphis connection, Hill and ESPN Academy have helped hundreds of Haitian youth with an undisclosed donation.

“We have pictures on our wall so our children can see how blessed they are,” said Hill. “I want them to understand how important an education is, and in a country where children have almost nothing, education is highly valued. Haitian children are willing to walk several miles to attend school. We want our children to feel that way about getting a good education, also. ”

Thanks to Hill and others like her, children in the Haitian classrooms now look very much like children in America. Students wear school uniforms, carry backpacks, and cheer for their soccer team.

Making the impossible possible

As long as Paul-Caudle can remember, people would park on the doorstep of the Paul household — sick, hungry, thirsty, and homeless.

“My father was a minister, and our house was the place where people would come for help. My father owned transportation trucks and buses so we were pretty well off. Many children came by who had no parents – just living on the streets. My father realized that he had to do something… to give these children a home.”

Thanks to  supporters - many with Memphis connections - these Haitian children are getting an education at Spirit of Truth school. (Courtesy Photos)

Paul-Caudle and husband, Brian Caudle, see the school as a labor of love.

“My husband, Brian, and I hosted a gospel concert at our home church,” she said. “We raised $20,000 from the proceeds and were able to erect the school. Initial enrollment was 40 students. Today, nearly 300 attend Spirit of Truth School.”

About $80,000 is needed for renovation and expansion of the orphanage. Conditions are unsanitary, an environment where disease and sickness easily spread. An addition is needed, but the couple also wants to bring the orphanage indoor plumbing and clean drinking water.

Paul-Caudle has also written a children’s book, “Yvette, Annette and Renette”, which  was released in late 2007. All proceeds from the book go toward the Spirit of Truth School.

So little goes such a long way

Paul-Caudle shares a poignant account of a gift drive to provide a few necessities.

“In December, we organized a gift drive at our church for the school kids and took over 300 one gallon-sized Ziploc bags to Haiti, each filled with toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear and a small no-battery operated toy.”

The soccer team is shown just before a game as two young girls walk by.

She said there were over 600 people in the room who clapped and screamed with joy to receive the gifts. “To them, it meant so much because one toothbrush has to last a very, very long time. After the meeting, people came to us to kiss and thank us. Toward the end, a little girl kissed me, and she felt very hot. I immediately asked Kathy, the nurse from our missionary team, to come by and take a look at her. Kathy said the girl felt like she had a fever over 104 degrees and needed medical attention promptly.”

They took the girl and two boys with extreme cases of scabies and drove them 10 miles up the mountain to the nearest hospital.  Paul-Caudle said, “With doctor’s fee, emergency room charges and four prescriptions for each child, it cost us $49.75, an average of just $15.00 per child. One dollar might as well be one million when you simply do not have it because the outcome is the same.”

She sent Hill photos to give her a better understanding of the impact of scabies and other preventable diseases on the children.

Ready to do more

Hill concurs that greater efforts are needed, and more Memphians should get involved.

“We started our ESPN Academy for after-school tutoring and homework assistance,” said Hill. “I plan for the youngsters at ESPN to become pen pals to the children at Spirit of Truth. It’s important that our children learn early how to reach beyond their own needs and concerns and share whatever they have with children who are less fortunate. There is so much work to do everywhere, and more people in our city should get involved.”

Dr. Alfred DeWayne Hill

Doris Hill

Hill is the wife of Dr. DeWayne Alfred Hill, the late pastor of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church. He helped start the Nashville-based National Association of Christian Educators (NACE), a mission-driven entity with a school in Jamaica. A new school building named to honor Dr. Hill will be completed this year. Doris Hill has continued to support the Jamaican work.

“My husband believed that education and missions are just a part of what church ministry should be,” said Hill. “His mentor was Dr. Arthur Jarett from Chattanooga, and Alfred was raised up in a church that was mission-minded. Dr. Jarett was from Jamaica, and reaching back over there was what he saw as his ‘reasonable service.’ It’s important to carry on that work in Jamaica, and I know Alfred would want us to support the Haitian mission as well.”

Paul-Caudle is donating books for every child enrolled at ESPN Academy. It’s a way of paying back what Hill has given to her school.

“We love the idea of having a sister school in Memphis,” she said. “I want the children at ESPN to see the beautiful images of our country and to learn more about the Haitian culture. No longer do children 4-5 years old have to walk four miles to school. We thank God that we have already accomplished so much.”

Hill is planning another charitable effort later this year. She said thousands of children suffer from scabies, a contagious skin rash, because the water supply is polluted and the disease can be picked up through bare feet.

“We will begin a flip-flop drive to get enough shoes to help keep these youngsters healthier,” Hill said. “Shoes are a luxury over in Haiti, and the price of flip-flops is a small one to pay for such deserving youth.”

The first building block of success

While Hill and Paul-Caudle have never met, Hill said they are bound by “kindred hearts and spirits.”

You don’t have to meet someone face to face when you connect on that level,” said Hill. “I actually learned about Ruth’s work through third and fourth parties.”

Hill was acquainted with Karen Vaughn from Lake Villa, Ill. Vaughn’s sister, Deborah Biddle, was married to the Rev. Lloyd Biddle, a Haitian missionary. Biddle was raising money back in 2005 to make another trip to build desks at Paul-Caudle’s school. Hill found out about the missions trip through Vaughn and wanted to help.

“I support missionary work based on the character and integrity of a person,” said Hill. “My contribution sent two teachers over with Rev. Biddle that year. That’s how I learned about Ruth’s school. Our main focus in Jamaica is education. So I knew I wanted to be a part of Ruth’s work as well. Our hearts have the same desire – to see these babies get a Christian education. That’s the first building block of success.”

For additional information, or to find out how you can help, call (901) 775-0041, or visit: www.haiti-world.org.