Maybe it was the warm September weather, or the spirit of the highly energetic city during fall fashion week. Whatever it was really didn’t matter much because, as soon as you stepped inside Bar Basque on September 14^th for the Soham Dave Fall Fashion Preview Show, you knew from the glowing faces of guests that you were going to have a good time.

The Manhattan venue is known for its beautiful view of New York City. This year’s host was Cortney Renee Aranda , and it fell nothing short of spectacular, with guests enjoying the great food, drinks, music and the surprise impromptu runway show. And of course the raffle prizes weren’t bad either!

 Hosting philanthropic events like this has become a passion for Renee, who is a soft spoken 25-year-old model, actress, social entrepreneur and “Agent for Change.” Besides being a modern day Wonder Woman of sorts, there is a lot more to Renee than most people realize. But, putting physical beauty aside, she is very spiritual and has a pure heart, which is a rare find.

A few days after fashion week was over, Renee did something she had never done before: she joined Print 4 Change and participated in their Healing Haiti program, which meant she would stay in Haiti and assist in humanitarian work for a little over a week. “The purpose of the trip was to meet and make friends with the people we exist to serve. Print 4 Change takes clients on these insight trips to give them a chance to see what their partnership with Healing Haiti provides, many leading fashion industry clients have helped serve and will continue to join on future trips,” says Cortney Renee Aranda.

Haiti is known as one of the world’s most corrupt and poorest countries, with about 60 percent unemployment. In 2010, Haiti suffered a devastating blow when it was hit by 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which left 316,000 dead and 1.6 million homeless.

Those that did survive this horrific event were faced with the threat of developing cholera due to contaminated drinking water. Besides the chance to experience the Haitian culture, one of the big reasons Renee chose to go on this trip was to help provide clean drinking water to those who did not have access to it.

Immediately after flying into Port-Au-Prince, Renee witnessed some of the first signs of the poverty that she was to encounter throughout her trip.”There was filth, tent cities, stale and contaminated water, roadside excretion, and starving and sick street children. It’s beyond overwhelming.”

For most of her stay Renee’s living quarters would be at the Healing Haiti guesthouse in Port-Au-Prince where she had access to running water, electricity, and air conditioning. She was lucky, because throughout the day the city she was in had a scheduled power allowance for certain areas. When they needed more a generator was used. For most locals this would be considered a very privileged situation.

An average day for Renee would involve waking up early and meeting her team for breakfast at 7a.m. After breakfast all of them would hop in the Healing Haiti truck and hit the streets for whatever the day’s adventure would be. However, she was warned to be especially careful in certain areas, such as Cite Soleil, the riskiest settlement, and the one where her team spent most of their time. “We did two or three water truck runs in Cite Soleil — one of the poorest slums in the Western Hemisphere. At each water delivery site, we would distribute water, tend to severe medical cases, and play with the children. I was kind of like a child magnet, and the children were my favorite aspect. The children in the slums are craving love and attention, especially from outsiders, and we were there to give it to them.”

Renee and her team made many water truck runs throughout the time she spent in Haiti, but it wasn’t until she took a walk with local children to the sandspit (where the land extends out into the ocean and is surrounded by the tent cities on the mainland) did she learn how precious having accessing to clean water is and how easily it is take for granted. “The children were barefoot and unbothered and we were speechless in our shoes. The kids were still competing for our attention and one of them kept saying “Thank you” in English as he skipped beside me. I thought to myself, what is he saying “Thank you” for? As we reached the water, I realized he was thanking me for the water but most of all for coming to see him. I think that’s when the tears came. It was in that moment, I realized the truth about humanity.”

Although the trip was emotionally draining at times, it was also enlightening for Renee and would later serve as the inspiration for several future collaborations, including a fashion panel coming in spring 2012. However at that moment she couldn’t believe how kind and generous some of the Haitian people were in sprit and hospitality.  With the days of her trip winding down Renee went on an excursion with her team to Grace Village in Titanyen, where the Healing Haiti orphanage is located. The orphanage will house 60 plus children in its boy’s and girl’s dormitory, in addition to feeding an additional 125 orphans daily. In the very near future there will also be a center for the elderly and a restive home for child slaves. “We also had the opportunity to visit the hospital of sick and dying children, and that was a very emotional experience for the entire team because these children suffer from diseases and severe malnutrition. We were given the chance to help feed them, change their diapers, and just hold them. Many of the children spend their lives in a crib with little to no activity. I remember one point when the whole team (10 of us) grabbed one or two children and when we had to go, the whole nursery was screaming because they wanted to be held forever. It was one of the hardest moments for all of us. We also got to meet children they have nursed back to health, and they are beyond precious.”

On the day of September 26^th Renee thanked everyone at Healing Haiti for their hospitality and a wonderful experience. She gave all her new friends one last hug goodbye.  Renee then boarded a plane at Port-Au-Prince that would take her back to New York. As the plane gained altitude, Renee looked out her window in hopes to catch one last glimpse of Haiti. Although excited to head home to see her friends and family again, it was also bitter sweet because she was leaving her new family behind as well.  “I did not have  preconceived notions before the trip, I just went with an open heart and mind. I had never been on a humanitarian trip to one of the poorest countries in the world so I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew my mission was to help, but I think I received more than I was able to give. I was blessed by all the hands I held and hugs I gave to those less fortunate, but I was inspired by all the beautiful lives being made better through the work done by Healing Haiti and Print 4 Change. It is a gift of God to enjoy one’s work, and knowing that our every move makes a difference in the lives of those living in a desperate situation brings true fulfillment. I am so grateful for life, for the opportunity I have to make a difference, and for all that I have been given. I think I have fallen in love with life in a new way, and that is a gift Haiti gave me.”

Renee had such a beautiful experience in Haiti that she plans to go back. In the near future she will be hosting a spring fundraiser event for the Healing Haiti Restavek home which will include an amazing panel blending fashion, philanthropy, and beauty!

Photo Courtesy: Babita Patel