Barger Family HELP Scholarship
meet rick and harriet barger
Rick and Harriet Barger first traveled to Haiti in the late 1990’s to visit their son who was in the Peace Corps. That first visit immersed the Bargers in the Haitian spirit -radical hospitality, unshaken hope, and relentless love. But they also noticed a tremendous need. When they returned to Littleton, Colorado they had a story to tell their congregation. Not long after this initial trip, a small team of people from the congregation which Rick served as Lead Pastor, joined them on an exploratory trip to Haiti.
This first exploratory group told their stories of Haiti and soon another group went to Haiti looking to fulfill the vision of making a high impact. The group envisioned a 501(c)(3) who's focus would be to bring sustainable hope with dignity to the children of Haiti. They called the envisioned idea, The Abiding Hope Haitian Timoun Foundation - Timoun is children in Haitian Creole. On the American Airlines flight from Miami to Port au Prince, a mission statement with a vision and guiding principles was written on the back of a sick bag. These would be the lens used as they looked for partners and places to serve in Haiti. 25 years later, the Haitian Timoun Foundation continues to nourish the human spirit in Haiti.
Rick and Harriet have spent their lives serving others, generously investing their resources in individuals and communities, modeling abundant generosity, and celebrating the good of all. One of the ways their selflessness is demonstrated is through Rick and Harriet’s lifelong commitment to developing leaders in the United States, Haiti, and beyond. The Bargers take great joy in mentoring tomorrow’s leaders; they believe that Haiti’s future success is dependent on the strength of her young people and shared desire for a more just and equitable society.
To honor the Barger’s commitment to generational change in Haiti, HTF created the Barger Family Scholarship to support the Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP). This fund will provide a promising young Haitian man or woman with a full scholarship to the five year undergraduate study.
