Tom Braak is now asking for help to continue his mission
MARQUETTE -- U.P. native Tom Braak has spent the last 14 years as a missionary in Haiti. He's spent that time not only rebuilding struggling communities, but also a life for himself: He has a wife and a 19-month-old little boy in his home community of Verretts.
But with a growing cholera problem, Braak is back in the states, looking for help for his Haitian neighbors.
Sunday, he brought his mission to First Presbyterian Church, educating U.P. residents about a new water filtration system that will help stop the spread of cholera.
Braak's mission has already distributed more than 300 Sawyer Point One filters, serving about 9,000 people. The filters use kidney dialysis technology to cleanse contaminated water.
"I take the dirtiest water right in the community, pour it through it, and then I take a drink out of it," explains Braak. "Then I have some kid come up and do the same, and I tell people, you know how much I love the children, that I wouldn't do anything to harm them, so I trust this water."
Each filter costs about $45, and Braak hopes U.P. residents will help raise funds to purchase more.
If you'd like to donate to Braak's mission, you can visit this website.
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