Haitian Immigrant Receives "Ambassador of Hope" Award

The following article is from the June 2009 edition of http://BostonHaitian.com, a monthly publication. 

Wilner Auguste, founder of Haitian-Americans United, Inc., (H.A.U.) of Massachusetts, has been named a 2009 Ambassador of Hope for Haiti by Eritaj Foundation.  An organization based in Framingham, Mass., and Port-au-Prince since 1999, Eritaj Fondation seeks to promote organizational, social and economic development in Haiti.

The foundation gives the title of Ambassador of Hope for Haiti to a person who promotes a healthier legacy for Haiti by contributing to the advancement of education, Haitian art, music, community health and development.

Wilner Auguste was chosen for fulfilling this high calling. 

Wilner started that calling in June 1960 when he founded in Haiti “Club Printanier” a social cultural group and “CEFAJADE,” a family education center with a free evening school for youth who could not afford it, in December 1971.

He’s a former member of two groups working for the advancement of the Creole language: Mouvman Kreyol Dayiti and Sosyete Koukouy.

In Boston, Wilner founded with his wife and four other couples the Interaction Family Circle, Inc. (CINFA), a Haitian family support group, in 1981.

He started Tele Kreyol, the first Boston Haitian access community television, at BNN-TV in 1986, and he’s also its executive producer.

Wilner initiated the annual Haitian Heritage Month celebration in Boston in 1998 with two hosts of Tele Kreyol, Charlot Lucien and Oreste Joseph.  Haitian Heritage Month is now celebrated in several cities in the United States.

In May 2000, Wilner founded Haitian Americans United, Inc. (H.A.U.), which is a Haitian organization in Massachusetts that leads the annual Haitian Independence Day Gala in January, the Haitian Flag-Raising Ceremony at Boston City Hall Plaza, and the Haitian American Unity Parade on Blue Hill Avenue (in Boston) in May.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1946,Wilner went to Lycee Alexandre Petion for his primary and secondary education and Julian Craan School of Commerce, where he graduated in 1966 in bookkeeping and accounting. After graduation, he worked as a bookkeeper for his father, Andre Auguste, at Yvanhoe Shoes Shop.

Wilner came to Boston in 1973.  He worked at Fernald State School for eight years as a mental retardation assistant and went to Newbury Junior College, where he got an associate degree in applied science in the curriculum of accounting in 1983.  He’s pursuing a bachelor degree in management at Eastern Nazarene College.

Wilner received in May of this year two other awards: one for his more-than 20 years working in Bay Cove Human Services’ Accounting Department, and the other one from the Boston Neighborhood Network (BNNTV), in recognition of his 23 years of contributions to media access.

Wilner has been married for 31 years to Marie Michele Thimothee Auguste, who works as a registered nurse at Boston Medical Center. The couple has three children: Gerald, David and Sarah. 

Source:  http://BostonHaitian.com

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