An Innsbrook couple in Haiti last week when a devastating earthquake hit were unharmed and are on their way home. Jerry and Sonja Dickherber, who formed a mission several years ago in the poverty-stricken country, were on a nearby island when the quake struck, claiming the lives of thousands and injuring many more. Local missionaries are mourning the losses of friends and others living in the impoverished country. Warrenton dentist Dr. Jerry Paz has spent time in the past week trying to reach Haitians by phone or e-mail. "I still cannot get ahold of people there," he said. "Some people have perished. It's been very emotional and upsetting. You get to be very close to some people." The Dickherbers were with a 12-person medical team from South Dakota at the time the earthquake crippled the country. Fortunately, the couple was at their mission located on the Haitian island of LaGonave, located 10 miles off the coast of Port-au-Prince. Paz said the Dickherbers felt tremors and some of the buildings sustained damage during the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit last Tuesday, Jan. 12. According to a Web site updating their status (www.feedinghaiti.com), the Dickherbers are on their way home after being ordered by the U.S. government on Saturday to depart the country. The Associated Press reported a minimum of 100,000 people were killed in the quake and hundreds more are missing. Rescue crews are valiantly trying to free those still stuck under the rubble of collapsed buildings. The death toll is expected to continue climbing. Paz said the Dickherbers heard the tremors from the quake. While some of the buildings were damaged, much of LaGonave was unscathed. No one on the island was believed to have been killed by the quake. In 1995, the Dickherbers began traveling to the country and spent 2001 living in the village of Anse-A-Galet located on LaGonave island. In 2002, the couple formed Celebrate Jesus of Haiti, Inc. Since that time, the mission has constructed a church, school, medical clinic and water wells. In addition, a feeding program established in 2001 provides one meal a day, consisting of rice and beans to 350 children between the ages of 2 to 5 six days a week. The Dickherbers spend up to six months of the year in Haiti, according to Paz. "They do an awful lot to help," Paz said. Paz and other local volunteers were scheduled to leave for Haiti on Jan. 29 on a 10-day dental mission, but that trip has been postponed. Paz recently confirmed by an e-mail a guest house in Port-au-Prince where he had stayed previously was destroyed and two of the employees were killed. He also said three foreign guests staying there died when the building collapsed. During the time the Dickherbers were asked to depart, Paz said people from Port-au-Prince were arriving in boatloads to receive medical care in LaGonave. Due to the overcrowding and lack of resources, refugees have been forced to sleep on the streets. Before they left, the Dickherbers bought as much rice and beans as possible for the Haitians, according to Paz. "The medical clinic is being overrun by patients and the supplies have disappeared," he said. "They went through everything they had. Things are desperate on the island. The supplies are extremely limited." Donations can be made through the www.feedinghaiti.com Web site that will go toward food and supplies to help the victims. Donations can also be made through the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org. Another upcoming fundraising event, "Heart to Heart: Fostering a Future" charity benefit will feature a fashion show and dinner on Saturday, Feb. 13, with half of the proceeds to be donated to the Celebrate Jesus of Haiti program. The event will be held at the Preferred Outlets at Warrenton. VIP tickets cost $75, while general admission is $25. For more information on the event, visit www.hearttoheartfosteringafuture.com or call 636-456-7082.