Joplin High School Assistant Principal Sandra Cantwell is being honored by Soroptimist International of Neosho with the Soroptimist Ruby Award: For Women Helping Women. This award granted Cantwell the opportunity to donate $500 to a charity of her choice and she picked JoyHouse in Gressier, Haiti. She will be presented with the award at a banquet on March 20.

JoyHouse is an orphanage where her sister, Roxanne, did mission work in 2010 and 2011 following a devastating earthquake in Haiti.   

Cantwell’s connection to Haiti began when she and Roxanne were just children and Roxanne gave her hard-earned summer camp money to a missionary from Haiti.

“My sister did not get to go to camp that summer, but some children in Haiti were blessed by her giving,” she said. “Roxanne dreamed of going to Haiti for years, but that dream never came to fruition until right after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.”

Roxanne’s dedication to the rebuilding of JoyHouse led her to be asked to name one of the rooms and choose a verse to go along with it. She chose “The Promise Room” and used Philippians 1:6:  “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

In December 2011, shortly before she was to help dedicate The Promise Room, Roxanne was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and was not able to attend the dedication. Sixteen weeks later, she passed away.

“A big part of her heart is in Haiti,” said Cantwell. “I desperately want to go see the place that she loved so much. I am going to try to go in July. “

This will be Cantwell’s first trip to Haiti, but charity work has always been a big part of her life.  She has done mission work in the Philippines, Los Angeles, and Juneau, Alaska.  

“To me, charity is giving something of yourself without expecting anything in return,” she said. “It is doing a deed because you see a need. It is not about making a name for oneself or for a show. It is about making a difference and showing love to one person at a time.