About CRDF
History of the Caneille Regional Development Fund
The Caneille Regional Development Fund is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization which was originally created as part of a senior thesis project at Valley New School in Appleton, Wisconsin. CRDF Founder, Oliver Zornow, saw the impact of poverty in the region during a visit to Haiti in February 2006. Amid substantial research into the problems of poverty in Haiti, one finding stuck out.
““Education is the single most important determinant of an individual’s ability to escape poverty in Haiti.””
Since its inception, 100% of funds raised are put directly to work to help meet our mission of creating opportunity through education in rural Haiti.
In 2010, our work was recognized with a Giraffe Hero Commendation, given to people who stick their necks out for the common good. In 2018, CRDF hosted 10 elected officials from Haiti in the United States for a Leadership Workshop. Co-founders Oliver and Rebecca Zornow have spoken widely at schools from primary to university.
Steve DeMay, President
Leslie Dempsey, Secretary
Paul Nardi, Treasurer
Rebecca Zornow, Marketing Committee
Oliver Zornow, Fundraising Committee
Abby Gannon
Kara Patterson
Shawn Williams
Jane Zornow
Past Board Members
Jackie Whelan, 2019-2024
Ella DeMay, Junior Board Member, 2019-2020
Ashley Fleming, Fundraising Coordinator, 2016-2020
Stefanie Montgomery, 2019-2020
Jenny Jansen, Marketing Coordinator, 2015-2018
Lynn Bridges, 2011-2014
Michael Kieffer, 2011
Current Board Members
Our structure allows us to be able to identify and respond quickly to needs in the community and school. Over the years, examples of these smaller projects include:
Emergency Medical Transportation
Community Seed Distributions
School Feeding Program
Increased Access to Routine Medical Care
Adult Education
Vocational Workshops
Campus Infrastructure Development
You can read more about CRDF in our Strategic Plan – Abridged.