March 26, 2025
Good Samaritan Day 2025
National Good Samaritan Day is celebrated every year on March 13th to honor the people who perform acts of kindness and selflessness to help others in need.
This is a special day for the Mortel High Hopes for Haiti Foundation, because Dr. Rodrigue Mortel started this foundation with the help of many “Good Samaritans.” It’s the reason he named our first school Les Bons Samaritains back in 2001.
Too many people and institutions had contributed to this project to name it for any one person. It occurred to me instead to name it for a biblical character who exemplified the life-saving generosity the school would attempt to foster in its students. The school would serve the poor kids whom people pass by, without even looking at them. For those children, the school would be someone new who comes by, stops, and sees them differently. -Dr. Mortel
Our students at Les Bons Samaritains are not just receiving an education — they are living out the values of kindness, generosity, and service. Despite facing their own hardships, they continue to show compassion without judgment, reminding us what it truly means to be a Good Samaritan.
In Haiti, we celebrated by sharing stories of Good Samaritans in our community and by serving those in need. The students and staff collected their own pennies for the local prison and spent time preparing food and packaging hygiene kits for the prisoners. Their contributions, participation, and smiles truly show the meaning of paying it forward.
In the United States, students from Bishop McDevitt High School and St. Joan of Arc School in Pennsylvania came together to serve their communities, living out the generosity and kindness that inspired Les Bons Samaritains in Haiti.
Bishop McDevitt High School partnered with United Way to assemble Healthy Shoebox Meals for families in need. Volunteers collected dry goods, wrote notes of encouragement, and packaged meals.
St. Joan of Arc School united students from PreK3 through 8th grade to assemble 100 hygiene kits and 100 bagged lunches for those facing homelessness. Their entire school came together in the gym for a day of service, surrounded by acts of kindness and a spirit of giving.
We want to encourage you, just as Dr. Mortel would, to spread kindness and make a difference. ❤️ Need ideas for how you can inspire good in yourself and others? Our students have some tips for you!
Fun Fact
The day is named after the Bible’s Parable of the Good Samaritan, which tells the story of a Samaritan man who helped a stranger who was beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. The Samaritan cleaned the man’s wounds, clothed him, and paid for his care at an inn.
In the News
→ Saint Joan of Arc School celebrates Good Samaritan Day with homemade kits for the homeless
How we’ve celebrated Good Samaritan Day in the past …
In 2023, the school community collected funds to help feed the inmates at the local prison in Saint Marc. Students, teachers, and staff delivered bags of rice, beans, cooking oil, and propane to the prison. SEE MORE
In 2024, students and staff at Les Bons Samaritains raised funds to make care packages of hygiene products for the local prisoners to help feed the inmates at the local prison in Saint Marc. Students, teachers, and staff delivered bags of rice, beans, cooking oil, and propane to the prison. SEE MORE
