Football legend Tim Tebow and his foundation teamed up with non-profit organization The Sentinel Foundation to rescue 59 children with disabilities from Haiti, as the country continues to suffer from gang-related violence.
Tebow announced the operation on a social media post, sharing a photo of him carrying a child and thanking the “amazing frontline heroes” who came together. In addition to partnering with The Sentinel Foundation, a team of veteran commandos, Tebow publicly thanked the Mission of Hope, HaitiOne and the Anti-Trafficking Bureau from the Dominican Republic, along with a slew of other organizations and individuals. (RELATED: US Begins Rescuing American Citizens From Haiti As Nation Falls Under Violent Gang Rule)
“On this day I’m so grateful. I’m grateful for the amazing frontline heroes that have all come together to care for 59 incredible image-bearers from Haiti who have severe disabilities but are incredible fighters. They have been relocated out of danger and into freedom! Thank you to everyone involved – so many to thank as there really is power when we come together,” Tebow stated in a post.
On this day I’m so grateful. I’m grateful for the amazing frontline heroes that have all come together to care for 59 incredible image-bearers from Haiti who have severe disabilities but are incredible fighters.
They have been relocated out of danger and into freedom! Thank you… pic.twitter.com/DEw0NPgSHt
— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) March 22, 2024
“Thank you to The Sentinel Foundation, Adam LaRoche with E3 Ranch Foundation, the Anti-Trafficking Bureau from the DR, Kevin Guthrie with the FL Division of Emergency Management, Cory Mills, myLIFEspeaks, Mission of Hope, HaitiOne, the caregivers from HaitiChildren, our team of volunteers, and the doctors and nurses.”
Tebow and The Sentinel Foundation joined together to provide support and funding as Republican Florida Rep. Cory Mills had a notable hand guiding the operation, due to his experience with staging two previous rescues from Haiti, according to Fox News.
“I’m always happy to offer my support and resources to groups like this; they’re not just allies, they’re brothers,” Mills stated, according to the outlet. “Their mission to bring vulnerable people home is one I wholeheartedly endorse.”
Upon learning about the consequences of the ongoing crisis, Tebow’s group reached out to the non-profit, triggering Sentinel to fully support the efforts in aiding the 59 children to safety. The veteran group reportedly made their approach by land, sea and air, as well as using the ferry to get the children out of Haiti. The team had some difficulties during their rescue due to the Dominican Republic shutting down avenues of access and limiting operations, Fox News reported.
“I would say that we had absolutely zero dry runs done, and we have guys that are trained that do this on a regular basis, or have done in the military, or at least open up on what we need them to be spun up on, whether it be swimming, medical or just general operators,” a Sentinel member told Fox Digital. “But we didn’t know how we were going to do in the field until we did it.”
The Sentinel member continued to tell the outlet that the team was able to rescue 59 of an estimated 30,000 children who are still stuck in Haiti with non-profit organizations that are run by American citizens. The team member stated that the operation had targeted “the most high-risk children” in hopes that it would have the “most likely chance of success.”
“Most of them have no leadership there right now because everyone’s had to leave,” the member stated. “Of those 30,000, not all those kids have somewhere to go, and not all those kids have special needs, or are high risk.”
In early March, at least a dozen people in Haiti died after armed gangs stormed the country’s main prison in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Video circulated online, allegedly showing the chaotic moments during the raid, with residents appearing to run as gunshots rang out repeatedly in the background.
Following the incident, the gang-violence continued to escalate and led to Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigning as the U.S. sent anti-terrorism forces to the country. The U.S. began rescuing Americans out of Haiti last week, extracting U.S. citizens out by helicopter and airplane, however, it is unclear how many are still currently stuck in the country.