Alex Slitz/Daily NewsTodd Hazel, of Bowling Green, is a social worker at Franklin-Simpson Middle School. On Monday, he will travel to Haiti, where he will spend a week counseling children who lost family members in the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Todd Hazel loves working with children.

As a social worker at Franklin-Simpson Middle School and a therapist at Family Works Therapy, he often works with young people going through difficult times.

“Todd has such a servant’s heart, especially toward children,” said Francie Sartain, Hazel’s clinical supervisor. “He has such a gift of working with kids.”

It wasn’t a surprise to her that children left orphaned by the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti tugged at Hazel’s heart. So when the Kentucky Community Crisis Response Board – a disaster behavioral health agency – was looking for members with international certification to go to Haiti to counsel children at an orphanage, Hazel applied.

“I found out I was going yesterday,” he said Wednesday. “I’m leaving Monday.”

Hazel will go on a weeklong mission with Project Medishare, a nonprofit organization in Miami that helps provide medical care to Haiti. He will meet a team of six – including nurses, doctors and mental health professionals – and go to New Life Children’s Home. During the mission, he will stay in a tent with no running water, showers or indoor plumbing and work in 12-hour shifts.

“Most of them have lost loved ones because of the earthquake. There won’t be a lot of therapy taking place in seven days, but we’re doing critical stress management,” Hazel said of the children. “I’m going to be loving on those kids while I’m there. We’ll do group counseling kind of things, and we’ll use crayons and paper to do art therapy.”

Hazel isn’t concerned about the language barrier. The children speak mainly Creole and French, and he speaks mainly English.

“We’ll be talking through an interpreter, but you can always communicate through paper and crayons,” he said. “I would love to take soccer balls. It’s a great way to introduce counseling. You can use it as an opportunity to break the ice and talk.”

He also will take artwork from children at various southcentral Kentucky schools to share with the Haitian children.

“I think we can show them love and that kids here are thinking about them,” he said. “I think that’s important.”

When Franklin-Simpson Middle School Principal Shelina Smith heard about Hazel’s trip, she and the rest of the school wanted to help. Homerooms and the school staff are collecting money for him. The school’s FFA donated $300 that they had been collecting for other activities.

“The kids are so close to him that they want to do everything they can for him. We’re so proud of him. He’s got an amazing opportunity to help others,” she said. “You know he’s going to be a godsend to these people. He has the ability to make you feel comfortable. We’re pleased he has been given the opportunity to help them get through this uncomfortable time.”

Sartain said the work in Haiti is in keeping with Hazel’s character.

“He’s always the first to volunteer,” she said. “I’m so proud of him. I know he’s going to make an impact on those kids’ lives with his caring nature.”

She and other mental health professionals are collecting items such as coloring books, crayons, soccer balls, Frisbees and Jolly Ranchers candy for Hazel.

“We want to send anything that could bring a smile to a kid’s face,” she said.

Hazel said he hopes to have time to set up a blog so people can see and read about the mission. He appreciates all the help he has received from everyone.

“The district has been supportive of me doing this,” he said.

To donate items to help Hazel on his mission to Haiti, e-mail todd.hazel@simpson.kyschools.us.