Michael Henderson ’99
HUMANITARIAN ALUMNI AWARD
Dr. Carlos Perkins and fellow alum Dr. Michael Henderson, MD, started an orphanage in Haiti. It is currently known as Beautiful Morning, Inc. In 2018, this new organization opened Jesus House for Children, a 28-child orphanage. When political unrest forced a nationwide shutdown in 2019, they expanded to open an on-site school so that children could continue their education while local schools were closed.
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In addition to being a school principal, Carlos is Pastor of the Bethel Cathedral AME Church. Dr. Perkins works to empower others through the demonstration of the Holy Spirit. He ministers to the needs of today’s generation by planning and implementing a number of cutting-edge ministry opportunities and activities. He has also been blessed to preach to and instruct youth and young adults in spiritual development and leadership around the United States, Caribbean and across the continent of Africa; he has been instrumental in planning spiritual conferences, college tours, mentoring programs, athletic events, and spiritual retreats. Dr. Carlos led missionary teams of youth, young adults, and youth ministers to Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Rwanda, and Ghana.
Given his exceptional dedication towards empowering young people, Carlos represents the college's values in a way that makes him highly deserving of this award. Because of their dedication to the educational, spiritual, and physical well-being of young children in Haiti, I am enthusiastic about nominating, jointly, Rev. Dr. Carlos W. Perkins, ‘99 and Dr. Michael D. Henderson, MD, ‘99 for the Humanitarian Alumni Award. Their paired investment of time, talent, and treasure into a school and orphanage outside of Port-au- Prince has led to the founding of “Beautiful Morning”, a U.S. based not-for-profit organization aiming to help orphans grow up in a stable, loving, and nurturing environment. There are over two dozen school-age young people learning and living at the Academy of Hope and Jesus House for Children, as local educators and caregivers protect, teach, and minister to them.
With the experience of missions work in the African nation of Rwanda, Dr. Perkins and Dr. Henderson turned to three of their brothers among a close-knit group of IC alumni, to see how they could do more good collectively in Haiti; the idea of Beautiful Morning, Inc. took shape. Each of the men gained significant experience in their respective careers, ranging from theology, medicine, philanthropy, media production, housing, and youth development. The group expanded, and now operates Beautiful Morning as volunteers under the direction of Dr. Perkins and Dr. Henderson, respectively, a pastor and principal in Indiana and a cardiologist in Texas.
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