From Hershey to Haiti, Merline and John Engle bring their commitment to education, hospitality, and community to Delray Beach.
In his mid-twenties, John Engle sat with his mentor, John H. Rawley, in the parlor of Milton Hershey’s former home, then headquarters of the chocolate company Hershey founded. He was struggling with a question that would change his life: What was his purpose?
Working 60-hour weeks in sales, he was earning a good living but questioning how he was contributing to a better world. Rawley, then Assistant to the CEO, challenged him: “Who are you? What do you believe in? What do you stand for?” Eventually, John turned the question around.
“What’s your purpose, Mr. Rawley?”
Rawley, a World War II B-29 pilot who helped modernize Hershey’s marketing, replied that his purpose was to support a leader whose vision he believed in. John found the answer underwhelming. Decades later, he would understand it differently.
In 1991, Panasonic granted John a two-year leave to pursue educational work in Haiti. The experience became a lifelong commitment. Living in the mountains outside Port-au-Prince without running water or a telephone, he traveled by public transportation and immersed himself in Haitian Creole and everyday life.
“I lived very simply in Haiti because I believed it helped me better understand the people I was working with,” John says. “I was inspired by the determination of the Haitian people and captivated by Haiti’s extraordinary history and culture.”
Working alongside Haitian colleagues, he focused on discussion-based education and collaborative leadership.
Ten years after first moving to Haiti, John met Mer-line through a mutual friend. Though raised in different cultures, they discovered a common commitment to education and helping others flourish. Friendship blossomed into love and a partnership rooted in shared dreams.
The couple married in 2003 in a beautiful Presbyterian church in Scarsdale, New York, and have been together ever since. They also have two kids, Daniel and Leila.
Merline grew up in a Haitian family that values education. After losing her mother at a young age, she was raised by her father with support from extended family.
“I was raised by the village and felt very loved and blessed,” she says.
Her grandfather, a teacher, taught her that education is about more than knowledge: it is about improving lives. John’s family also modeled service. When he was a child, his parents welcomed two Vietnamese citizens displaced by war into their Hershey farmhouse.
Those convictions helped inspire a school.
In 2006, Merline started a youth choir in Haiti and discovered some fifth graders could not read. John, meanwhile, had learned that training individual edu-cators did not necessarily transform school cultures. After Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, they joined neighbors to envision a school that could become a center for community transformation.
The Children’s Academy and Learning Center opened in Bawosya in 2012 with 25 preschoolers. Today, it serves 510 students from prekindergarten through 12th grade. Merline leads it in partnership with its Haitian leadership team and staff.
Parents participate in a program rooted in konbit, a Haitian tradition of neighbors working together. They explore children’s rights, positive discipline, gender equity, and healthy relationships.
The Academy cultivates good character, purpose, sustainability, and community alongside academics. Students sing in the Wozo Choir, named for a reed that bends without breaking, and grow tree seedlings for surrounding communities. For three consecutive years, every ninth grader has passed the national exam.
Through Haiti Partners, the nonprofit the Engles co-founded with others, The Academy and six partner schools reach more than 1,700 students. The Engles believe education empowers individuals, healthy relationships nurture cultures of dignity, and communities thrive when people work together.
“John and I are profoundly grateful for the family and friends who have believed in this vision and helped make it possible,” Merline says.
“Their generosity, encouragement, and friendship have sustained us. We could never have done this without them.”
In Haiti, the Engles built and ran the 25-bed Bellevue Guest House, welcoming visitors from around the world who came to learn about Haiti and volunteer at The Academy.
Meals around Merline’s table stretched into long conversations, and guests encouraged her to share her cooking more widely. For Merline, hospitality meant making people feel welcome and valued.
Today, Merline’s offers Haitian-inspired hot sauces, pikliz, and other foods, with proceeds supporting education in Haiti.
“I grew up hearing that to whom much is given, much is expected. My dream is to build Merline’s into a thriving business, so that every bottle sold helps sustain and grow our schools in Haiti,” she says.
The couple discovered Delray Beach while living in Vero Beach, making trips south to purchase organic produce for Merline’s products. In 2021, they put down roots. They now welcome visitors to their Delray Beach Airbnb, which ranks in the top 1% of Airbnb listings for guest reviews and reliability.
Active in the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, they introduce neighbors to Haiti Partners and Merline’s products. Their recent Do-Good Delray event, “Music for Good,” at Crazy Uncle Mike’s featured author and speaker Dr. Robert Watson with The Gritty Groove band.
“I love the educational work Merline and John are doing in Haiti,” Watson says. “John and I have been friends since going to Hershey High School together. The Gritty Groove band will be doing more performances to support their work and vision.”
For John, the journey leads back to that afternoon in Milton Hershey’s parlor. His mentor’s answer has taken on profound meaning. The leader whose vision John is most committed to supporting is Merline.
Visit haitipartners.org to support education in Haiti, merlines.com for Merline’s Haitian-inspired foods, and johnengle.com to learn about the book they’re co-writing.
