TACOMA, Wash. - A recent college graduate from Port Orchard who was volunteering at a Haiti orphanage was killed when the Port-au-Prince earthquake struck, her family said Friday.
Molly Hightower, 22, was on the fifth floor of a seven-story orphanage building in Petionville when it collapsed, the organization that runs the orphanage told her father, Mike Hightower of Port Orchard.
Molly is the niece of Father Craig Hightower, a priest at Gonzaga University. He has been the family's spokesperson throughout the tragedy.
Father Craig said Molly 'fell in love' with working with children after graduating from the University of Portland and planned to get her Master's Degree in Special Education.
'It would have been easy for her to stay at home or go onto grad school or into the workforce, but the one thing she knew how to do, she knew how to love,' said Craig.
Father Craig said the Hightower family is humbled by the love and support directed toward Molly these past few days and for the countless prayers received.
'We are grateful for the work and effort of all search crews in Port-au-Prince and continue to pray for those still missing and all victims,' he says.
Molly kept a blog about her experiences in Haiti called '525,600 Minutes' and wrote about the joys and challenges of her volunteer work.
'We went to bless the babies that died in the hospital the night before, which I've never done before. It was devastating to see them be unwrapped, cleaned, blessed and rewrapped to be buried,' she wrote in December.
In November, Molly wrote, 'We had visitors Saturday so the kids had a big program with lots of dancing and music. The girls are such good dancers and are beautiful in their costumes!'
A public memorial for Molly was scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at St. Louise Catholic Church in Bellevue. A private service was held Friday morning at her high school in Tacoma.
Father Hightower said his family will be returning to their home in Port Orchard this afternoon. He says they'll turn off the TVs, computers and cell phones and pray for Molly and those who have loved ones still missing in Haiti.
