The Good Life – September-October 2018

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ON THE COVER | WIL DORT 18 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
Wil Dort From Haiti to Haircuts WRITTEN BY: ALEXANDRA FLOERSCH PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA It’s the story of a childhood right out of a TV commercial, pleading “Feed the children,” “Donate just 63 cents a day” or “You can shine bright in the toughest places to be a child.” No electricity. A hilly, exhausting walk to school. And each day came without a guarantee of his next meal. Wil Dort, 33, was born into this life in Haiti. Now the co-owner of Skill Cutz in Fargo, Dort recalls his early years without the amenities of modern, American living. He and his siblings grew up living with his grandma in the countryside, because his mother moved to the city to start a business in hopes of supporting the family. “My life, it was very different than what you see here,” Dort recalled. At just 4 or 5 years old, he would wake up at 6 a.m. to check on and feed the chickens, cows and pigs and make himself a little breakfast – whatever he could find – all before going to school. “If you’re blessed enough where they serve lunch that day, you’ll get a lunch,” he explained. “(Lunch) wasn’t every day. It could be breakfast to dinner. You’d be blessed to get a snack in between.” Typically, the schools were funded through missionaries, but now and then the pantry would get robbed. “Times get hard and people look for a way out,” Dort said. “We got a small allowance – maybe 50 cents or $1 for the week at the most. I could never budget so I’d use that to eat Monday and Tuesday, then it was gone.” Living a 45-minute walk away from the closest river, just getting drinking water came with its challenges. “The same place the animals were drinking – that’s where we had to drink, too,” Dort said. His trek to school looked similar – two hours each way. “It wasn’t flat. You have to cross like two rivers and climb a mountain. It was quite the journey,” he recalled, able to chuckle about it now. “We were considered better off and more fortunate than most. As a kid, you’d never experienced anything different. That was the norm.” A Step Below Heaven Early on, Dort recognized the common goal shared by all Haitians. “There’s 10 million people over there and everyone’s hoping and dreaming to make it to America. Heaven is here,” he said, setting the bar with his hand. “And America is here – right below heaven.” For Dort and his family, that dream would eventually become a reality. His father made the trek in 1994. He couldn’t read or write, but he learned how to sign his name on the way to America. Working for $5 to $6 an hour at Federal Beef in Fargo, little by little he’d send money home. “Unfortunately, he got us here on November 5, 1997 and then he passed away the fall of 2000,” Dort said. “That really took a toll on all of us. If he didn’t make the sacrifice, we would have never made it here.” Ex-Con Turns Life Around to Open Skill Cutz Barbershop urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 19
Page 1 and 2: SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 HAVING A BEE
Page 3 and 4: urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE
Page 5 and 6: PUBLISHED BY Urban Toad Media LLP w
Page 7 and 8: When riding these paths you can see
Page 9 and 10: out, not only to help, but the face
Page 11 and 12: MARK BJORNSTAD Hometown: Fargo Day
Page 13 and 14: What does living the good life mean
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Page 25 and 26: The Good Life caught up with the li
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Page 31 and 32: “This organization is about rescu
Page 33 and 34: LINDA WIEDEWITSCH “I just love do
Page 35: time employees who train, manage ad

The Good Life – September-October 2018

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