Where are they now? Yvenson Bernard

Yvenson Bernard is a busy man.

When he is not living in Canada playing football for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL, the third all-time leading rusher in Oregon State University history is doing everything he can to help out the distressed nation of Haiti.

"In the offseason, my brain shoots straight to Haiti and the other six months of the year I play football and take care of business," Bernard said.

After a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, Bernard knew he had to do something.

"When it happened I was like: this is my opportunity, I want to do something else with my name besides football and [then] everyone got behind me," Bernard said.

This wasn't just a good cause that Bernard wanted to generate support for; Haiti is in Bernard's blood.  His parents are a prime example of Haitians living the American dream.  After immigrating to Florida as teenagers they got jobs as janitors with IBM and eventually saved up enough to buy a dry cleaning business.  Bernard's aunt is the equivalent of the Haitian vice-president and he still has a half-brother living there as well.  Needless to say, Bernard's ties to Haiti run deep.

Last year Bernard's "I Heart Haiti" campaign raised over 24,000 pounds of food and clothing for the Haitian people, but Bernard says that the fight to help Haiti is far from over.

"The country still has need and it's gonna take a while for them to get back on their feet," Bernard said.  "I'm going to do as much as I can do personally, but more is better right now."

Bernard has raised money and supplies for Haiti through events such as a Civil War ticket raffle, a silent auction, and a football camp he does with former Oregon State defensive back and best friend Sabby Piscitelli.  

After he began to make an impact with the "I Heart Haiti" campaign, Bernard teamed up with the Oregon State Athletic Department to start Beavers Without Borders.  Beavers Without Borders gives Oregon State student-athletes the opportunity to serve others and work on charitable projects around the globe.  So far they have traveled to Guatemala and Macedonia to build homes for underprivileged families in addition to raising money for Haiti.

"A lot of the kids who take these trips have never been to another country," Bernard said.

"It's so cool to see them when they land in another country and they're like what is this and then they come back different guys."

Bernard sounded genuinely moved when he talked about going to Guatemala with players like Lance Mitchell, Rashaad Reynolds, and Markus Wheaton and seeing how they grew as individuals because of BWOB.

"A lot of people don't think football players reach out of their comfort zone and do things like this but they do," Bernard said.  "Then you see them on Saturdays playing football and its really cool."

Bernard believes that the key for Haiti to have a successful future is to increase the education level of the Haitian youth, so it goes without saying that the next project for BWOB will be to go build a school in Haiti.

Let's not forget that Bernard has been spearheading this movement to help Haiti while still pursuing his dream of playing in the NFL.

Coming into his fourth year in the CFL, Bernard hopes to see more playing time and get the opportunity to show what he is capable of.  Beaver fans will remember the numbers Bernard used to put up.  While he was at Oregon State he was a three-time All-Pac-10 selection.

"I just want to give it one more shot, who knows if I'll ever get it," Bernard said.  "I keep it in the back of my head and use it for motivation to keep bettering myself and my game but if [I don't make it in the NFL] I'm happy where I am and I'm blessed to be playing the game."

All of his humanitarian and football endeavors aside, Bernard has a secret plan to return to OSU.

When asked where he sees himself in ten years, Bernard replied with a laugh, "I don't know if I want Coach Riley to know but maybe on the sidelines at Oregon State coaching."

Bernard means no offense to Riley, in fact, he said that Riley has been trying to convince him to come back and coach but he remains undecided.

"Playing under Coach Riley ended up being one of the best things to ever happen to me," Bernard said.  "He's like my best friend, we talk daily."

Bernard visited with Riley on Saturday when the Beavers defeated the University of Washington for Senior Day and the last home game of the season.  The game brought back memories for Bernard, who helped the Beavers get a win against the Huskies in his final home game as well.  Although Oregon State has had a disappointing season, Bernard, echoing Riley's characteristic optimism, had praise for the Beaver seniors.

"I'm proud of [the seniors]," Bernard said.  "They don't understand how huge that was, ‘cause a few years from now they are going to look back and say, ‘wow that was really cool, we got a win in my last home game.'"

Alex Crawford, sports writer

sports@dailybarometer.com