Haiti Disaster

 The catastrophic earthquake in Haiti this week has left an indelible impression of the devastation that it has caused in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The world wide response has been impressive, but also difficult to manage as rescue experts from around the world have mobilized to alleviate the suffering caused by the quake. The response ranges from the large scale effort being mounted by the U.S. government down to small church and civic groups looking to do anything that they can to help.

Former President Bill Clinton is the special UN Envoy to Haiti and he and George Bush have been tasked by President Obama with heading up the private philanthropic efforts within the U.S. The response has been overwhelming, but many people are struggling with finding the best way to help. For most people, that is not going to be a hands-on response, but rather a financial one in the form of a donation to the relief and recovery efforts. The question is how to do this.

Many, many organizations are accepting donations for this effort. As a local United Way, we raise a lot of money to support local initiatives, and we have the ability to accept donations earmarked for things such as relief in Haiti. However, there are other groups that are much better equipped to have an immediate impact on the crisis. We have listed three of them on our website, but there are many others. In the case of United Way, our parent organization United Way Worldwide is accepting donations and mobilizing their partners in the Caribbean area to make a difference in the recovery effort. The Red Cross has probably the most established record in disaster relief. We have even posted a link to a site that tells you how to use your cell phone to make an immediate donation by text to a variety of known efforts, and I would urge you to use the one that best fits your thoughts to help make a difference.

Yesterday, at our Derby/Shelton Rotary meeting, our club voted to make a $500 donation through our Rotary International Foundation. A separate collection among our members present resulted in more than $600 in additional donations, and we will have a second collection next week.It was just one example of people looking to help and finding the right vehicle to make it happen.

Please look at the options available to you and think how you might help. Even a $5.00 donation will make a big difference. I saw one reporter pointing out that the Haitian clinic where he was reporting didn't have any aspirin, and that a $5.00 donation would make a world of difference in getting a supply of aspirin for the clinic!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.