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January 13, 2010

Looking to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti? Here's how.

By Cara Spilsbury

Those in Haverhill wishing to donate to victims of the eartquake in Haiti have some local and national options. Here are some of the donation opportunities located so far. Keep checking in to www.hgazette.com for updates.

Ways to Donate to aid Haiti Earthquake Relief:

Partners in Health, a Boston-based organization that provides health care to the poor in nations around the world, has their flagship program in Haiti. They have facilities in the country that feature a 104-bed, full-service hospital with two operating rooms, adult and pediatric inpatient wards, an infectious disease center, an outpatient clinic, a women's health clinic, ophthalmology and general medicine clinics, a laboratory, a pharmaceutical warehouse, a Red Cross blood bank, radiographic services, and a dozen schools.

PIH wrote on their website that they received an urgent email from their clinical director in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Louise Ivers: "Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS... Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us."

To make an online donation through Partners in Health, visit www.pih.org. If you prefer to donate by mail, send a check with "Haiti Earthquake Relief" in the memo line to: Partners In Health, P.O. Box 845578, Boston, MA 02284-5578.

Margot's Gallery on Wingate Street in Haverhill, will serve as a local drop off point for donations to Partners in Health. The art gallery, which sells art from many Haitian artists, is owned by Margot Lindau. Lindau praised the work of PIH.

"It is a wonderful organization that has been working Haiti for years and has made and continues to make a real difference there," she said.

Partners in Development, based in Ipswich, has a medical clinic in Port-au-Prince and is organizing to send a medical team there. Their phone number is 978-471-9922.

The American Red Cross is accepting donations through the mail at P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Donations to the International Response Fund can be made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org. The organization announced Tuesday night that they have pledged an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake, and are prepared to take further action as local responders assess the situation.

UNICEF has issued a statement that "children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them." UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund at www.unicefusa.org. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF.

Donations via text message are an option. Texting "HAITI" to 90999 will charge a $10 donation to the Red Cross on your next phone bill. Participating wireless carriers are: Alltel, AT&T, Sprint-Nextel, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless.

Texting "yele" to 510 510 is also being tweeted and re-tweeted as a way to donate $5 to relief efforts via Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund. Jean, who found fame as a member of the musical group The Fugees and as a solo artist, hails from Haiti. He started the Yele Haiti Foundation in 2005 to provide scholarships to disadvantaged youth in Haiti.

Text the word "Haiti" to 85944 to donate $5 on behalf of the Rescue Union Mission and MedCorp International.

Text the word "Haiti" to 25383 to donate $5 on behalf of the Internal Rescue Committee.

The Archdiocese of Boston is taking a second collection at services during the weekend of Jan. 16 and Jan. 17 or the weekend of Jan. 30 and Jan. 31. Funds collected will be sent to Catholic Relief Services to assist in relief efforts in Haiti. Parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston in Haverhill are All Saints, Sacred Hearts, Saint James and Saint John the Baptist. The second collection was authorized by Cardnial Sean P. O'Malley.

"The human tragedy unfolding in Haiti is heartbreaking and it calls all of us to action to help the people impacted by the earthquake," O'Malley said in a press release. "We pray for those who have perished, for the injured, for the displaced and for relief personnel who are courageously working to assist the people of Haiti at this difficult and sad time. We ask God to bless Haiti and to be merciful in their hour of need. The destruction witnessed has devastated a poor nation of people who cry out now for the help of the world community. The Archdiocese of Boston will do its part in assisting our brothers and sisters in Haiti."

In addition, the Cardinal announced that Catholic Charities Boston is actively engaged in working with the local Haitian community to assist families locally who have loved ones impacted by the earthquake. To stay informed, please visit www.ccab.org.

Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Haverhill will be fundraising for relief efforts in Haiti via the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), which sends 100 percent of funds directly to relief operations. Donations are accepted online at new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/ or by writing GSUMC a check with "Haiti" written in the memo. GSUMC is located at 471 Main St. in Haverhill.¬  For questions, please call 978-372-2843.

International Medical Equipment Collaborative, a non-profit, volunteer-based organization in North Andover, is sending emergency medical equipment and supplies to those affected by this disaster, in collaboration with area hospitals and volunteers. IMEC New England hospitals are donating equipment and supplies. Volunteer groups, including retirees, companies, colleges and religious organizations are donating their time to pack these items. These supplies will be shipped directly to hospitals in Haiti.

IMEC has worked in Haiti for the past several years, providing medical equipment to hospitals and clinics in Port-Au-Prince and Ile de la Gonave, an island located across from Port-Au-Prince.

Any individual, group or company that would like to help IMEC's response to the crisis in Haiti should contact us. Donations and volunteer inquiries can be made by visiting http://www.imecamerica.org/donating.html or by calling IMEC at 978-557-5510.

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