Day 15ish - Something Bigger...

Hey y'all,

Last night / today turned out much different than expected. I was on my way to Chicago to hear Will Allen speak when we got word he wasn't feeling well. His daughter, Erika, spoke on his behalf but we really wanted to see Will. So we turned the car around and came back to Milwaukee, vowing to see him speak at a later time. Instead of spending the day in Chicago, I'm here in the intern house reflecting on these past two weeks, as well as something larger. It's nice having an actual day-off regardless of where it's spent.

Since I'm not working, today's post will be about something entirely different; the disaster relief effort in Haiti. I've been in sort of a bubble here at Growing Power - internet is very shotty and we don't watch TV - therefore it's very hard to know what's going on outside these doors. But I've done a lot of reading this morning and I'm collaborating with a good friend back home to start fundraising for the Haiti relief effort. Our goal is to eventually get down there and do some volunteering - but right now it is only experienced disaster relief workers and medical personell who are being allowed in.

Haiti needs a lot of outside help to rebuild their community and for now, the most we can do is donate. I'm ususally hesitant to give money to most organizations (even reputable ones like Red Cross) since I'm never sure where my money goes after leaving my hands. I've done some research and came across a small organization based out of Portland, OR.

Mercy Corps is sending a team of emergency responders to assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors. The agency aided families after earthquakes in Peru in 2007, China and Pakistan in 2008, and Indonesia last year.

I'm going to continue researching different organizations that are completely transparent with the handling of their funds and who also lead groups of volunteers. In the meantime, I'm going to open a bank account strictly for collecting donations, while this event is still on people's minds. We will select an organization that allows us to follow the money to Haiti and see first-hand what is being done with it. A group of us will go down to Haiti, maybe as soon as June, to help with the rebuilding. If this sounds like a cause you feel like donating to, please leave a comment below, or send a check to:

Ryan Harb
3 Willow Lane
Amherst, MA 01002

I will be updating this blog with our progress so please keep checking back. Today is just the beginning and our plans will further develop and become more organized in the coming weeks and months. I have a good feeling that a lot of UMass students will jump on board with this and together we can do a lot of good. Thoughts, suggestions and questions are all encouraged.

Thanks for reading - I can't help but think how fortunate we all are for what we have, where we are and the cards that life dealt us. I thank the universe each day for this existance.