VIDEO SPOTLIGHT
SPECIAL EVENTS
ARTINI Silent Art Auction - Wonderful Evening.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! to our sponsors, volunteers, artists, and bidders. Proceeds will benefit the Chapter's hospital volunteer program as well as the local disaster assistance fund.
Thank you, also to Members of the CSO Youth Orchestra. A great time was had by all.
News + Updates
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1/20/2010 |
| As the death toll increases in earthquake-devastated Haiti, so does the amount of donations headed there, local agencies report. "We've been inundated with people walking in with donations," said Claudia Moore, director of marketing for the American Red Cross Greater Chattanooga Area Chapter. "We had a huge stack of mail on Monday that we had to bring somebody to help us process and enter those donations." She said local Red Cross officials expect to raise between $100,000 and $200,000, based on activity workers have seen so far. Unum announced it is donating up to $200,000 and Bi-Lo Charities launched a donation program in which shoppers can donate to the Red Cross to help those in Haiti. Bi-Lo, in turn, will match customer donations up to $25,000. Donations are coming in regularly at the headquarters of AMG International in Chattanooga, said Roger Thomas, coordinator of outreach projects and sponsorship programs at the evangelical mission and relief organization. "Gifts are coming in at a rate of 20 a day just for Haiti, and they range anywhere from $5 to one for $5,000 from one of our regular donors," Mr. Thomas said. His church, Signal Mountain Bible Church, collected a significant amount for Haiti relief effort last Sunday, he said, and it will hold a walk and race on Feb. 6 that also will generate proceeds for Haiti. Locally, the Salvation Army has received more than $9,000 in checks alone, said Kimberly George, director of marketing and development for the local Salvation Army. "We've seen an amazing response," she said. "There's been an outpouring of support from Chattanoogans as well as just Americans overall." HELPING THE HELPERS Churches, organizations, schools and other groups throughout the region are helping raise money, many times to distribute to larger agencies. A wooden bell carved with the Haitian proverb "No one listens to the cry of the poor or the sound of a wooden bell" inspired children and staff members at the Bright School to decorate 500 small bells to help with the Haiti relief effort. On Tuesday morning, the children decorated the bells with words such as "I listen," "I care," "I hear," and "I help" with paint and markers of different colors. The bells will be sold for $5 and the proceeds will benefit the Chattanooga-based Children's Nutrition Program in Haiti, whose headquarters in Leogane were destroyed. "They see images in the media, and it's our job as adults to help them process what they are seeing and help them understand that, even if they are far away, they can do little things that can make a difference and help people," said Kim Brown, director of marketing and community relations for the private school. The Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga is collecting blankets, canned goods and clothes to give to the Salvation Army by Friday, said Bassam Issa, a member leading the collection. The society also will give a check for more than $1,000 to a relief organization, but he said they still haven't decided which one. Haiti Earthquake page PDF: Email Account Article: Donations mount for Haiti relief Article: Local medical team at work in Haiti Blog: Journalist's personal diary from quake scene Article: UT doctor treating Haitian quake victims Article: Prayers offered for devastated country Slideshow: Haiti Refugees Flash presentation: Recent high-resolution satellite image of Port-au-Prince Article: U.S. official: Violence in Haiti hindering aid work Article: Chattanoogans recount horror tales from Haiti Article: Quake ignores class divisions of a poor land Article: Haitians search desperately for missing relatives Article: Haitian doctor takes 100 patients into his home Article: As aid pours in, haiti struggles to distribute it Article: Haitians hold out hope for relatives Article: Haitians in country illegally can stay for a while Article: U.S. could take larger security role in Haiti Article: Enormous Haiti quake toll Editorial Cartoon: Haiti Article: George W. Bush, Bill Clinton asked for Haiti help Article:Chattanooga: Haiti needs worldwide effort, ambassador says ABOUT HAITI * Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. * About 54 percent of its more than 9 million residents live in abject poverty. * Haiti is slightly smaller than Maryland and shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. * The population is 95 percent black and 80 percent Roman Catholic. * French and Creole are the official languages. * About half the population practices voodoo. * The nation has four airports with paved runways and is favored by Columbian drug dealers for routing cocaine shipments, in part because of widespread corruption. Source: CIA World Factbook GET INVOLVED Several local organizations are accepting donations or asking for volunteers to help with the relief effort: * The Greater Chattanooga Area Chapter of the American Red Cross is accepting contributions to the organization's Disaster Relief Fund that will go to Haiti relief efforts. Donate online at www.chattanoogaredcross.org/donate/ or send them to the local Red Cross chapter office at 801 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37403. * Children's Nutrition Program of Haiti, call 495-1122 or visit http://cnphaiti.org * Score International, call 423-894-7111 or visit https://scoreinternational.org/give. Specify Help Haitians Rapid Response. * American Haitian Foundation, checks can be mailed to: 3602 Anderson Pike, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 or visit www.americanhaitianfoundation.org. * The Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations via www.salvationarmyusa.org, 1-800-SAL-ARMY and postal mail at: The Salvation Army World Service Office, International Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 630728, Baltimore, MD 21263-0728; or donors can text the word "HAITI" to 52000, to automatically give $10 to the Salvation Army's relief efforts. Note that the money will go directly to the Salvation Army's World Service Office. * The Center for Rural Development of Milot Foundation (CRUDEM) is accepting to support the Hopital Sacre Coeur, a hospital in the north of Haiti. The foundation, based in Ludlow, Maine, was set up in 1968. For more information or to donate, go to www.crudem.org. * The Samaritan Center will host a matching gift campaign for the disaster relief efforts in Haiti. Since Katrina, that account has grown to $8,000, and the Samaritan Center is going to use that money to match any gifts that come in for Haitian disaster relief. Visit www.thesamaritancenter.net or call 423-238-7777. * Habitat for Humanity International is gathering funds for rebuilding efforts. Area residents can give through www.habitat.org or send donations to: HFH of Greater Chattanooga, 1201 E. Main St., Chattanooga, TN 37408. Please note that they are for Haiti. * Bright School students will decorate wooden bells which will be sold for $5, proceeds will go to the Children's Nutrition Program in Haiti. * Vision Ministries of Chattanooga, a local church with a multicultural congregation, including Haitians, is accepting donations to coordinate with other organizations. To donate, visit www.visionministries.webs.com or call 423-475-5563. * BI-LO Charities launched a donation program where shoppers can donate to the American Red Cross to assist those in Haiti and in turn, they will match customer donations up to $25,000. This in-store donation program begins Monday and will continue through Feb. 9 in stores in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. * AMG International, visit www.amginternational.org * The Jean Cadet Restavek Foundation provides direct relief and education opportunities for children in restavek, advocates for these children throughout Haiti and raises global awareness of this horrible system, which takes advantage of the poorest of the poor. Donations can be made at www.restavekfreedom.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.start&destination=G or individuals can help raise relief funds by forming a group and inviting friends and family to help: www.restavekfreedom.org/event/restavek. VOLUNTEERS Volunteers may travel to Haiti with Score for $1,200, which includes airfare, meals, lodging, supplies, and ground transportation overseas. Dates include: Jan. 30-Feb. 4 and every Saturday through Thursday for the following six weeks. For more information, contact Trey Bailey at trey@scoreinternational.org or call 423-894-7111. "Our foundation of Islam is to help every brother that needs help, regardless of the religion," he said. "Everyone was very saddened by this. Every time a natural disaster happens, people imagine how they would feel if it had happened to them." He said the society will continue the collection of items and money since the need in Haiti is continuous. At Tennessee Temple University, a group of 13 students has set a goal of raising $20,000 so the Mission of Hope in Haiti can buy containers with supplies including water, food and shelter. "I lead the worship band and we started a service, called Project Freedom, which is a service where students get together, worship and pray," said Andrew Perry, a third-year student from Atlanta. "Our first service was last Tuesday, when everything in Haiti happened, so God has put it on our hearts to try to raise some money to send down there," Mr. Perry said. So far, the group has raised $1,100 in donations, including from members' own pockets, and it is figuring out how to raise the rest, he said. EDITOR'S NOTE Times Free Press staff photographer Allison Kwesell is in Haiti with locally based relief groups. She will be sending photos and dispatches sharing her observations and writing about what she sees this week. See the paper this week and on Sunday. ABOUT HAITI * Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. * About 54 percent of its more than 9 million residents live in abject poverty. * Haiti is slightly smaller than Maryland and shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. * The population is 95 percent black and 80 percent Roman Catholic. * French and Creole are the official languages. * About half the population practices voodoo. * The nation has four airports with paved runways and is favored by Colombian drug dealers for routing cocaine shipments, in part because of widespread corruption. Source: CIA World Factbook CLOSER TO HOME The U.S. Bureau of Census estimates there are 19,642 Georgia residents and 1,820 persons living in Tennessee with Haitian ancestry. VOLUNTEERS Volunteers may travel to Haiti with Score International for $1,200, which includes airfare, meals, lodging, supplies and ground transportation overseas. Dates include: Jan. 30-Feb. 4 and every Saturday through Thursday for the following six weeks. For more information, contact Trey Bailey at trey@scoreinternational.org or call 423-894-7111. TIPS FOR CHARITABLE GIVING * Research charities before you contribute. Use sources such as the Better Business Bureau (www.give.org) and GuideStar (www.guidestar.org). * Be wary of telephone solicitors asking for contributions. * Never give your credit card, debit card or bank account information to a telephone solicitor. * If a tax deduction is important to you, make sure the organization has a tax deductible 501(c)3 status with the IRS. * Watch out for organizations that use questionable techniques such as sending unordered merchandise or invoices after you have turned them down for a donation. * Citizens can file a complaint against a charitable organization at www.sos.ga.gov/securities. * For more information, call Georgia Secretary of State's Securities and Business Regulation Division at 404-656-3920. Source: Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp DOCUMENT OFFERS * The Department of Homeland Security set up a system to document all offers of aid for Haiti from local and state governments so they can be properly utilized as the disaster response effort progresses. * Civic groups, businesses and individuals are being asked to submit their offers of donations to the Center for International Disaster Information at www.cidi.org. |
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