Help Habitat HaitiBelow this message is a list of correspondence we have received from Habitat for Humanity International regarding Habitat Haiti. Habitat for Humanity immediately became ACTIVE in the recovery...FIRST OF ALL - PLEASE PRAY for our homeowners and staff and the other Haitian residents! SECOND - PLEASE SEND A "SPECIAL TITHE DONATION TO HELP THIS SITUATION" TODAY!!
This could not have happened to a more needy country! This picture was taken immediately after the quake.
PLEASE HELP!
Write tithe/HAITI in the memo section of your check and mail to:
Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County /TITHE/HAITI RECOVERY
181 SE 5th Avenue
Delray Beach, FL 33483
We appreciate you and your consideration of this request. The following have already made generous donations towards the effort in Haiti, to name a few:
- Walter and Adi Blum Foundation
- Boca Towers Condo owners and staff
- William & Patricia Boney
- Don & Mary Jo Clare
- William & Adele Cohen
- Karen Corbin
- Ted & Edythe Davis
- Jeff & Kathleen Davis
- L.A. Dewette
- Patricia Evans
- Florida Engineering & Design Group
- Gregory & Evelyn Giebel
- Albert & Shirley Glickman
- Diane Green
- David Grossart
- David Horowitz
- Carl & Judy Ijams
- Donna Kirk
- R. Tucker Kirk
- Sylvia Klose
- Leads to Success, Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce
- Dick Leonard
- Rita Lion
- Hugh & Christine Mally
- Isaac & Ellen Malter
- Meridian Insurance Group, LLC
- Robert McTeague
- John & Melica Murphy
- Robert Polakas
- Ruth Preminger
- Peter & Euthmia Protos
- Pearl Rakin
- Frank & Helen Sanguedolce
- Joseph and Mona Santarella
- ScansOnSite.com
- Bill and Jan Shomo
- Robert Small
- Sharon Weber
- Wendy Stephans
- Weekes & Callaway, Inc.
- Burt & Vivian Yanoff
- Jeannie White
- Judith Zahm
GOD BLESS,
Michael E. Campbell
Executive Director
Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County
561-819-6070 x 203
www.habitatsouthpalmbeach.org
January 21, 2010
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A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM JONATHAN RECKFORD:
The situation in Haiti truly overwhelms the senses. Your eyes have a difficult time processing the destruction they are seeing. Your ears hear the clamor of tens of thousands of displaced people  living on the streets or in makeshift tent cities like the one at right. The smell of decay can’t be avoided. You don’t want to eat when you know so many people are begging for any scrap of food. And touch… reaching out to an injured person, picking up a piece of debris—everything is a reminder of the staggering toll exacted by the quake on people, structures and institutions. My visit to Port-au-Prince this week left no doubt that Habitat for Humanity’s expertise will be needed there for many years to come as the nation struggles to rebuild. We will have a role in the short term and the long. From helping with cleanup starting now, to establishing training and resource centers, to core house construction, we will (we must!) have a substantial on-the-ground presence helping Haitian families help themselves. One of the highlights of my visit was getting to meet the Habitat Haiti staff at their newly leased office. Despite many of their own homes being destroyed, despite the fact that many lost close relatives in the quake, they are ready to roll up their sleeves and go to work. I know many of you also are working hard to raise funds for the response. Please know that every bit you can do to help will be put to good use. I often reflect on a quote from St. Teresa of Avila; the words seem particularly compelling as I recall my feelings this week on the streets of Port-au-Prince:
Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion
is to look out to the earth,
yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good
and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now.
My prayer is that each of us will find conviction in those words to work ever more diligently in building houses and hope wherever they are needed—in Haiti, certainly, but in local communities everywhere that have families desperate for decent, affordable places to live.
—In grateful partnership,
Jonathan
LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION:
Habitat information and resources on activities surrounding its Haiti response are accumulating quickly. Here are some links we think you will find interesting or useful:
Banners that can be added to blogs or Web sites:
Updated fact sheet on Habitat’s planned response:
Ricky Martin’s work with Habitat:
(Special thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity for coordinating Ricky Martin’s work with Habitat, as well as that of other celebrities involved with Habitat’s Haiti response. The affiliate also is soliciting funds for the work in Haiti. You can access the affiliate’s website at http://www.habitatla.org/habitat.asp)
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January 20, 2010
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Dear Habitat volunteer,
Habitat for Humanity is addressing shelter solutions for low-income families affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. Our assessment team is reporting from the area, and Habitat is planning how to help Haitian families repair or rebuild their homes. Please keep monitoring www.habitat.org and future e-newsletters for news of our response plans and activities.
At this time, we are not sending volunteers to Haiti. However, in order for Habitat to respond effectively to this disaster, we need volunteers like you to support our effort remotely. You can still be an enormous help to our Haitian brothers and sisters; we'd like you to become an advocate on their behalf and help Habitat for Humanity raise the resources we'll need to mount an aggressive response to the need we're seeing.
Here are some ways that you can help Habitat for Humanity respond to the early recovery needs and long-term shelter solutions for low-income families in Haiti:
- Take the Haiti volunteer interest survey. This survey will collect your demographic and basic skills information, and will sign you up for a periodic e-mail with updates regarding Habitat's response in Haiti.
- Help raise awareness and funds by inserting banner ads into your blogs or personal Web sites. To download a banner, visit Earthquake Recovery - Web banners.
- Leverage your social networks by updating your Facebook page and tweeting about supporting Habitat for Humanity's response to the earthquake in Haiti. Connect with Habitat on social networking sites to get the latest information.
- Continue to support Habitat in your area and communities served around the world. Visit Habitat's Get Involved page to find options.
Thank you for the outpouring of support for Haiti in the wake of this disaster. Please continue to keep those affected on your heart and check www.habitat.org for updates. Know that Habitat for Humanity is committed to serving Haitian families, as it has for over 26 years.
In partnership,
Desiree Adaway
Senior Director, Volunteer Mobilization
Habitat for Humanity International
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Janaury 20, 2010
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Dear Habitat supporter,
I am writing today to let you know that I have arrived in Haiti and am working with our Habitat team in Port-au-Prince to determine how we can best help survivors pick up the pieces and rebuild.
Over a million people have been affected by this devastating tragedy. Haiti’s ambassador to the U.S. has called the quake a “catastrophe of major proportions.”
Our ability to respond depends on supporters like you. Will you please make a gift to Habitat today so that we can help families rebuild?
This disaster is a major setback for the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, where more than half the population lives on less than $1 per day. But because we have worked in Haiti for over 26 years, you can rest assured that we will be there for the long-term.
Our first phase of work in Haiti will be to salvage as many materials as we can since it is a difficult place to obtain building supplies. The next phase will be to set up transitional shelters to provide both an immediate solution for a family and the beginnings to a permanent home, a base upon which improvements and additions can be made over time.
Based on past experience, it could cost about $2,500 to provide a family with a transitional shelter — your emergency donation today will help us determine the number of transitional shelters we can build.
Thank you again for your help during this critical time.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Reckford
Chief Executive Officer
Habitat for Humanity
P.S. If you have already made a gift to our Haiti Fund, thank you. Please now encourage your friends and family to join you in rebuilding the future for thousands of Haitians by passing this e-mail along to them.
January 15, 2010
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Dear Affiliate Leader,
This is the second in a periodic series of updates for affiliates on Habitat for Humanity’s work in response to the earthquake in Haiti.
HFHI TEAM IS IN PORT-AU-PRINCE: The assessment team from Habitat for Humanity International arrived in Port-au-Prince early Thursday evening after a trip that took even longer than expected. But they arrived safely, made contact with a few staffers from Habitat Haiti and have begun getting about the city. The delay in their arrival meant they were unable to do a scheduled interview on CNN’s Larry King Live program; we are hopeful that can be rescheduled. The assessment team is led by Mario Flores, director of field operations for HFHI’s Disaster Response Department. He is joined by HFHI Latin America/Caribbean area office staffers Steve Little, Gerardo Soto and Javier Mayorga. Gerardo Soto is the LAC’s Disaster Response manager; his name was incorrectly listed in Thursday’s update report. The team expects its assessment work to take about a week.
WHAT IS OUR PLAN? FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION: A flier about our response efforts is posted on My.Habitat and will be available for download at www.habitat.org later this evening. Feel free to share it with your church, friends or family. Here is some of what you will read there:
Based on what is known now and Habitat’s past experience with international disasters, our early response to the earthquake is expected to be threefold: 1) mobilizing people to clear the way for shelter construction and home rehabilitation; 2) distributing building materials and tools in shelter kits; 3) construction of transitional housing. The extent of each intervention will depend on the amount of support we are able to mobilize.
The cleanup: To clear the way for home repair and construction, Habitat for Humanity plans to assist in the cleanup by mobilizing people to remove debris and salvage materials that can be recycled in new shelter. Working with other organizations, these activities could include a “cash for work” component that would organize local people in affected neighborhoods and provide them with tools such as shovels, wheelbarrows and crowbars. This involvement in productive activity provides a small influx of cash to those affected by the disaster to help them meet other basic needs and also contributes to their mental health by providing a positive, active opportunity to help with recovery.
Shelter kits: Shelter kits include building materials and tools and are designed to help families and neighborhoods make immediate repairs. Typically, the kits include items such as wall panels, roofing sheets, hurricane straps, and hammer and nails. For the past three years, Habitat for Humanity has offered vocational education programs in Haiti, meaning that it now has a cadre of certified masons and carpenters to assist families in Port-au-Prince.
Transitional shelter: Habitat for Humanity also plans to repair and rebuild housing, using a transitional-shelter model. Small transitional shelters can be built quickly and provide permanent base structures that can be expanded over time. The initial transitional shelter will meet Sphere humanitarian standards of adequate living space and provision of water and sanitation. Given Haiti’s history of being affected by natural disasters, the structures will be designed with hurricane- and earthquake-resistant features.
In addition to these interventions, immediate response will include working with Habitat Haiti to restore its capacity to fully participate in the recovery efforts. Through all aspects of the work, Habitat will cultivate partnerships with local residents and other humanitarian organizations that can multiply the effectiveness of the response.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS READY: Public service announcements talking about Habitat’s response to the earthquake were distributed Thursday, January 14. You can see the PSAs at http://www.habitat.org/videogallery/psa.aspx. More attention for Habitat’s response came Friday when Kip Scheidler, senior director for Global Disaster Response, did interviews with more than 50 TV outlets from around the country.
IS HABITAT ACCEPTING DONATIONS OF TOOLS AND BUILDING SUPPLIES? That is a question the HFHI Partner Service Center is hearing often and that you may receive, as well. Here’s the answer:
Habitat is collecting offers of product at the moment as we do not have a full understanding of what is needed in those areas affected by the earthquake. Also, Habitat for Humanity does not have warehouse facilities needed to store materials until we are ready to use them. We are asking companies that are willing to make a donation of needed products to send Habitat for Humanity International a letter of intent on company letterhead outlining what gift could be made, how long it would be available and how it could be delivered. We are not equipped to accept tool donations from individuals.
HABITAT HAITI SUPPORT RESOURCES NOW AVAILABLE: Many Habitat affiliates have asked how they can be part of the recovery and rebuilding effort. HFHI has created the following resources to provide information on our recovery efforts and assist in communicating with partners, friends and faith groups in your community:
We will continue to provide updates and resources on My.Habitat as they become available.
Thank you for joining the effort to bring help and hope to the people of Haiti.
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January 14, 2010
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Dear Affiliate Leader:
Following is the first in a periodic series of updates on our work in response to the earthquake in Haiti. These reports will be shared with staff and affiliates of Habitat for Humanity. Look for future updates on My.Habitat on the FYI from HFHI page.
- HFHI TEAM IS ON THE GROUND: An assessment team from Habitat for Humanity International currently is making its way to Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti and the epicenter of the quake destruction. They are driving from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. If all goes well, the team was expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince by late afternoon. However, travel is difficult and it is unclear if the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti will be open. The assessment team is being led by Mario Flores, director of field operations for HFHI’s Disaster Response department. Joining him are Steve Little, communications director for the Latin America/Caribbean area office; and LAC staffers Javier Mayorga and Gerardo Morales. Upon arrival, they will make contact with staff from Habitat’s National Organization in Port-au-Prince and begin an assessment of the quake’s impact on low-income housing. They also will connect with peer organizations such as World Vision, World Concern and CARE that we typically work with in disaster situations. In addition, they will have regular meetings with the United Nations-sponsored shelter cluster, of which HFHI serves as one of just a handful of permanent members.
- NATIONAL ORGANIZATION STATUS: To date, we have had contact with one N.O. staff member, who is based at a Habitat training center about eight hours from Port-au-Prince. He was able to report that at least 10 of the N.O.’s approximately 50 staff members had been accounted for. There is no word yet on the remaining staffers, and no word on whether the 10 staffers who were accounted for lost homes or family members. Late word this morning is that the N.O. office was destroyed by the quake; no assessment has been possible yet of the approximately 2,000 Habitat homes built in Haiti, nor of the status of those homeowners.
- A PIECE OF GOOD NEWS: Chantal Hudicourt-Ewald, a former member of Habitat’s International Board of Directors, lives in Port-au-Prince and was able to e-mail Wednesday that she and her family are safe. While we rejoice in their safety, the rest of Chantal’s note provides a grim picture. She wrote: “God has been kind to my family. We are safe. We are the exception. The list of friends and neighbors who were killed is getting longer. There are bodies everywhere. It is a nightmare.”
- RAISING RESOURCES FOR OUR RESPONSE: HFHI launched a donation appeal on www.habitat.org Tuesday night, just hours after the quake. In addition, e-mail appeals were sent Wednesday; more today. Public service announcements featuring President Carter were filmed today with hopes that they can begin airing nationally this weekend. A satellite media tour will be conducted Friday from in front of the Haiti house at HFHI’s Global Village & Discovery Center in Americus. Kip Scheidler, senior director of Global Disaster Response for HFHI, will be doing interviews with more than 40 national and local television outlets, including several Spanish-language stations. The list of stations is at the end of this report so you can see if a station in your area signed on. In addition, an HFHI representative is scheduled to be among guests on tonight’s Larry King CNN broadcast at 9 p.m. EST.
- WHAT YOU CAN DO: First of all, pray—for the people of Haiti, for our teams there, for all of the humanitarian outreach efforts. If you can, please donate to support the response efforts. And, please, reach out to your friends, family, neighbors and church communities to tell them that Habitat is mobilizing all available resources to help in Haiti, and that their support is urgently needed, would be much appreciated and would be put to efficient, effective use by Habitat. Many have asked about the need for volunteers. Volunteers are not being recruited or deployed at this time and will not be until more stability can be returned to the country and we can be more certain that volunteers would be safe. We did learn on Wednesday that a delegation from the Habitat affiliate in Lafayette, Ind., that was in Haiti working with a sister affiliate was safe. We will provide more details about needs as the situation unfolds. Watch My.Habitat on Friday for tools you can use to help raise funds for the Haiti response in your community.
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