East Community Unites to Help Haitians

SHARE, Coalition, Student Council, and Columbia Brew are all joining together in order to help those whose lives have been destroyed by the earthquake in Haiti.

Before January 12, Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Only 2 percent of children were making it past the 5th grade. Their economy was in shambles. Their way of life would only get worse.

While students were coming home from East, this small country on the island of Hispaniola was being destroyed beyond belief. The country was left in ruins when 100,000 to 200,000 civilians were killed by the toppling towers and magnitude 7.0 quake. The disaster was the largest to hit near the area in 200 years, and has left 3 million people in need of emergency care. The capital of Port-au-Prince was crushed with the loss of the President’s palace and National Assembly building. Only 50 percent of citizens currently have access to safe drinking water and 1.9 million have almost no access to food. And after 33 aftershocks the earthquakes continue to hit this already devastated land.

For weeks, international organizations such as the Red Cross, Save the Children, and World Vision have sent food, medicine and aides down to the small island. Musical artists like Jay-Z, Bono, and Stevie Wonder have collaborated to create a new “Hope for Haiti Now” CD with profits that raise money for Haiti. People nationwide have whipped out their cell phones to text “HAITI” to “90999” which sends $10 to the Red Cross help the starving people for every text received. These text donations have already raised over two million dollars. East students wanted to find a more personal way to help though.

East students such as Coalition President Sarah Are couldn’t bare to watch millions of men, women, and children in Haiti struggle to survive. She had to help.

“People are dying,” Are said. “There is no water, no food, no shelter. The situation demands help. This story isn’t just about an earthquake. It’s about helping one of the most impoverished countries in the world.”

The student groups were combined by Are to begin a plan to pass around water jugs for change at after school activities such as basketball games. They call this movement “Change for Change”.

“At first we thought about collecting medical supplies, but we think it will be much easier to donate a dollar or two than a wrap of gauze,” Are said.

The jugs will be passed around for the next four weeks in order to collect money that will be donated to a foundation called Heart to Heart. The foundation was founded in 1992 and is based in the suburb of Olathe, Kansas. The foundation is based on the goals of improving world health, strengthening communities, distributing medical aid, and helping those in crisis. Heart to Heart is one of the world’s leading volunteer groups that promote and create better lifestyles for people all of the world, regardless of gender, race, religion, or beliefs. More recently they have done work in the Pacific countries of Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam, to help with the damage caused by recent tropical storms and earthquakes.

Many organizations throughout the U.S. and the world have made attempts to help those in Haiti through various donations, but Are still believes that some organizations aren’t doing enough.

“It’s 2010,” Are said. “Kids shouldn’t be starving, but it’s still an issue.”

Are has traveled to the Dominican Republic on mission trips to try a help those who have been struck by poverty and is familiar with many of the groups trying to help in Haiti. While on the mission trip, she helped raise money for the community.

“It’s sad that the Red Cross has been in Haiti for over a decade, yet the people there are only making a dollar a day,” Are said.

SHARE Director, Pat Kaufman is still horrified when she hears of the tragedy in Haiti, but she knows that the students at East will make a difference.

“The students will respond in their usual incredibly generous way,” Kaufman said. “Our students are some of the best givers anywhere. All of the money goes to Heart to Heart to pay for shipping medical and other supplies to Haiti. Also, going with the water jug idea doesn’t rule out future plans, but it’s something that we can come together and get done and in a hurry.”

That’s why SHARE and all of the other organizations jumped into “Change for Change” as quickly as they did. Haiti’s situation has changed from bad to worse.

Are has the dream that $5000 will be raised by students, but says that anything over $1000 will show great support and heart throughout the school.

Donations can be made at events such as basketball games, the Footloose musical and school concerts. They can also be made during the ordinary school day at lunch, in the parking lot, or in the fourth floor change box near the counseling office.

“It’s a shame that many of the students here are so fortunate,” said Are. “But don’t give to those who really need it. Hopefully, this will be different because it is such a tragic story.”