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Loose Change Drive is April 17 at Windows on the World. Why not start filling a jar now!

Why the Good Old Dollar is Best…

Right after the Haitia earthquake, we recommended that donations should be made in cash, as have many of the frontline charitable organizations. There are reasons for this: 1) Frontline organizations know what is needed. 2) These organizations can buy in bulk and make the dollars go further. 3) Distribution centers in Haiti can better handle the incoming aid without having to sort through tons of donated items that might never be used.

Take Habitat for Humanity International. This organization has worked in Haiti for many years and has helped thousands of Haitians build homes, and with that experience we believe they know what’s best.

On February 9th, Habitat announced that it expects to help 50,000 families in Haiti, who were affected by the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck near Port-au-Prince on January 12, through a multi-year effort that includes relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

“This is a bold goal, but the level of destruction and the number of families affected demands a bold response,” said Jonathan Reckford, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International. “In our response, we want to provide the widest range of shelter resources available, so that we can have a positive impact on the greatest number of people possible.”

Habitat’s threefold plan begins with the distribution of 10,000 emergency shelter kits that contain tools and supplies to help families make immediate house repairs and construct temporary shelters on their home sites. “We want to help families return to their homes and begin rebuilding their lives as quickly as possible,” said Reckford. “Providing these tools is an important first step in the recovery.”

Emergency shelter kits: The contents of Habitat’s kits include tarpaulins, rope, duct tape and a hammer—all used for building temporary shelters that help guard families against the elements. A chisel and a hacksaw help with salvaging materials from collapsed houses. Buckets are used for debris removal and for carrying water. Gloves and masks in the kits help provide protection during the cleanup. The kits are being assembled in the Dominican Republic and in Atlanta, and are being distributed in earthquake-affected areas in Haiti. The emergency shelter kits cost approximately $250 a piece, including cost of transport to Haiti.

In the rehabilitation phase, Habitat will help families remove debris, salvage materials that can be recycled, repair homes that received minimal damage and build transitional shelters that meet basic needs. As conditions improve over time, the material from the transitional shelters can be incorporated into permanent housing. Habitat transitional shelters are expected to range in cost from $1,000 to $2,500.

In the reconstruction phase, Habitat will build core houses, each with a separate sanitation facility. These basic housing units are permanent and resistant to earthquakes and hurricanes. They are designed to be expanded over time by the homeowner families and meet international humanitarian standards. Depending on design adjustments according to context and the cost of materials in the earthquake’s aftermath, the core houses will cost from $4,000 to $6,000 a piece.

Charitable organizations like Habitat for Humanity International know what’s needed and many have formulated plans – like the one mentioned in this article – that will best serve in Haiti’s recover.

So, if you have a mind to help, please do it through cash donations at this time. That’s what is needed. And you can do it on line by going to Habitat for Humanity International at https://www.habitat.org/ .

High school students help Haiti

Check out how.

Sponsors needed for June production of The Dining Room

Dear Friend of Rebuild Haiti,

This organization was formed in the hope that we – the Highlands community – would be able to assist where and when possible in the relief and rebuilding of Haiti following the devastating 7.0 earthquake on January 12th.

One of our efforts toward that goal is the production of a play, The Dining Room, written by A.R. Gurney and Directed by Kathy Gilpatrick.

As Executive Producer of Rebuild Haiti, it is my pleasure to invite you to participate by being one of the play’s major sponsors: Patron: $500; Star: $250; Friend of the Arts: $100.

Sponsors will be noted on all advertisements and featured on the play’s program. And, in thanks for your participation, Cora Gardens will provide a unique 2010 Hybrid Daylily for you to name, keep and enjoy.

Your check should be made out to Rebuild Haiti and sent to:
Rebuild Haiti c/o Dale Wilson, Treasurer
1231 Woodlake Trace
Cookeville, TN 38501

Please remember to earmark your donation The Dining Room.

All proceeds from this production, other than those used to secure rights, order scripts, produce advertising and printed material, will go to Habitat for Humanity International to assist in the reconstruction of Haitian homes.

We thank you in advance for your generosity and commitment to Rebuild Haiti’s goals.

Sincerely,
Stan Rodriguez
President, Rebuild Haiti
(931) 520-4253

Bidding date extended!

Support WCTE-TV and REBUILD HAITI!

WCTE-TV will continue to accept bids on the Featured Artists Silent Auction through February 19. View artwork here or visit West Textures, 24 West Broad, Cookeville. Bids can be submitted to Michelle at West Textures (931.526.6015).

WCTE will share 25% of the proceeds with REBUILD HAITI.

A Day of Prayer and Mourning…

Friday, February 12th marked the one month anniversary of the Haitian earthquake. On the day when most Americans were waiting for the opening of the Olympic games, Haitians stretched their arms to the sky in prayers of remembrance and thanks. People poured into the streets of their capital, climbed on the rubble of destroyed buildings, and filled the parks with hymns that reverberated throughout the city of Port-au-Prince. Haitians stopped what they were doing to give thanks for their lives, for the aid they were receiving, and in remembrance of the loss of loved ones and friends in hopes that this catastrophe would never happen again.

The official death count stands at 212,000 with some estimates at 230,000 to 270,000. The actual numbers may never be known and don’t matter. We don’t need politics and the media to divert us from the fact that hundreds of thousands died on or around January 12, 2010, and that immediate life-support needs remain.

About 2,000,000 people have received two week rations by United Nation’s count, leaving 1,000,000 plus needing food. People are still living on the streets without shelter. Only 48,000 of the 200,000 tents needed have been supplied to-date. The other 152,000 won’t be coming; in a widely criticized move, officials have decided to hand out plastic blankets instead. Does that make sense, with the rainy reason approaching? Yes, aid agencies must try to look ahead and conserve, but is holding back funds for immediate relief going to help the long term problems? Americans have donated well over $500,000,000 toward earthquake relief, but only about half has been spent because agencies are starting to worry about the decline in donations. Questions of priorities, immediate and longer-term, need to be sorted out and coordinated.

And there are still plenty of legal and infrastructure problems. Clean water supply is a continuing issue. There are only 900 latrines in and around the capital, serving some 900,000 people. Administrative problems need to be resolved so sick and injured children can be brought to the United States for treatment. Of course, there must be adequate safeguards against trafficking, but unreasonable paperwork hurdles must not stand in the way of humanitarian efforts. Bureaucratic blocks to the licensing of new business ventures also need to be streamlined. Turf wars, finger-pointing, and political quibbling over who’s responsible for what need to be recognized for what they are so help – still desperately needed – reaches the Haitian people efficiently and soon.

How can I help?

There are three ways you can support REBUILD HAITI:

1. Send a check – to Rebuild Haiti c/o Dale Wilson, Treasurer, 1231 Woodlake Trace, Cookeville, TN 38506

2. Volunteer – We need people to help at our fundraisers scheduled throughout 2010. Email wecanrebuildhaiti@gmail.com to get your name on our volunteer list. We’ll contact you to help.

3. Support our fundraisers – Follow our website for details on upcoming fundraisers.

As if enough weren't enough

Haitians are entering into another disabling phase in this crisis.

Disease brought on by the lack of clean water – sanitation conditions and crowded tent cities - will bring the death toll to an ever-increasing number of Haitians. Not to mention the dehydrating heat and lack of medical care.

There are 91 working hospitals in Haiti and they have tried to take care of hundreds of thousands of individuals with life-saving services. Long-term care is still a dream, trying to happen. And there are still hundreds on the streets that remain untreated.

The Haitian government has raised the number of deaths up to 230,000. Exact numbers are unknown, as there are people still buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings. Many others buried by families are not included in this number. Injuries are estimated at well over 350,000 – homeless and orphaned numbers are also on an increase.

Makeshift camps are a breeding ground for diseases – like measles, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough – an epidemic in the making. And while officials are trying to vaccinate 530,000 children against these diseases – the vaccination program is still in the works.

Respiratory infections, malnutrition and diarrhea may be the biggest killers – yet to come. And a shortage of medical equipment and spotty electrical power has not helped matters any.

A Not-So-New Way of Giving…

...but one that could have an everlasting effect on the recipients:

Give a person a fish and you will feed them for a day…
Teach a person how to fish and you can feed them for a lifetime.

Same goes by giving a person a small (well-managed) loan and that person will be able to climb out of poverty.

Micro banking has taken hold in some of the poorest locations around the world. Some loans have been made for as little as $50, and 97% of all loans have been paid back. The money collected from these re-paid loans is then loaned out to others.

Imagine a world without hunger. We can make this a reality with just a small donation…one that will help feed humanity, bring people out of poverty and enrich the human community all at the same time. This will not happen overnight, but it can happen – if we but give wisely.

Please check out FINCA International here. Learn how you can make this happen, then take the next step…

When will It stop?

As if it wasn’t enough to go hungry, without shelter and little drinkable water, fragile minds have to cope with the death of loved ones and friends, and the destruction of communities that were once home.

Imagine being completely petrified of when the next earthquake will hit, when the ground will shake and buildings will crash down around or on you, a fear so disabling you can’t think rationally, a fear like some monster in a child’s closet. It keeps building until you can’t sleep or think. Imagine losing your family, a father, mother or child. The grief and despair are physically and mentally disabling for strong adults. Imagine the effects of being suddenly orphaned on a child.

You can give water to the thirsty, feed the hungry, rebuild homes, and help mend broken limbs, but if you don’t take care of broken minds all is lost.

Reports are coming out of Haiti that one in five Haitians are suffering severe psychic trauma – understandably enough. Haiti was and remains a war zone, in effect. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is common. You can see it in the faces of those suffering – you don’t have to be a doctor to see the fear and/or emptiness in the eyes of men, women and children. How can we expect them to adjust to post-quake everyday life – which itself is traumatic enough?

Some individuals will not be able to cope without professional help. What little medical assistance is currently available in Haiti is focused on taking care of physical wounds. The minds of the Haitians are left to heal themselves.

Haiti still needs all the help we can send. Look deep within yourself. Consider the situation and give all you can. And remember that the recently signed federal act, P.L. 111-1126, allows us to claim a charitable deduction in tax-year 2009 for donations made through March 1, 2010 for the relief of victims in areas affected by the earthquake in Haiti.

Good news!

Your donations to Haiti relief made between January 11 and March 1, 2010 are now deductible on your 2009 taxes. Go here to read more.

The urgency remains!

It’s been just over three weeks since the January earthquake hit Haiti, yet the media is already putting this horrific event behind it. There’s little or no front page coverage in newspapers, and TV news has moved on, forgetting the continuing plight of the Haitian people.

Donations to some relief agencies have dropped dramatically. Red Cross donations are down 50% from January and other organizations are also feeling the pinch, even though some relief efforts on the ground are just starting.

It will take more than a few days for Haiti to recover from this catastrophe. Men, women and children are still starving and without shelter. Many have lost everything they owned, and the hurricane reason is fast approaching. Much more needs to be done. We need to assist where and when we can. We need to get the word out and keep the Haitian people in our prayers. Please give generously to agencies that are assisting in Haiti!

We support the following at this time:
Church World Services: http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer
Doctors Without Borders: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
Habitat for Humanity International: http://www.habitat.org/
Heifer Project International: http://www.heifer.org/

WCTE Artists Reception & Silent Auction 5p Tonight!

So it's raining! What better reason to visit the cozy, indoor West Textures Gallery, enjoy a glass of wine, and bid on some fabulous artwork.

WCTE Featured Artists Reception
West Textures on West Broad

Friday, February 5

5p to 8p

Preview the pieces here. Artwork will remain on display and silent bids will be accepted until February 12. A portion of the monies collected will go to REBUILD HAITI in support of relief efforts for the Haitian People.

Are you on Facebook? Become a friend of REBUILD HAITI.

Is it enough? The things we’re doing?

We usually hear about Haiti in connection with disasters – floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, or civil unrest – forgetting that even in the best of times the Haitian people suffer more than their human share of pain, hunger, disease, and death. Unemployment has always been high, and jobs pay poorly. It’s hard feeding a family on $2 a day. Many children don’t or can’t go to school. Medicine and medical services are inadequate and never reach many of the people. The list goes on.

It’s easy to blame the Haitian government, which has always been inefficient, usually corrupt, and often violent and oppressive. Some would blame the Haitian people themselves for being superstitious and lazy.

But that won’t do; the government and people are a product of their history and subsequent conditions, not the other way around. Overcoming the burden of history and conditions requires help, especially now, after the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake.

I’m sure we feel we have given much during the three weeks since the earthquake. But is it enough? What usually happens several months after a disaster is that world attention moves on and pre-disaster life gradually re-emerges, under even poorer conditions. When the Haitian people struggle back onto their hands and knees – if not their feet – will we leave them there to continue a life of squalor and deprivation? I hope we can do better this time.

What can we do? Besides continuing to give generously to existing charities and supporting the efforts of REBUILD HAITI locally, we need to exercise our political influence. We must tell our own leaders to support Haitian reconstruction, providing favorable trading conditions, debt relief, and perhaps a microloan program to encourage grass roots entrepreneurship. We need to maintain our personal involvement in organizations dedicated to bringing education and better medical care to more of the Haitian people.

But we must not simply take over Haiti, giving them what we think they need, or ordering them to act the way we think they should. Aid, encouragement, compassion, and prayers are necessary; imposing our control, culture, and values will not, in the long-term, cure Haiti’s problems.

Stan Rodriguez
REBUILD HAITI

Next Meeting: February 4 at UCC

Plan to attend our next meeting on Thursday, February 4, where we will refine fundraising ideas, discuss our need for sponsors and volunteers, and firm up the list of charities we will support. We welcome other ideas, recommendations, and suggestions.

We will meet at 6 p.m. at United Church of Cookeville on 502 Gould Drive (off Willow, south of I-40). Anyone who is interested in supporting Rebuild Haiti is welcome to attend.

Why Rebuild Haiti?

A week after a devastating 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti, individuals from Putnam and surrounding counties organized Rebuild Haiti. We’re making plans and setting up fundraising venues to provide as much assistance as we can.


Everyone knows about the initial devastation: an estimated 200,000 individuals are believed dead, some 250,000 were injured, 1.5 million are homeless, untold thousands of children were orphaned. Today, 20 days after the earthquake, conditions are still dire and suffering continues.

• The United Nations estimates that 2 million Haitians will need food aid until December 2010 and beyond.
• Water distribution is still limited.
• Sanitation remains a major concern; construction of latrines in the homeless camps is going slowly.
• Medicine is still badly needed.
• Some 200,000 people need post-surgery follow-up.
• An undetermined number of others still have untreated injuries.
• The number of diarrhea, measles, and tetanus cases is increasing.
• Some two million family tents will be needed; only 2,000 have been distributed so far.

REBUILD HAITI was set up to help with these longer-term aid and rebuilding needs. All humans —- Christians and non-Christians alike —- have a moral obligation to help others, no matter who they are.


We cannot ignore our responsibility because of absurd prejudices and preconceived notions about Haitians — that they are cursed by some pact with the devil, or that they are uncivilized and corrupt.

No! They are human beings, like us. And they are suffering. That is why we organized Rebuild Haiti.