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Hard Times at Home Don't Crimp American Generosity for Haiti
[January 20, 2010]

Hard Times at Home Don't Crimp American Generosity for Haiti


Jan 20, 2010 (STATE DEPARTMENT RELEASE/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- Washington -- Economic troubles at home have not stopped ordinary Americans from donating millions of dollars for relief efforts in Haiti, where untold suffering was unleashed January 12 by the worst earthquake to strike the island nation in a century.



According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a newspaper covering nonprofit organizations, more than $210 million has been raised as of January 18 for Haiti relief organizations. The money is coming from individuals, celebrities, charities and companies.

Because of transportation and distribution difficulties in Haiti, Americans are being discouraged from sending supplies like blankets and clothes. But the outpouring of compassion expressed as dollars has been staggering in response to various campaigns.


For example, Larry King, a popular American television talk-show host, assembled a plethora of well-known celebrities for a two-hour televised fundraiser January 18. Famous people including Jennifer Lopez, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Susan Sarandon, Paula Abdul, Shawn "Diddy" Combs, Colin Powell and Queen Rania of Jordan appeared on the show to urge individuals to join forces in helping Haiti, and many of these stars manned phone lines and Twitter to communicate directly with donors.

The results were phenomenal: In 30 minutes, $700,000 was raised for UNICEF and the American Red Cross; by the end of the two-hour show, nearly $5 million was raised. The latest reported tally for donations generated by the show is just more than $7 million -- all going to UNICEF and the American Red Cross.

Other high-profile fundraising efforts are in the works. Cable News Network (CNN) reported that actor George Clooney and MTV are working on a telethon for Haiti later in January.

Americans from every walk of life and religious persuasion are joining the effort to alleviate the suffering in Haiti. U.S. Muslims so far have donated $2.5 million to Haitian earthquake victims, according to Islamic Relief USA. Catholic Relief Services has secured some $13 million in gifts and pledges, most of which was donated online, and has committed at least $25 million for Haitians. The Salvation Army has received to date some $3.5 million for Haiti from various fundraisers and benefits around the country.

New technology has allowed Americans an easy way to offer help. First lady Michelle Obama made a short public service announcement to encourage Americans to use the Internet, the phone, or text messaging to make donations to Haiti. Americans have donated more than $21 million to the American Red Cross, $10 at a time, by texting "HAITI" to 90999. Major mobile-service providers have waived text-messaging fees for the donation. And credit-card companies American Express, MasterCard and Visa have temporarily waived transaction fees when people use credit cards to donate to specific U.S.-based charities providing support to Haitian relief.

The U.S. Department of State is helping Americans find reliable avenues for donations, as is the White House.

The generosity of ordinary Americans is especially impressive given that many have lost their jobs and homes in the current economic downturn. Nonetheless, because so many have decided to donate even small amounts, the total contributions have been huge.

"I'm so proud ... of our private citizens, the generosity of the American people," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said January 17. "This is a terrible, horrible catastrophe for the people of Haiti, but I think that the outpouring from America and beyond should give them some reason to hope." Concern for Haitian victims was evident from the moments the disaster struck. A State Department blog entry entitled "A Disaster in Haiti and How You Can Help" posted January 12 generated more than 500 comments -- most requesting more information on how they could help.

Many commenters from around the United States offered to open their homes to Haitian victims; many others offered to volunteer to go to Haiti to help with relief efforts. Typical of the responses was one from Shannon E. in Kentucky, who wrote: "I am trying to find out how I can be of help in Haiti. Please let me know what I can do to help the people of this tragedy. I don't have a lot of money but I could go and serve with my time."

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