L'Union fait la force!

 Hello friends! I apologize about the gap in posting today. Who knew I'd ACTUALLY have to come and do work today? Go figure. Enough about me. Its time to get serious.

First, take a moment to refresh your memory about what happened a little over 3 months ago in Haiti:

The quake that devastated Haiti rocked the island on January 12. It is estimated that at least 1/3 of the population was injured and the death toll was in the hundreds of thousands. One student described the quake as "Haiti's version of Katrina." Any attempt to put the devastation into words would undoubtedly be an understatement. Are we on the same page? Good. Imagine my frustration now that Haiti is no longer in our headlines and the images are slowly fading into the background. Am I the only one that is frustrated? Please tell me I'm not. 

 A few weeks  of coverage and a few million in funds is not what Haiti needs. While I dare not speculate about how to eradicate the complacency that Americans have once natural disasters are no longer thrown at us 24/7, I would bet my last dollar that it will take YEARS to rebuild Haiti. Just because the media has become more concerned with Ricky Martin coming out of the closet *side eye* it does not mean that Haiti and its people have recovered and that everything is under control. If you don't believe me, or if you somehow believe that throwing money at the situation will make it better then you haven't been to New Orleans in the last five years. Hurricane Katrina devastated the crescent city over 5 years ago, how often do you hear stories about areas that are still devastated? What is unfortunate is that we're only 3 months out and I've read stories of people complaining when we do talk about Haiti. To those people I say the worst thing we can do is to stop talking about it. I can't imagine going through life as though these things never happened. YES there are other people suffering and I understand we cannot help everyone, but if you have been blessed I strongly encourage you to share your blessings with the less fortunate. Whether you volunteer for the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps or Doctors without borders, take time to step away from your comfort zone to support someone else other than yourself.   I know you can feel my passion and I hope it moves you into action.

Check the footage, its self-explanatory.

Let me make it clear that I'm not big on shock campaigns to get people to act, nor am I a support of guerrilla (some charities go THAT hard) tactics to get people to donate. However, I do believe that everyone has a social responsibility to help when our brothers and sisters are down on their luck but rich in their faith. 

Here are some facts about Haiti you may or may not have already known:

Haiti is a small country about the size of the state of Maryland in the West Indies that covers the western third of the island of Hispanola, which lies between Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. (The Dominican Republic covers eastern Hispanola).

1492-Christopher Columbus named the island Hispanola. By 1697, the Spanish recognized the French's control of the western third of the island, and named the island Saint Domingue.

In 1792 Toussaint L'Ouverture, a former slave, took control and wrote a constitution

In the early 1800s Haiti became the first black republic in the world

Haiti was the first black nation to win an Olympic bronze medal

The first automatic telephone system in the Western Hemisphere was installed in Haiti.

In 1974, Haiti became the first Caribbean soccer team to win the Concacaf Cup, breaking Mexico's 30-year strong hold. Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were the first black republics to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in the 20th century.

Haitian Creole is the second most spoken language in Cuba after Spanish

There are still several ways you can donate. While you're here go ahead and scroll up to the icon at the top right of the page and donate. Every little bit counts. Donate $5 if that is all you can afford to donate, but please continue to lend Haiti your support.

Haiti and its people are resilient. I have no doubt that the nation will rebuild itself and become stronger than ever. However, we must all stand up and become invested in Haiti's success.

Feel free to share you thoughts, comments and information on how you've helped Haiti in the comments section...