Global response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti continues to be tremendous. In the weeks immediately following, the media buzzed with stories of relief efforts, from corporate fundraisers to that of Charlie Simpson, a seven-year-old West Londoner who raised more than 200,000 pounds by biking five miles around his neighborhood. The grand total of Haiti relief donations has exceeded $500 million, and the College hopes to add to that amount.
The S&B wishes to remind our community as time goes by to keep Haiti in your thoughts and continue to donate what you can. Together as a campus, our efforts, however small, will add up. Today is the last day to drop change into the donation bins labeled “Haiti relief” which can be found at various locations around campus (for a full list see the front page of the Grinnell College website) and the money collected will be donated to the organizations Partners in Health and Stop Hunger Now, both of which use roughly 95% of donations directly on relief work. In addition to last night’s film screening of “A Portrait of Haiti: The Agronomist” by Jonathan Demme, there will be a benefit concert tonight at 8 p.m. in Herrick Chapel featuring local and campus bands and a cappella groups with a suggested donation of $10, and a panel discussion entitled “Haiti—The Context of Recent Events” on Tuesday of next week. As The New York Times reminds us in the their unfilled spaces: “Don’t forget the neediest.”