Do more than watch the news
Today is a day to count your lucky stars, your blessings, your fate or whatever it is you attribute you privileged life to.
This is not something we should be ignoring:
Sitting in my office today, with college students bouncing back and forth in the hallway outside my door, I’m deeply disturbed by the number of them that admittedly don’t even know there was an earthquake, let alone a tragedy that will likely be among the most devastating world events in our lives.
Maybe sympathy and empathy are empty offerings to the people of Haiti. Maybe it makes no difference if we mourn with them. But at the very least, we must be aware.
Beyond your awareness, I encourage you to offer assistance by making a financial donation.
Times are tough, believe me, I get that.
But even on our darkest days, in our worst financial binds, we will never know the poverty that Haitians face, the struggle they are about to endure, the hopelessness or the despair.
I’m certain that if you debit $10 from your checking account, by next week, you won’t remember it.
At least 50 individual people read this blog every day. If every one of you donates $10, we will have contributed $500. The annual per capita income in Haiti is $560. If someone handed you a check nearly equal to your yearly income, I’m certain it would put a dent in your personal financial crisis.
Pick which ever agency you prefer. CNN can provide a list of vetted organizations that are already assisting in Haiti and are gauranteed to put your money where it belongs.
If you don’t have time to write a check or enter your credit card info, pick up that cell phone. It does more than send silly text messages.
Texting Donations:
Red Cross: Text HAITI to 90999 ($10 donation)
William J. Clinton Foundation: Text “HAITI” to 20222 ($10 donation)
Yéle Haiti: Text YELE to 501501 ($5 donation)
(Yéle Haiti was founded in 2005 by Wyclef Jean. I like it because it aside from providing aid during a crisis, it regular works to promote awareness about Haiti.)
All donations will be charged to your cell phone bill.
See…when that $10 is added to your already insane cell phone bill, you won’t even notice. Haiti, however, will notice.
Beyond that I have only a bit of ranting to do.
The next time you want to complain about American government, American laws and control, the next you want to cuss a police office for patrolling the street or complain that your community hospital isn’t worth its salt… shut up for just a minute and thank the good Lord you were born into a place that has a stable government, a working state system and a health care system.
As flawed as all those systems may be, and as much as we would all like to revamp them to suit our own agendas, we ought to remember just how lucky we are to have them in the first place.
And when you finish reading this blog. Say a prayer. Say a prayer for all of Haiti and say a prayer for this tiny person:
