Read about what organizations are recommending and doing to respond to the Haiti earthquake tragedy. To enter your own submission, please click here. (Organizations are listed in alphabetical order.)

• UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women);
• CARE;
• The Global Fund for Women (they have establishes a crisis fund for Haiti); and
• Madre.

NCRW states that according to Doctors without Borders, "Haiti has the grim distinction of having the highest maternal mortality rate in the western hemisphere."

They have constructed a beginning list of groups organizing both immediate and long-term responses to the crisis in Haiti. Beyond Partners in Health they suggest:

• The Global Fund for Women is trying to assess the extent to which their five Haitian partner organizations have been affected by the disaster. Donations can be made to support their long-term work to address gender-specific needs resulting from the earthquake through their Crisis Fund.
• Grassroots International works with four main groups in Haiti and has a long history of providing emergency relief. Their Haitian partners, closely connected to the needs of their communities, are in a "key position to rebuild."
• Lambi Fund of Haiti channels resources to community-based organizations that promote the social and economic empowerment of Haitians. They are currently helping peasant groups get food and essentials for their families and will help rebuild over the long-term.

On WNYC in New York on January 19th, Annie Nocenti, teacher at the Cine Institute, a film school for Haitian youth in the city of Jacmel, discussed the effect of the earthquake on the Cine students and the ways in which they are documenting the aftermath. To listen to Brian Lehrer’s interview with Annie (who leaves for Haiti on the 21st), please click here:
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2010/01/19/segments/148460

To view the student videos, please click this link:
http://vimeo.com/user1630305/videos

Architecture for Humanity, Bezoz Family Foundation and Global Nomads Group combine forces to rebuild schools in Haiti.

Architecture for Humanity, the Bezoz Family Foundation and Global Nomads Group have partnered to create www.studentsrebuild.org, a $500,000 matching grant and call to action for middle and high school students around the globe to help rebuild better, safer schools in Haiti.

To involve as many schools as possible the match is capped at $2,500 per school (although there is no limit on what a school can donate!). The donations will go through Architecture for Humanity and will be matched by Bezoz Foundation funds up to $500,000.

Creative fundraising ideas are encouraged and participating schools can have students and teachers learn about Haiti, Haitians working together in the aftermath of the earthquake and the rebuilding of schools through interactive video, conversations with building professionals and live connections with Haitian students. The dynamic new site will add content each week- video, challenge team updates, curriculum, news from the field and eventually recognition for participating schools.

To learn more about this program, please go to this link: http://studentsrebuild.org/sites/default/files/studentsrebuild_pressrelease.pdf

Abbott and its philanthropic foundation, the Abbott Fund, are working directly with trusted partner organizations and expanding support for relief efforts in Haiti. The company is now providing $5 million in grant funding and donations of critical diagnostic, nutritional and pharmaceutical products to humanitarian aid organizations. Abbott will continue to work with partner organizations to assess and respond to ongoing needs for longer-term recovery efforts.

Abbott products were in use immediately following the earthquake in Haiti. Last year, Abbott worked with Direct Relief International to strategically pre-position essential products in Haiti to prepare for potential natural disasters. As a result of this work, several health centers in Haiti were able to provide an initial quantity of Abbott rehydration solutions, antibiotics and nutritional products to people in need following the earthquake.

Haiti relief efforts build on Abbott's existing philanthropic partnerships to expand access to health care in the country. Since 2007, Abbott and the Abbott Fund have provided more than $34 million in grants and product donations to help address health needs in Haiti, including maternal and child health, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and malnutrition.

"The recent earthquake has had a devastating impact on Haiti's limited health care system, which was already facing significant challenges," said Catherine V. Babington, president, the Abbott Fund. "Building on our existing partnerships with humanitarian organizations in Haiti, we are providing funding and product donations to help address the immense and immediate health needs."

Initial support from the Abbott Fund for earthquake recovery efforts includes $175,000 in grants to four of Abbott's trusted partner organizations: American Red Cross, CARE, Catholic Medical Mission Board and Partners In Health. All of these organizations have an established presence in Haiti, and have mobilized relief efforts in the country.

Abbott also is actively working with AmeriCares, Direct Relief International, Partners In Health, Heart to Heart International, MAP International, Project Hope and others to distribute more than $4.8 million in critical diagnostic, nutritional and pharmaceutical products. Donated products include rehydration solutions, antibiotics, nutritional products and hand-held analyzers that provide portable diagnostic capabilities.

The American Institute of Architects put out the following communication to their members:

The utterly devastated lives and communities of Haiti bring into sharp focus how closely connected we are. This unthinkable tragedy cries out for a humane and swift response to help alleviate the suffering and salvage the remaining fabric of families, friends, and loved ones.

Thankfully, the brave citizens of Haiti and first responders around the globe are struggling to rescue as many people as possible during the most critical time in any disaster.

We know from our shared experiences following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the tsunami in South-east Asia that Haitians need our prayers as well as assistance now and during the long effort toward recovery and rebuilding. We encourage you to do what you can either as a volunteer preparing shipments of supplies or generous contributor to organizations best able to provide the immediate assistance Haitians need in the aftermath of destruction.

We've been in contact with our partners from the Red Cross who have been sending us reports on what is happening on the ground, and they confirm that what's needed most now is your financial assistance to organizations already in place in the rescue operation. We've included a list of the organizations in the best position to provide direct assistance.

Also, as a profession, we know that once the humanitarian relief efforts are stabilized, the next phase of rebuilding begins. So we've been in contact with our colleagues at the US Green Building Council and will be sending a joint letter to United Nations Envoy to Haiti, Former President Bill Clinton, offering our profession's technical and professional expertise when the initiative begins focusing on rebuilding. Additionally, we are discussing ideas with Architecture for Humanity on how architects can provide on-the-ground design guidance in Haiti so local citizens can seek qualified counsel as they rebuild their homes, businesses, and lives. We will continue to keep you informed as our discussions progress. In the meantime, please visit the Architecture for Humanity web site for more information on its mission and ways you can contribute.

There will be much work to be accomplished after the debris is cleared if Haiti is to recover and rebuild their institutions, communities, neighborhoods, and families. You can rest assured that the AIA will extend our profession's offer of the technical and design assistance that we collectively possess when the time comes to begin the rebuilding process. We will connect with you through our colleagues at the AIA Center for Communities by Design so, together, we can humbly offer our professional expertise to help Haitians reclaim their lives and build confidence in their future. Take action today by reviewing the ways in which you can make a difference.

AstraZeneca has donated a total of $500,000 to the British Red Cross Emergency Appeal. They have also committed $500,000 to support a longer-term disaster recovery program to help the people of Haiti rebuild their lives and communities.

Following their donation of antibiotic and respiratory medicines through Americares in the U.S., they have made further donations of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and respiratory medicines through Health Partners International in Canada. The British Red Cross has set up a page where AstraZeneca employees in the UK can give to the Haiti Earthquake Appeal, while AstraZeneca employees in the U.S. can make contributions through the AstraZeneca American Red Cross online donation site.

They know that their employees in the Dominican Republic, which was also affected, are safe; but communications with Haiti are still difficult, and they continue to try to reach their employees in Haiti to understand the impact on them.

• Partners in Health
• Doctors without Borders
• CARE
• UNICEF

These are the charities recommended by those either in Haiti or with a direct connection to the situation in Haiti.

Baxter International Inc. and The Baxter International Foundation have committed $1 million to support disaster relief efforts in response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

The Baxter International Foundation has approved $350,000 in grants to support both immediate, acute-care and longer-term needs of the region. Additionally, The Baxter International Foundation is activating its Employee Disaster Relief Matching Gift Program that will match employee contributions on a dollar for dollar basis. Funds from this program will be donated to both The American Red Cross International Disaster Relief Fund and CARE.

In addition, Baxter is collaborating closely with humanitarian aid partners, AmeriCares and Direct Relief International, to ensure that they have access to critical IV solutions, antibiotics and other vital drugs for the organizations’ relief efforts in the region.

The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., helps organizations expand access to health care in the United States and around the world. The foundation, established in 1981, began to focus exclusively on increasing access to health care in 2002—particularly for the disadvantaged and under served—in communities where Baxter employees live and work.

Bright Horizons has quickly mobilized a team that has developed an organizational response focused on helping children and families who have been directly impacted by the earthquake. As they did in the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, Bright Horizons is once again working with Mercy Corps as a relief agency partner. Their plan, Comfort for Kids – Haiti, includes the following key components:

• Translating Jim Greenman’s What Happened to My World? Helping Children Cope with Natural Disaster and Catastrophe into Haitian Creole. This incredibly valuable resource will be made available to parents, teachers and relief workers in Haiti as well as to U.S. Haitian communities.
• Creating Comfort Kits for children in Haiti. These Comfort Kits, which will be distributed to thousands of Haitian children, will include items such as a blanket and a stuffed animal, and some basic necessities including a water bottle, toothbrush and toothpaste.
• Preparing “train the trainer” sessions for teachers, relief workers and other professionals in Haiti to support and guide their work with children.
• Creating a Comfort for Kids – Haiti fund. Bright Horizons will match dollar for dollar, pound for pound, euro for euro, all contributions up to $25,000. This fund will support their joint Comfort for Kids – Haiti effort with Mercy Corps.
• Linda Mason, Chairman and Founder of Bright Horizons and Chair of the Board of Mercy Corps, will be traveling to Haiti in the first week of February and will be sharing her observations with Bright Horizons personnel. Linda Mason has also written a note to those affected by this tragedy in the Bright Horizons community which is available on the home page of their intranet site, BrightWeb (under Announcements).

Bryant University is just beginning their initiatives to Haiti. The Women’s Summit at Bryant University is sending out a newsletter to over 2000 women who have attended the Women’s Summit and asking them to donate to the Red Cross at redcross.org and also to an organization that was suggested by CNN called yele.org.

There will be many student groups who will initiate fundraising drives and will actually go to Haiti at some point when the conditions are more stable to help with reconstruction.  

The Cardinal Health Foundation has made a cash contribution of $25,000 to World Vision for the purchase of supplies, in country, combining them with donations from a variety of sources to create family survival kits. Each "kit" provides a family of 5 with basic supplies (food, shelter, cooking supplies, hygiene, etc...) for a week.

The Foundation is also matching employee contributions dollar for dollar to support the relief efforts. As of January 15th, employees had donated more than $25,000 with 100% to be matched by the Foundation.

Cardinal Health has 1,300 employees in the Dominican Republic, as well as a business in Puerto Rico. Leadership and employees in each facility are involved in relief efforts.

In addition to cash, Cardinal Health is donating product to support the relief efforts. As of January 16th approximately $1 Million in product has been identified and is available for donation through their partner organizations: World Vision, AmeriCares and MAP USA. They are updating and expanding the list of available product as new needs are identified and the situation evolves.

Cardinal Health is also working with and through their partner suppliers to facilitate contributions and with and through hospital mission efforts to help assure that their product is available where most needed.

CCLC is partnering with their parent company, Knowledge Universe. They are located in Portland, OR and are working to support relief efforts through two Portland-based, international relief organizations: Mercy Corps and Medical Teams International (formerly NW Medical Teams). They have made contributions to these organizations’ efforts to assist children in the aftermath of this natural disaster.

Knowledge Universe is also working to deliver thousands of articles of children’s clothing to aid groups in Haiti, in keeping with the company’s long history of supporting organizations that provide for children.

Ceridian is offering all of its customers (whether or not they are currently Ceridian LifeWorks customers) free access to their telephonic counseling and bereavement support through a special toll-free phone number. This means that U.S. employees who may have family members or friends in Haiti have access to qualified and compassionate EAP and work-life consultants.

They have also created a podcast for managers—a presentation by two Ceridian LifeWorks Manager Coaches—which outlines ways to offer support to employees affected by the devastating earthquake. It includes information on how to help employees handle feelings of grief, isolation, helplessness and anxiety; suggestions on how to offer practical support as a manager; and how to be an effective leader in times of crisis. The podcast is available free of charge at http://www.ceridian.com/www/content/9998/15514/15571/15580/15972/13957/16494/
haiti_earthquake_podcast.mp3

Ceridian has been updating client materials on how LifeWorks can help affected employees deal with stress, anxiety or grief and has translated these materials into Haitian Creole.

Ceridian employee donations to the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund will be matched by Ceridian Corporation.

The Chevron Global Fund, Chevron’s foundation, announced a $1.2 million donation to the relief and recovery efforts in quake-ravaged Haiti.

The donation will be divided equally between the American Red Cross, the United Nations World Food Programme and the Pan American Development Foundation, helping to bring essential medical supplies, food and water, and temporary housing to more than 2.5 million Haitians.

While Chevron no longer has operations or employees in Haiti, colleagues worldwide have seen the images of devastation in the country and have asked how they can contribute to the relief efforts. In addition, all personal employee donations are matched dollar-for-dollar through the Chevron Humankind program.

Dade County is working with several organizations: Sant La, Life Skills Schools, the Lambi Foundation, OxFam, the City of North Miami and others who are sending supplies and money to Haiti. They are working with their partner businesses, banks and other constituents who wish to donate by gathering supplies from them and dropping them off.

They continue to support their Haitian American employees and their families in any way they need help – time off work, time to call Haiti, supplies and money, etc.

Their partner Regions Bank contributed 25 battery operated televisions.

They are working with local schools to collect clothing and with their internal Public Allies, 30 AmeriCorps students, and 30 alumns of the program to organize a larger relief effort at their places of work and at Dade County’s Prosperity Campaign business partners.  

The recent earthquake in Haiti has left devastating destruction in its wake. The staggering loss of life is difficult to comprehend. On behalf of their employees worldwide, Dow Corning and the Hemlock Semiconductor Group are responding with donations to two organizations that are assisting with relief efforts in the area: The American Red Cross and SELF (Solar Electric Light Fund). The Red Cross will receive $150,000 and SELF will receive $30,000 from Dow Corning and Hemlock Semiconductor Group to augment their relief efforts in Haiti, which include solar lighting for health care facilities.

Employees are encouraged to support recognized, charitable relief organizations, and the firm suggests those with Internet access go to the following link on the CNN Web site for a list of organizations accepting donations for relief to the area: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/?hpt=T2

Dress Barn has responded to the Haiti relief effort by announcing to all three Dress Barn, Inc. divisions (dressbarn, maurices and Justice) that the Dress Barn Foundation and the Jaffe Family Foundation will each match Associate contributions made to the Haiti relief efforts through any of three selected charities, thereby providing a triple donation: a $100 contribution will result in a $300 gift to their selected charity.

Dress Barn is also sending $1 million worth of Dress Barn clothing to Haiti over the next four months. Any of their 25,000 Associates with family members in Haiti who were impacted by the earthquake will receive a financial grant of $1,000 to assist their relatives with food, clothing, housing or transportation.

Of the $2.5 million that GE has targeted for earthquake relief in Haiti, $1 million will be used to help the next phase of the response effort: recovery. That stage is already underway with solar-powered water purification units now shipping to the devastated country, along with critically needed medical technologies (such as ultrasound, anesthesia and x-ray) and mobile video units to help search and rescue teams.

In addition to the $2.5 million pledge, GE employees have donated $1.5 million to organizations supporting the relief efforts, half of which comes from matching grants from the GE Foundation. The company also sent portable video cameras that can snake into hard to reach places in order to aid search and rescue efforts.

In response to the earthquake crisis in Haiti, Goldman Sachs will be donating a financial contribution of $1,000,000 distributed to the following organizations:

• American Red Cross for the Haitian Relief and Development Fund
• CARE
• Doctors Without Borders
• International Rescue Committee
• Save the Children
• World Food Programme

Goldman Sachs will also match all employee contributions made to the above organizations. Additionally, the firm’s Operations Black Network distributed an e-mail to its group members highlighting firm resources available to support them with locating family members and coping during this difficult time.

Housing Works in collaboration with the Haiti-based AIDS organization PHAP+, is establishing a safe refuge in the town of St.-Marc, which is north of Port-au-Prince and outside of the earthquake zone. The refuge is specifically for Haitians living with HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, in times of catastrophe, marginalized populations are often the last to get help. The refuge will be used as a staging area to deliver supplies to PWA-led groups and provide medical care to people. They will also be establishing a tent city for displaced persons. Housing Works close relationship with the AIDS organization Fondation Esther B Stanislas (FEBS), which is located in St.-Marc, should help them deliver relief effectively. Housing Works President and CEO, Charles King, left for Haiti January 15th with $30,000 worth of HIV medications and other supplies. People can contribute to Housing Works efforts in Haiti by going to www.housingworks.org.
A press release about Housing Works efforts can be found at: http://www.housingworks.org/news-press/detail/housing-works-answers-plea-from-haiti-aids-group/.
Charles King is also posting about his experience on their blog whenever he can. You can read his first post at http://www.housingworks.org/blogs/detail/charles-kings-dispatch-from-haiti/

IBM’s technology-based assistance in disaster relief has proven to be a vital component of on the ground efforts. In Haiti, IBM is delivering technology and services for urgent and long term recovery. IBM is working in coordination with World Vision, a leading global non-government organization (NGO), to develop a sophisticated vehicle tracking system that will track food, water and supplies that are on the vehicles. For longer term recovery, IBM is also creating a design plan for a mobile Humanitarian Data Center that can be installed when the telecommunications and grid infrastructure are stronger. Both solutions will be re-useable in other situations going forward.

IBM helped a UN agency to customize software so they have a secure "wiki" and collaboration space to locate staff and communicate with them. In late January, IBM developed and launched an internal portal for the UN Field Support Services, the agency that manages all UN missions around the world, including the one destroyed in the Haiti earthquake.

IBM provided NGOs in Haiti with services and technology to equip them to operate efficiently. For example, IBM provided servers for telecommunications and software development around applications for logistics.

IBM is also working in the US with the two major centers of Haitian-Americans in South Florida and New York City to provide a range of services to local schools and community agencies, including their trauma guides for caregivers working with children and adults. These are being translated into both French and Haitian Creole. IBM will also donate the Kidsmart early learning program and Reading Companion software in the future.

To date, IBM employees around the world have donated more than $1.1 million to the American Red Cross and World Vision organizations through the employee payroll program.

• Corporate contribution of $1 million;
• All commissions from trading for the day;
• Encouraging and (perhaps most important) facilitating employee contributions of one day's salary.
  
  

Part of Johnson & Johnson's Credo is a commitment to helping those in need around the world. They are working with their international disaster relief partners to assess what they need from Johnson & Johnson to assist with their emergency relief efforts. As a starting point, J & J immediately shipped four Johnson & Johnson disaster relief modules with large quantities of consumer and over-the-counter products. They are also coordinating cash donations to organizations known to the company and their regional colleagues to assist with initial aid. J & J partners at Medical Teams International (MTI), the Surgical Implant Generation Network (SIGN), and Esperanza International are on their way to Haiti to evaluate the situation on the ground as well as to offer emergency medical treatment.

J & J's Family of Companies in Latin America and the Caribbean is in contact with Haitian and Dominican nongovernmental organizations such as Hospital Albert Schweitzer, Esperanza International and Partners In Health to assess on-the-ground needs. The companies will be preparing additional product donations based on needs identified by these and other partners. Additionally, they are evaluating maritime capacity for shipping products from Puerto Rico to Haiti, and activating contacts with their distributors in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to understand logistics of moving donated products from the ports and airports into the affected areas.

Johnson & Johnson is offering 2:1 company matches on donations made by U.S.-based employees to qualified nonprofit organizations assisting with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

The company is continuing to monitor the situation and, based on what they learn from their partners, will evaluate how they can help in other ways in both the short and longer term.

KPMG’s response is evolving, as the complexities of the problems are often accentuated after the immediate relief effort, when already impoverished communities need to rebuild and normalize.

KPMG plans to utilize it’s strengths of combining funding for medium-term reconstruction efforts (schools/health facilities/water, etc.) and assisting in the planning and implementation processes for reconstruction. KPMG Americas is leading the KPMG response aiming to raise a minimum of US $500,000 through corporate contributions, employee donations and matching gifts. KPMG International is making an immediate US $500,000 donation to the KPMG Disaster Relief Fund for Haiti and the remainder of the KPMG offices around the world are pledging an additional US $500,000 through corporate contributions, employee donations and matching—to match the contributions of the international firm and the fundraising commitment of KPMG Americas providing a global fund of US $1.5 million which will be distributed to our global partner NGOs.

• Coping with Traumatic Events, an article that can help employees cope with a traumatic event.
• A LifeCare Guide: Helping Children Cope with Disaster, a guide to help parents understand how children react to a disaster and how to respond to children of different ages in the aftermath of a tragic event.

• Key national relief organizations
• Money wiring services that can wire money from the states to Haiti
• Public computers through libraries to help in communicating with family members
• Travel information either to or from Haiti
• Legitimate local donation sites that will be sending supplies to Haiti
• Support services to help with the loss of loved one
• Local Haitian/American community resources

• Coping with Stress and Anxiety Following a Disaster
• Locating Loved Ones Missing After the Earthquake
• Making Donations to Assist Victims of the Earthquake

New York Life just doubled the amount they will match for employee/agent/retiree donations from $150,000 to $300,000. This is in addition to their contribution of $100,000 to the Red Cross.

Employees/agents and retirees can give to one or more of the eight organizations that are part of the matching program. The match is 1:1. Including donations by their personnel, New York Life will be bringing a total of $700,000 to the relief efforts for Haiti.

OMEP-USA is working with dozens of other countries who are members of World OMEP to determine how they can best help the Haitian early childhood education community revive. Haiti is a World OMEP country and one of three member countries in the North American region, the others being Canada and the U.S.

OMEP-USA has already had years of difficulty getting financial and material resources to their colleagues in Haiti before the earthquake. They have had direct contact with their early childhood education colleagues in Haiti and will offer support to help them re-build. After the Southeast Asia tsunami in 2004, World OMEP provided guidance and resources to re-outfit two early childhood education classrooms.

• UNICEF
• CARE
• International Rescue Committee
• American Red Cross
• Save the Children
• Project Hope

The County/City of Savannah have begun a “Savannah helps Haiti” campaign.

JCB, a worldwide manufacturer of construction equipment in Savannah, has donated backhoes to the rescue work.

Doctors and teams of nurses from both hospitals, St. Josephs/Candler, and Memorial, were on the ground in Haiti by Day 2. Mission services from churches are there, as well. There is a "rumor" that some patients could be coming back to the St. Josephs/Candler hospital but that has not been confirmed.

Students at the local colleges, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah Tech Community College and others, have all begun relief efforts themselves.

S.L.E. Lupus Foundation / Lupus Research Institute is a national patient service and research organization for the 1.5 million American with the chronic autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus.

After the earthquake in Haiti, the organization posted a statement of support on the home pages of their four lupus-related Web sites (www.LupusNY.org, www.LupusLA.org, www.LupusResearchInstitute.org, and www.LRIChicago.org) entitled “Our Hearts Go Out to Haiti” and offered a link to a Creole-language brochure about lupus (below) and a free lupus information line in Spanish, English and Creole (also below).

As at so many organizations, S.L.E. Lupus Foundation / Lupus Research Institute has supporters, friends and families they serve in the American Haitian community—particularly in Brooklyn, where their outreach center serves the large Haitian community with lupus. The Foundation/Institute is suggesting to friends and supporters that they contribute to organizations on the ground in Haiti tending to the homeless, hungry and injured. S.L.E. Lupus Foundation’s Councilman is Haitian-born and has recommended such organizations as:

• Red Cross
• Doctors Without Borders
• Clinton Foundation
• Save the Children

Creole language brochure about lupus:
SA OU DWE KONNEN SOU MALADI KI RELE LOUPOUS LA
(Creole for What You Should Know About Lupus)
Fifty percent of Haitians are children, a group that tends to develop particularly severe damage and other complications when lupus strikes.
Free Lupus Information Line—in English/Spanish/Creole—is at 1-800-74-LUPUS

SECUMD has posted information on their intranet and website on how employees and members can make donations that will go to Haitian credit union members.

A Marketing Bulletin, for internal employees and on the website homepage with a link to a News&Resources article, for external members: https://www.secumd.org/html/secu/lower.htm?page=news.promotions&target=307

Also, the Credit Union National Association made a donation of $20,000 on January 14th to assist credit union employees, volunteers and members affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti through the “CUAid.coop” program. CUAid.coop is the national online giving center for credit unions. All CUAid.coop contributions are directed to the National Credit Union Foundation Disaster Relief Fund. CUNA made the contribution in conjunction with the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU).

According to WOCCU, there is an active credit union movement in Haiti made up of 175 credit unions serving more than 400,000 members. CUNA made its contribution on behalf of the American credit union movement to assist the Haitian movement to in turn help its members and its country endure this catastrophe. Other U.S. credit unions and organizations are encouraged to link to CUAid.coop to offer their own employees and members a donation option to help their fellow credit union employees and members in the disaster area. (For example, AACUL authorized a $7,500 contribution.) The help is greatly needed. According to the Red Cross, up to three million people have been affected and thousands are feared dead. For more information, go to CUAid.coop and click on “Donate Now.”

• air and sea lifting 1.1 million pounds of aid for earthquake survivors in affected areas in Haiti;
• air lifting Red Cross Personnel, whole blood donations, platelets, insulin and pallets of medical supplies;
• engaging the U.S. Navy Mobile Dive and Salvage Unit; and
• evacuating 435 patients since their arrival in Haiti on January 15th.

For more information on the Navy's ceaseless efforts please go to www.navy.mil/haiti

Or click here to access the Navy Office of Information’s “Rhumb Lines” newsletter
(February 1, 2010):

Viacom (which includes MTV Networks, BET Networks and Paramount Pictures) has launched a $500,000 matching gift program for employee donations to the American Red Cross.

They are coordinating efforts with on-air talent and internal resources to elevate awareness of the need and provide their audiences with information on how they can help (i.e., filmed PSAs appealing for contributions, running news crawlers on air and on web properties alerting viewers about how they can help.

They announced that MTV and BET have teamed up with George Clooney to present an on-air telethon on Friday, Jan. 22nd to rally support and raise money for the relief efforts in Haiti.  

• Grief counseling will be provided by WellStar Behavioral Health.
• Pastoral Care services.
• A blog for employees concerning events in Haiti http://wellstarhaiti.blogspot.com.
• An online WellStar portal for employees to make donations to assist relief efforts in Haiti: http://www.wellstar.org/giving.
• Coordination with relief agencies, including opportunities for individuals to volunteer in relief efforts and/or make monetary donations.
• A list of other suggested aid organizations (these prefer cash in lieu of "in-kind" donations such as clothing, food, etc.):
• American Red Cross
  Phone donations: 800 Red Cross / 800 257 7575
  Online donations: www.redcross.org
• Mercy Corps
  Phone donations: 888 256 1900
  Online donations: https://donate.mercycorps.org and choose “Haiti Earthquake” dropdown box
• Unicef
  Phone donations: 800 367 5437
  Print form online donation: https://secure.unicefusa.org
• Salvation Army
  Online donations: www.salvationarmyusa.org
• Partners in Health
  Volunteer opportunities: www.pih.org
Behavioral Health Tips:
• Shocking news often brings an immediate, practical need for information, along with emotional upset. It may be hard for some individuals to eat or sleep for several days – especially if their friends and family are involved in the disaster. One way to cope is to spend more time with loved ones; their presence and support can help people process new information as it becomes available. Churches or spiritual groups can often give support because of the extended network of relationships, and provide a valuable sense of community.
• Wellstar’s Call Center has a mental health professional available, day or night.
• Support co-workers by asking questions if you notice a change in behavior or mood, and talk to your supervisor for advice.

Yale-New Haven Hospital sends team, makes donations of dollars and supplies. On January 26, a team of Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) and Yale School of Medicine physicians and medical professionals trained in disaster response flew to Haiti where they worked in a clinic in Hinche, in central Haiti. Linked with Partners in Health, the Boston-based organization that has been working in Haiti for more than 20 years, the team worked for six grueling days, setting bones and performing surgeries and amputations on adults and children in a clinic that was still standing after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti on January 12.

YNHH gave a donation of $5,000, sent $25,000 worth of medical supplies with the team and, with the local chapter of the NAACP, has created a fund for Haiti that a local foundation administers. The treasurer of the NAACP chapter is Ralph Jean-Mary, a manager at Yale-New Haven who is from Haiti and whose parents live still there; they were unharmed in the quake. He was a member of the YNHH/YSM team.