5 Towners help Haiti earthquake victims
As the people of Haiti struggle to clear the rubble created by last week's devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake, Five Towners are doing their part to donate money and supplies to the region.
The earthquake motivated a number of local schools and organizations to help the hundreds of thousands of victims in the impoverished Caribbean nation. On Tuesday, the Five Towns Community Center in North Lawrence held a collection drive and assembled survival packs that included items such as baby wipes, canned food, washcloths, soap, batteries and first aid kids.
“We wanted to do our part,” said Bertha Pruitt, the center’s executive director. “Our small part could go a long way.”
Schools in both the Lawrence and Hewlett-Woodmere districts were also doing their part. The Franklin Early Childhood Center in Hewlett started a collection, with students creating posters to advertise the effort. The students are encouraging people to donate items like new underwear and dry foods.
The Number Five School in Cedarhurst, meanwhile, began sponsoring a Walk for Wellness in Haiti on Tuesday, with students asking family and friends to pledge money for the miles they walk. The students are planning to walk a combined 1,529 miles — the distance from the elementary school to Haiti. “Our children and staff are very eager to participate and be able to make a difference in the world,” Number Five School Principal Melissa Krieger wrote in a letter to parents on Jan. 15, announcing the walk.
Another District 15 elementary school helping Haiti is the Number Four School in Inwood, which started a coin drive last week that will generate money to be donated to the Red Cross or another relief agency. Lawrence Middle School students are also joining the relief effort, donating the proceeds from sales at the school store on Jan. 21 and 22, which are expected to amount to between $500 and $600. And at Lawrence High School, the West Indian Culture Club and Key Club are collecting money to assist earthquake victims.
More than half of the citizens of Haiti are Catholic, and the three Catholic churches in the Five Towns – Our Lady of Good Counsel in Inwood, St. Joachim in Cedarhurst and St. Joseph's in Hewlett—are assisting in the relief effort. Bishop William Murphy, head of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, asked that a special collection be taken last weekend and this weekend.
“Right now, for the first two weeks, the immediate need is water and medication,” said the Rev. Lawrence Duncklee of Our Lady of Good Counsel, which published a bulletin with a list of organizations to which parishioners can contribute.
At a press conference last Saturday in Roosevelt with Haitian community leaders, Nassau County Legislator Robert Troiano (D-Westbury) announced a half dozen drop-off points where residents could bring nonperishable items to donate to the relief effort, including: 1 West St. in Mineola; Eglise Pentecotiste de la Croisade Evangelique des Pecheurs D’Hommes Church in Roosevelt; Giggles Comedy Club in Hempstead; Claudy's Beauty Supply in Uniondale; and One Offering Tabernacle Church in Hempstead. The Town of North Hempstead parks are also taking donations.
Sam Kille, director of public relations for the American Red Cross in Nassau County, said that as of Monday morning, Americans had donated over $90 million to Haiti. He urged people to donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting “Haiti” to the number 90999. The $10 will be added to the donor's phone bill. “It's the simplest thing anyone can do,” Kille said.
He explained that the recovery effort in Haiti will be a long-term operation because the country’s infrastructure will need to be rebuilt. “Long after the news cameras stop rolling and showing us the images in Haiti, we have to remember that these people are still in need,” Kille said. “It's going to be a long process.”
