Help for Haiti

Like many Americans, I was unaware of the devastation –– both physical and emotional –– an earthquake can do until I saw it first-hand on television last week.
During the CBS Nightly News telecast on Friday, I watched as anchor Katie Couric toured the ravaged parts of Haiti, visiting with injured children and families, victims of the 7.0 earthquake near the capital of Port-Au-Prince on Jan. 12.
I remember watching a little boy with a broken arm scream out “Why!” over and over again while he was holding Couric’s hand as medics tried to reset the bone.
It was one of the most powerful images of suffering I had seen on television in a long time.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 3 million people, a third of Haiti's population, may need immediate emergency assistance. In the face of such need, the Red Cross already has run out of medical supplies. More are on the way, but no one knows when they will arrive, or how many they will be too late to save.
In response to this devastating natural disaster, President Barack Obama has ordered a Marine Expeditionary Unit, consisting of about 1,100 U.S. Marines, to provide humanitarian assistance and security as attempts to bring in outside aid increase.
However, each of us should not simply take solace in the fact that some of our men and women in uniform are being deployed to provide relief –– we should all join the rescue effort. Each able American should find a way to help bring relief to a nation that is facing a dire situation that will only worsen without significant and immediate aid.
I encourage all of our readers to take up this cause and the Haitian recovery effort in some way, whether it is a direct donation or volunteering to help collect funds for a charity. Together, we can help make a difference for a nation where thousands of parents have been separated from their children. Some may never be reunited, and others will be physically and emotionally scarred for life.
As Americans, we must step up and help those who cannot help themselves. I have included a list of charities that are actively sending aid to the citizens of Haiti.

American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
You can make an automatic $10 donation to the Red Cross by texting "HAITI" to 90999. The money will be charged directly to your cell phone bill.

Catholic Relief Services
www.crs.org.

Doctors Without Borders
www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

UMCOR
Donations can be made online through the UMCOR Web site. Visit http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/, and click on the “Haiti Emergency” icon in the top right corner.