Local orgs raise funds for Haiti
By: Kristen Lee
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: News
After the devastating earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12, the world made efforts to come together to help those in desperate need. So did the Five Colleges.
Every week, representatives from Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, Smith, Amherst and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst come together to discuss and plan events in order to aid in the relief and rebuilding of Haiti. The Haitian American Student Association at UMass hosts these meetings weekly. However, each College is making an effort on their own as well.
Creating Awareness and Unity for Social Equality (CAUSE) and the Mount Holyoke African and Caribbean Students Association (MHACASA) held Ice Capella on Jan. 29 in order to raise funds for Partners in Health (PIH) and Global Fund for Women (GFW).
PIH has a history of disaster relief programs and their largest program is in Haiti. GFW is a program in Haiti that trains women to help rebuild their community. This organization is run and founded by Kavita Ramdas ’83.
“Getting money there is the immediate need,” said CAUSE board member Maria Diaz ’10. Maria, along with fellow CAUSE board member Leah Dion ’10, has been organizing and planning the Haiti relief efforts for this spring 2010 semester. Working with MHACASA, the two orgs on campus have worked together to plan for fundraising events and have put donation boxes all over campus. “As the semester goes on we will focus more on rebuilding but right now we need relief because there are still people without clothes, food, shelter,” said Diaz.
At Hampshire, a group of students and faculty members are working together with the Community Advocacy Department to plan various events.
“We will be having a series of fundraisers, educational events, and working on relationship building between our institution and Haitian educational institutions,” said Liza Neal, Hampshire’s director of spiritual life.
Hampshire will also work to collect items for hygiene, for babies’ needs and emergency kits.
Every week, representatives from Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, Smith, Amherst and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst come together to discuss and plan events in order to aid in the relief and rebuilding of Haiti. The Haitian American Student Association at UMass hosts these meetings weekly. However, each College is making an effort on their own as well.
Creating Awareness and Unity for Social Equality (CAUSE) and the Mount Holyoke African and Caribbean Students Association (MHACASA) held Ice Capella on Jan. 29 in order to raise funds for Partners in Health (PIH) and Global Fund for Women (GFW).
PIH has a history of disaster relief programs and their largest program is in Haiti. GFW is a program in Haiti that trains women to help rebuild their community. This organization is run and founded by Kavita Ramdas ’83.
“Getting money there is the immediate need,” said CAUSE board member Maria Diaz ’10. Maria, along with fellow CAUSE board member Leah Dion ’10, has been organizing and planning the Haiti relief efforts for this spring 2010 semester. Working with MHACASA, the two orgs on campus have worked together to plan for fundraising events and have put donation boxes all over campus. “As the semester goes on we will focus more on rebuilding but right now we need relief because there are still people without clothes, food, shelter,” said Diaz.
At Hampshire, a group of students and faculty members are working together with the Community Advocacy Department to plan various events.
“We will be having a series of fundraisers, educational events, and working on relationship building between our institution and Haitian educational institutions,” said Liza Neal, Hampshire’s director of spiritual life.
Hampshire will also work to collect items for hygiene, for babies’ needs and emergency kits.