A small gesture can mean so much

Today on the way to work I clicked onto a story in the Guardian about Evan Muncie.  Evan is a 28 year old rice seller.  27 days ago he was trapped in the market in Port au Prince following the mega-earthquake that struck Haiti.  And yesterday, he was pulled out ALIVE.27 days.  Trapped.  Alone.  Surviving.A miracle.It got me thinking – Evan is probably the last survivor that will be found following the earthquake.  A lot of the 24/7 media hoopla has subsided, the amazing stories like this are now most likely over.  But for Haiti, the process of rebuidling – from the bottom up – all of its institutions, buildings, governance, law, order – everything – will really only start now.In January before the earthquake Eric Harr amazingly offered to donate $250 to everyone who replied letting him know their favourite charity.  I replied to Eric – telling him about my 2010 fundraising efforts on behalf of CMTA (the Charcot Marie Tooth Association) and their STAR program to find a cure for CMT1A – the nerve disease which I have.  Then the earthquake happened.  A lot of people wrote to Eric and asked him to redirect the funds for Haiti.Rather than ask Eric to donate the funds to Haiti, I decided that as he was donating $250 to my charity, I would donate what I could to Haiti.I split my donation in half.  The first half I donated to CARE in honour of Eric.  Eric is a CARE Ambassador and I fully support their aims and in particular their programs for women and children.  CARE in Haiti will play a vital role in supporting people as they rebuild their lives.The second half I donated to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.  When I was in Washington DC a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet with a woman who was coordinating the United States efforts to repower Haiti.  Haiti, before the earthquake, only had about 250MW of installed power plants.  In the United States, this amount of power would only keep the lights on for about 250,000 homes.  And that is all that Haiti had nationally.  Before the earthquake.  And now it is mostly gone.  Granted, a lot of the power generation in the country is done by separate standalone generators at each house – but the fuel infrastructure (to get diesel to power these generators) is also destroyed.  I know the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation will channel funds to organisations that will work on rebuilding the infrastructure that Haiti so desperately needs.Although Evan Muncie may be the last survivor pulled from the rubble, he is just one of millions who need help in rebuilding their future.Sorry if this post sounds a bit preachy, but there are a few things that I am passionate about.  One of those is “doing good”.  I believe in the power of positive.  And I know that good comes from philanthropy and charity.Don’t forget about Haiti.  And keep Evan’s story close to heart – miracles can happen, and the power of positive cannot be underestimated.

3 responses to “A small gesture can mean so much”

  1. I hadn’t heard about either Evan or Eric.  Thanks for sharing this.  I am always amazed by both, people’s ability to survive impossible situations and people’s capacity for generosity.  Thanks for the reminder of all that is good.

  2. Hi Donna,  Some how I found you on Twitter and have enjoyed your tweets daily.  I then went to your blog and have been following you here.I really enjoy your take on life.  I also enjoy your spirit.Keep up all the great work you do…and keep on tweeting and blogging please.Doreen

  3. Thanks Doreen for the positive feedback! I enjoy writing, and sharing my thoughts. Now if only running would come as easily to me! Look forward to checking out your blog too.  Have a great weekend,Donna

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