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Haiti: What you can do to help
AJCU Institutions Support Relief Efforts in Haiti
AJCU institutions have been actively supporting relief efforts in Haiti, where a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated the country on January 12th. From offering memorial masses for the victims to sending medical teams to Haiti, members of the campus communities are living out the Jesuit credo of men and women for others.
Boston College president, Rev. William P. Leahy, SJ, expressed his condolences to victims in Haiti in an online letter sent across campus. Rev. Michael C. McFarland, SJ, president of the College of the Holy Cross, is working with students to match their donations raised to support two Haitian organizations. Click here to learn more about the Student Government Association Co-Presidential Task Force for Haiti Relief.
Religious Studies professor Rev. Donald Maldari, SJ of Le Moyne College appeared on a local Syracuse news broadcast to discuss his experiences living in Haiti in the 1990’s. Marquette University’s Vice President for Mission and Ministry, Stephanie Russell, offered her reflections with the Marquette community; Marquette’s website also currently features several prayers written for Haiti. Saint Joseph’s University president Rev. Timothy Lannon, SJ and English professor Rev. Patrick Samway, SJ have also shared their reflections on the earthquake with the university community; Fr. Samway spends two to six weeks working in Haiti every year and returned from his most recent visit six days before the earthquake took place.
Three missions led by members of Creighton University's medical school have garnered local attention in Omaha. U.S. Senator Ben Nelson helped facilitate a mission trip that took place last week. A 1976 graduate of Gonzaga University, Dr. John Staeheli, recently volunteered his time as an orthopedic surgeon to help patients in Haiti. Saint Louis University associate professor Dr. Tim Rice will arrive in Haiti next week, as other members of the university’s medical faculty and staff return to the US. Members of the University of Scranton’s Medical Alumni Council are traveling to Haiti on a mission trip, which was originally scheduled, coincidentally, to take place five days after the earthquake occurred.
Many AJCU campuses are holding memorial masses for the victims on-campus. Highlights of a recent mass at Boston College can be seen here on YouTube. Prior to its mass, Fairfield University offered an open forum for students to express their feelings about the earthquake and offer suggestions for how to help its victims. Loyola University Maryland and Santa Clara University are collecting donations for relief in Haiti through masses and fundraising. As of this writing, students at Spring Hill College have raised $4,150 through collections at mass to donate to Jesuit Refugee Services and The Haitian Project.
Fordham University and Georgetown University recently held panels featuring experts on humanitarian relief for members of the local and campus communities. Dr. Jen Ziemke of John Carroll University’s political science department is the founder of the International Network of Crisis Mappers; through her leadership, members of the network are using social media technologies to identify specific locations in Haiti in need of assistance.
Loyola University Chicago launched the Help Haiti Initiative to encourage members of the campus community to donate toward relief efforts. The Gonzaga University Student Body Association will host a concert featuring student musical performances as a fundraiser for Haiti. Santa Clara University’s women’s basketball team hosted the University of San Francisco in a recent game; prior to the match, both teams held a joint fundraiser in which they raised $4,200 for the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Saint Peter’s College has announced the creation of a relief fund for Haiti; members of the campus community are encouraged to contribute toward it. Wheeling Jesuit University’s French Club is increasing its annual efforts to support Haiti through a special fundraising campaign.
AJCU administrators and students are taking to the web to offer their support. Members of Loyola University New Orleans’ club Hope for Haiti have started a blog to provide updates on how members of the Loyola community can learn more about Haitian culture and history, as well as ways to provide relief. Jordan McCall, an MBA student at Seattle University, has started a fundraising website to support microfinance efforts in Haiti. Additionally, the Seattle University blog, The Commons, is regularly posting updates on campus relief efforts.
Xavier University theology professor Chris Pramuk returned to Cincinnati from Port-au-Prince on January 27th with two Haitian children whom he and his wife had planned to adopt before the earthquake hit. The children were not harmed during the quake and were brought to live with Pramuk and his wife sooner than expected, thanks in large part to the efforts of Rabbi Abie Ingber, director of the university's Office of Community Engagement.
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Saint Louis University Professor Dr. Tim Randolph returned to the U.S. from a medical mission to Haiti two days before the earthquake hit Port-au-Prince (Photo courtesy of Saint Louis U.) |
Creighton University surgical team members departed for the Dominican Republic last Saturday to help victims from the earthquake in Haiti (Photo courtesy of Creighton) |
The people of Haiti need your help.
In light of the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti on Tuesday, January 12, AJCU joins with other organizations around the world in asking for help for our Haitian brothers and sisters. We encourage you to do whatever you think is best, but please do something. Sending financial contributions is best at this point, so please consider donating to the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) or Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
Both organizations have mounted emergency relief efforts to provide desperately needed items to the Haitian people and are on the ground providing direct assistance to Haitian communities. If you know of other organizations providing similar aid, please consider donating to those groups as well.
Your help is needed fast to prevent even more devastation. Please consider donating to this extremely important cause.
For more information on the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)/USA efforts, please see:
http://www.jrsusa.org/news/news_100114.php
To donate to JRS, please go to:
http://www.jrsusa.org/support_donate_credit.php
For more information on how to donate to Catholic Relief Services, please see:
https://secure.crs.org/site/Donation2?df_id=3181&3181.donation=form1
AJCU schools are providing assistance to earthquake victims in Haiti. Please click onto the following links to read about upcoming campus prayer services, reflections from presidents and more information on how to make a monetary contribution to those in need:
*Please click onto the following links for additional information on Creighton's role in assisting Haitians:
Alumni News
Local News
University Press Release
We will continue to update this page with more information as it becomes available.
Updated: 2/18/2010
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