---

BY JACQUELINE SMALL

In print | Published April 8, 2010

Despite low turn out for its fundraising events, Coalition for a Free Haiti stands by its goal of collecting $10,000 for Haiti relief by the end of April.

“The money is going to various organizations,” Jacqueline Bailey-Ross ’10, the coalition’s co-founder, said in an e-mail . “We have already sent money to the Samuel Dalembert Foundation, Doctors without Borders and will send money to Partners in Health. Haiti Community Support is also a large beneficiary of our funds.”

The group has raised about $4,500 so far. The money has come from Haiti Week events, which began on April 1, as well as fundraising efforts earlier in the semester.

“I’m hoping that our community will stand up and empty their pockets in the spirit of continued activism, to support this very generous effort,” said Darryl Smaw, interim director of the BCC and associate dean for multicultural affairs. He added that he was pleased that other student organizations were holding fundraising events of their own for Haiti relief.

The first event of Haiti Week, which runs until Sunday, was last Thursday’s benefit concert, “Celebrating a Rich Culture: A Special Evening for Haiti.” The event raised over $900.

Essence of Soul, Sixteen Feet and Taiko were among the groups that performed. Daniel Chung ’10, a member of Essence of Soul, said, “I felt the concert went really well, everyone was watching, and all the performers gave it their all. I was a little disappointed in the turn out, but of course, I would say that whether there were 50 people or 100.”

Bailey-Ross called the event “amazing,” but also noted that the audience was small. “A lot of people were probably busy since it was right before Good Friday,” she said.

On Saturday, Achieving Black and Latino Leaders of Excellence hosted the ABLLE Cup, a series of athletic events ranging from dodge ball to tug of war open to teams of students. Both participants and spectators were asked to donate five dollars.

Jimmy Charite ’11, a member of ABLLE and Coalition for a Free Haiti, said, “It was a little disappointing and only raised $47. Only two teams showed up and we played two games of kick ball and had three tugs of war.”

On Sunday night, in partnership with the Global Health Forum, the Coalition hosted an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast on Sunday night in Shane Lounge. The event also raised less than expected, which Bailey-Ross attributed both to students going home to celebrate Easter and Passover and to the lack of advertisement.

“We all need to do the advertising, but we need a more efficient way,” Bailey-Ross said. At a meeting on Monday, the Coalition decided to distribute more posters about upcoming events.

Earlier this week, the group sponsored a variety of lectures on subjects such as Haitian drumming and being a vodou priestess in America, an introductory lesson to the Creole language, and a screening of the film “The Other Side of the Water.”

The group’s upcoming plans include a barbecue tomorrow afternoon in the Alice Paul Courtyard and a dance workshop tomorrow at 8 p.m. There will also be an international food and culture fair on Parrish Beach on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., hosted by SOCA and i20.

The Coalition has also made about 100 t-shirts to be sold at both Ride the Tide and the Ville’s annual Fun Fair. More shirts may be made if needed.

---

« RETURN TO NEWS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »