Special appeal to address needs of Haitian children To Help “Rebuild Schools, Restore Hope”
Governor M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) today announced a special fund-raising appeal from Connecticut schoolchildren and their parents for Haitian relief efforts that will address the needs of Haitian children.
“The outpouring of concern and willingness of Connecticut citizens to help is very moving,” Governor Rell said. “So many in Connecticut have been profoundly touched by the images of the Haitian children, particularly those who have been orphaned or injured and are asking how they can help. We have a way. My office has worked with Connecticut school officials to establish a charitable campaign for the children of Haiti.
Funds raised will be targeted to help rebuild schools, provide educational supplies as well as medicine and health care for children.
“Thousands of Haitian children are suffering because of the devastating earthquake. Some have lost one or both parents. Many have had their homes and schools destroyed and face an uncertain and terrifying future. Schoolchildren in Connecticut have an opportunity to make a difference by supporting efforts that will help rebuild schools and restore hope for the Haitian children. If we can provide some measure of comfort during this terrifying time in their young lives, we should,” Governor Rell said.
The Governor’s office worked with CAS to set up a special account through the Bank of America in Connecticut to accept monetary donations, checks, cash and even coins. The bank has agreed to sort and roll the coins at no charge.
Checks can be made payable to the “Connecticut Association of Schools” with a notation on the check memo line identifying “Haitian Relief Fund.” Children, their parents and others who want to help this special effort may bring their monetary donation to participating local schools or to a Bank of America branch.
CAS, which represents 1,100 public and private schools, and the Governor’s office have worked together in the past for similar school-wide appeals, including a 2005 campaign to raise funds for school supplies for children affected by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf states.
Hundreds of thousands of children in Haiti had faced dire conditions in the impoverished island nation long before the earthquake. The United Nations estimated there were 380,000 children living in orphanages or group homes, having lost parents to tropical storms and deadly floods over the past decade.
“They desperately need our help more than ever,” Governor Rell said. “Through their tears and cries, they have to know that there is hope, that the world cares.”
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced she has informed the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) that Connecticut’s mobile hospital – one of only a handful in the nation – can be deployed to assist in the Haitian relief efforts should the federal government need it.
In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Friday, the Governor said the state-of-the-art 100-bed unit can be transported in 25-bed sections. Further, the Governor said the state’s rapid-response Disaster Medical Assistance Team (CT-DMAT) could staff the hospital should the team be activated.
“Our nation is leading one of the largest relief efforts in history and Connecticut stands ready to help in any way possible,” Governor Rell said. “Our mobile hospital is designed to provide triage and treatment in the event of a public health disaster and we have well-trained medical disaster specialists who can staff the facility.”
The Governor said that both the mobile hospital and CT-DMAT would be sent to Haiti only if officially requested by the federal government. Any costs associated with the deployment would be paid for with federal funds.
“On behalf of the State of Connecticut, I thank you and your department for all your efforts to provide relief to the people of Haiti who have been devastated by this natural disaster,” the Governor wrote.
The state’s mobile hospital – the Ottilie W. Lundgren Memorial Field Hospital, named after a Connecticut victim of the 2001 anthrax attack – is multi-functional and complete with electricity, water, heat and air conditioning. It is deployable as a flexible configuration of 25 bed units that can be operated jointly or independently of one another. The $8.25 million hospital, began operating in 2006, and was funded with a combination of state and federal funds. It can be erected and staffed within hours of an emergency.
The CT-DMAT is composed of 120 members and is a part of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). The team provides emergency care during emergencies and was established in 2002. Team members are trained in a variety of specialties unique to disaster situations and are able to function in hazardous situations.
More information on how to help with Haitian relief efforts can be found at: www.ct.gov.
Members of Israel’s Consulate in New York have landed in Haiti in order to help coordinate Israel’s relief effort. An Israeli field hospital has arrived and is being established near the Port-au-Prince airport on the soccer field located between Route Jeans-Jacques Dessalines and Route de Delmas in the Chancerelles neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The Israeli relief effort consists of teams from Magen David Adam (Israel’s Red Cross), Israel Police, rescue units, a medical staff of 120.
The Home Front Command Field Hospital can handle 500 patients a day, and will include operating rooms and maternity facilities. Nearly every hospital in Haiti was destroyed in Tuesday’s earthquake.
The IDF’s chief medical officer, Brig. Gen. Nachman Esh, said that while the field hospital will largely treat trauma patients, similar to those encountered in a war, specialists in various other fields have also been sent.
“We expect to have to deal mainly with trauma cases, but when we arrive there, we also expect to encounter the secondary wave of infections and diseases, as well as the routine cases that the local hospitals would usually deal with,” Brig. Gen. Esh said.
“Our decision to immediately dispatch a large delegation of doctors, nurses, medics, rescue forces as well as drugs and medical equipment to Haiti expresses the deep values which have characterized the Jewish people and the State of Israel throughout history,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
“I walked around the capital’s streets, and it was one of the most difficult experiences of my life. There is impalpable hardship and anarchy. No one knows who’s running the country. There are thousands of people laying on the road, and dozens of bodies in every street corner,” said Amos Radian, Israeli Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.
For more information and to speak with representatives of Israel’s relief team in Haiti, please call Ambassador Radian directly at 011-881-631-575-508. Ambassador Radian is fluent in English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Italian, and Hungarian.
To speak to an Israeli diplomat stateside regarding Israel’s efforts in Haiti, please contact Keren Gelfand at 312-593-2535 or kereng@newyork.mfa.gov.il.
Wakefern Food Corp. Donates $250,000 to Assist in Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts
Keasbey, NJ – January 14, 2010 – Wakefern Food Corp. announced today that on behalf of its ShopRite and PriceRite stores, it will donate $250,000 to The American Red Cross to assist in the relief efforts for the earthquake victims in Haiti — further reinforcing the company’s commitment to community service.
“Lending a helping hand to the communities we serve is at the heart of our business. However, in times when catastrophic natural disasters occur such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and now the devastating earthquake in Haiti, we proudly stretch out our hands beyond our borders to assist others,” stated Joseph Colalillo, chairman of the board and CEO for Wakefern Food Corporation. “It is our hope that our donation will contribute towards alleviating the damage and suffering left by the earthquake.”
“We are grateful for receiving this funding to aid the American Red Cross relief effort in Haiti during this crucial time,” said Executive Director of the Tri-County Red Cross, Nathan Rudy. “It is partners like Wakefern and its ShopRite and PriceRite stores who make it possible for the Red Cross and its volunteers to be there when disaster strikes.”
For information on how to provide additional resources, please visit www.redcross.org to make an unrestricted donation to the American Red Cross’ International Response Fund or call them at 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767).
About Wakefern Food Corp.
From a small, struggling cooperative with eight members – all owners of their own grocery stores – Wakefern Food Corporation has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. The cooperative is comprised of 44 members who individually own and operate supermarkets under the ShopRite banner located throughout New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware. In 1996, the PriceRite banner, an alternate format store, was added extending Wakefern’s reach into Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Today, Wakefern, the merchandising and distribution arm of the company, and the more than 250 ShopRite and PriceRite stores employ more than 50,000 people.
About the Tri-County Chapter of the American Red Cross
The Tri-County Chapter of the American Red Cross, celebrating its 93rd anniversary in 2010, has headquarters in Plainfield, NJ. The Chapter provides health and safety, disaster response and military communications programs and services to more than half a million residents of 22 towns in Union, Somerset and Middlesex Counties.
Since its founding in 1881, the American Red Cross has become the nation’s premier emergency response organization. It has built a reputation around the world as the organization to turn to when faced with a disaster. Its nationwide network of more than 800 chapters is dedicated to saving lives by helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
