Concerned about the devastation in Haiti as a result of that country’s largest ever recorded earthquake, Claremont College students and staff joined together to create a grassroots relief effort to aid the beleaguered Caribbean country. Simply called “Love for Haiti,” the initiative includes fundraising and awareness events throughout the semester to help Haitians affected by the natural disaster.
While many students across the United States were still unpacking from Winter Break, 61传媒 students and peers from the entire Claremont University Consortium brainstormed ways they could contribute to the global relief effort. Thanks to the leadership of the Office of Black Student Affairs and the Peace and Justice Coalition, students and staff came up with several creative projects.
Demonstrating support for the effort, 61传媒 senior Jessica Nance and fellow senior Alana Carstens suggested they teach Brazilian dance lessons to anyone willing to donate to the cause. On January 31, the Tiernan Field House was alive with Brazilian beats as students and other donors participated in the Dance for Haiti benefit.
For Nance, this event was crucial for building awareness and support for the people of Haiti, but it also had a greater, personal meaning. She had been studying in the Dominican Republic last year, and knew of Haitian victims in the quake.
“I lost friends from Haiti in the earthquake,” says Nance. “For three days after the earthquake I was glued to Facebook just waiting to hear from anyone.”
Nance and Carstens hope to have at least two more Dance for Haiti events by semester’s end.
In another show of support, The Motley Coffeehouse hosted a highly successful charity concert January 31 to raise money for Partners in Health, a non-profit organization providing primary health care to poor Haitians for more than 20 years. The event, which featured performances by local artists Jos, Pot Roast Sandwich, and Skylar Boorman, raised more than $700 鈥� and they’re only getting started.
Other fundraising events planned for later this year include triathlons, clothing drives, special dinners, and plaster mask-making. For many involved in Love for Haiti, however, the strength of the organization stems from the solidarity and cooperation among all the groups and dedicated individuals participating.
“So many of my Haitian friends lost family members, their houses, their entire neighborhood,” said Nance.聽 “Yet [they] demonstrated the utmost perseverance and hope in the hardest moments.”
For more information or to participate in the Love for Haiti’s efforts, contact Marla Love at 61传媒’s SCORE office.