American Morning
Haiti relief efforts succeed through tweets
By Dash Harris, CNN
Since the earthquake and devastation hit Haiti last week, online social networks have been hard at work promoting relief efforts. These relief efforts range from established organizations to individuals mobilizing on their own accord. The tragedy in Haiti seemed to affect all Americans and the global online community immediately sprung to action and continue to persevere on the web and through grass roots. Blogs,Twitter and Facebook have been invaluable tools since day one of the tragic events.
Through technology, this week, my agenda is chock full of Haiti events. For those wanting to lend a hand, a simple 'Haiti' search on Facebook garners numerous groups touting 'For every person that joins I will donate 25 cents to help Haiti' or via twitter, 'For every X amount of new followers I have, I will give X amount of money." The myriad of organizations, donation drives, fund raising events and relief efforts dedicated to helping the island nation is vast and accessible with just a click.
Through tweets and retweets, I found out one organization, Charity Water was collecting essential supplies to take to Haiti such as blankets, bandages, soap and bottled water. The plane leaves today. I went to their Soho office and was floored. The turn out was amazing! People dropped off just a little of what they could and the outcome was huge. I felt personally moved.I was completely awe-struck and awe-inspired. This goes to show when we unite for good and pool our resources, indeed we can make a huge difference.
Unfortunately, as I am learning now, the downside to to donating things is it may not get to Haiti for months, if at all. Money is needed more than anything. If you want to give donations, give money to an established charity with a track record in Haiti. Charity Navigator.com and the American Institute for Philanthropy have lists and resources online.
I am sure there are many more stories out there on how a little can go a long way. How are you helping? Please comment and share your stories here.
To learn more about how you can get involved, visit Impact Your World.
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