Salve Hearts for Haiti Raises Money for Victims in Haiti

By: Stephanie Turaj
Posted In: Sports

Thousands in Haiti remain homeless from the January earthquake. Haitians have had to form makeshift tents out of blankets or whatever they can find to live in. At Salve Regina, students will get a taste of the squalor of Haitian tent cities for one night. Students will be camping out in sleeping bags, tarps and tents on Wakehurst Lawn, which will be buzzing with activity on the night of Apr. 9, 2010.

Salve Hearts for Haiti, a recently formed group on campus, is planning Tent City, which starts at 6 p.m. on Apr. 9, 2010 to 6 a.m. the next morning. Tent City is a fundraiser that intends to raise $100,000 to benefit an organization called Haiti Marycare. The money will be put toward rebuilding a new school in Haiti, which was deeply affected by the earthquake that hit this past winter.

“Haiti is an important cause in general because it’s our responsibility as Americans, as students and lifelong learners, and citizens of the world to recognize those who are less fortunate than ourselves,” said Kelsey Fitzgibbons, a junior and one of the four student organizers of Salve Hearts for Haiti. “It’s important to help other nations.”

The money that the group raises will help rebuild the infrastructure of Haiti Marycare. The school will be built not only to previous standards, but to United States building standards, said Fitzgibbons.

Hearts for Haiti wants to provide better training to teachers, and buy books and uniforms for the school. They are also hoping to provide meals to students. Fitzgibbons said currently there is generally one meal per day provided by the school, and she hopes providing food will become a more regular event.

“Our intention is to drive home the point that in order to avoid the youth getting involved with corruption, you got to give another option, education,” Fitzgibbons said.

Hearts for Haiti selected the organization Haiti Marycare because they felt it would be best to donate to a smaller organization where the money would be put to good use. The group researched the organization prior to deciding on it.

Haiti Marycare formed in 1991 when the founder, Tom Larkin, visited the slums of Cité Soleil with his wife. There was no school, and so the Larkins spent $2,000 to rent a building for a school and went from there, said Fitzgibbons. Haiti Marycare put wells in Cite Soleil, raised awareness in the United States and also provided medical trainings. The group currently works on a budget of $70,000 per year, and run two schools and a clinic.

Hearts for Haiti is planning a great array of events to take place the weekend of Tent City. Projection screens will display slideshows of Haiti. Bands are expected to play all night, including Gravy Train, Botfly and the a cappella group Pitches with Attitude.

The group is hoping to have the founder of Haiti Marycare speak at Tent City, in addition to speeches from individuals in the Salve community who have recently visited Haiti.

Tents, tarps and sheets will be set up for students, and Hearts for Haiti is providing tent kits for students interested in setting up their own tents. Students are also allowed to bring their own tents.

‘Tent City was used in the past to raise ideas about homelessness, but it never worked this well,” said Evan Gallo, a junior and organizer of Hearts for Haiti.

Miley, Original Burger and Wakehurst will shut down for dinner that evening, and Sodexo is planning a Haitian-themed menu. Sodexo will also provide snacks throughout the night, and Dunkin Donuts offered to provide donuts and coffee.

Campus Ministry is serving breakfast for around 4 a.m. They will hold a midnight moment of Silence and a Morning Service in memory of Haiti.

Hearts for Haiti is pairing with AIDS Quilt Rhode Island for Tent City, and there will be quilt-making inside Wakehurst for those interesting in making a patch in memory of someone who had AIDS.

Clubs have been asked to come up with events for the night. The Cultural and Historic Preservation club, for example, has suggested a three legged race.

“We know if we’re going to have people there, we need to keep people busy,” Fitzgibbons said.

The Salve Social Work club has been involved with Hearts for Haiti, as well as Salve GSLBA and the Student Nursing Organization. The music department is providing several performances, and the Salve Theater Department plans to act out a scene from their spring play, “Eurydice.”

Hearts for Haiti is looking for other clubs to get involved as well. Hearts for Haiti currently has about 60 regular members, and welcomes new members who are interested in getting involved. The group is handing out fundraising envelopes and encouraging attendees to get sponsored for $100.

While Tent City is the major event Salve Hearts for Haiti has planned, it is not their only fundraiser.

In a dress down day, faculty and staff raised $1,129, topping the club’s goal of $1000, and topping the record of money raised by a Salve dress down day by $600.

Hearts for Haiti is selling bracelets for $3 that say “Help Haiti” and t-shirts for $10. Sodexo is involved in raising money by asking students to donate money when they swipe their cards for meal plans.

On Monday Mar. 29, 2010 at 6 p.m. Hearts for Haiti is showing the film “The Ghosts of Cité Soleil.” The film is a independent documentary released in 2007 about the Haitian slum Cité Soleil located just above Port-au-prince, and the site of the school Hearts for Haiti plans to rebuild.

Hearts for Haiti is also sponsoring a contest called “Penny Wars.” The competition is between grades, faculty and staff. Loose change and dollar bills are placed into the jugs, and the money will be counted up the evening of Tent City. The winner whose jug has collected the most money will be announced that night.

Proceeds from the MSO Dance benefited Haiti, as well as the proceeds from Stressbusters.

“I have restored confidence in student activities in the school due to their involvement,” Gallo said. “It’s refreshing to see them strive to be active, especially behind such a worthy cause.”

The executive board of Salve Hearts for Haiti consists of Fitzgibbons, Gallo, Megan Welsh and Sunny-Dae Larson.

The four leaders formed the group after a meeting facilitated by Sister Leona and John Rok. The leaders agreed they wanted to get involved in a unified effort to help Haiti.

“I hope to bring a spring weekend to Salve, to reconnect the Salve community with Newport community to unite Salve students as a whole behind a common cause, and most importantly, bring a better education to a number of students in Cite Soleil, Haiti,” Gallo said.