Going to Haiti

If you have felt like helping out the people of Haiti but haven’t found the right opportunity yet, here it is… My brother, Mike, is a Pediatrician just finishing up his residency at the Mayo clinic. He and his family are moving to Salt Lake City to start a new job, but before he goes, he is off to give of his skills and talents to the children of Haiti. Please read Mike’s letter below and consider helping…

When I think of all the opportunities I've had and how much I've loved my life to this point, I can't help but feel the need to give back when the opportunity arises. I have the opportunity to spend some time in May helping the children of Haiti recover from the recent earthquake and I'm hoping you'll take a minute to read the explanation below and consider helping out.

As you likely know, the people of Haiti were devastated by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Many buildings collapsed, injuring and burying thousands of residents under rubble. Aftershocks measuring 5.9 and 5.5 have added to this epic disaster. Needless to say, the sadness, poverty and desperation that we witnessed on our television screens have left a strong impression all of us. The Haitians still have a long journey toward the beginning of a long recovery. As much of the world leaves and starts to focus on other stories, we cannot leave the Haitian people behind in despair.

I am joining a multi-disciplinary team of medical doctors and nurses from the Mayo Clinic to go to Haiti on a short-term mission trip in the last week of May (21-29) to help sustain the disaster relief efforts. In concert with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative that is currently running The Disaster Recovery Center, which was established for survivors of the January 2010 Haiti earthquake, we will be performing operations, provide medical care, and deliver and distribute medical supplies.

This medical mission trip cannot happen with out YOUR support! The large amount of very necessary medical care being provided for the Haitian people at this critical time is being provided by medical teams just like this, each of them donating their time out of love for the Haitian people and relying on the generosity of people like you to make their travel to Haiti possible.

We need to raise approximately $20,000 to cover the necessary expenses of the trip. While one-time investments of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500 or more are needed in order to meet this goal as quickly a possible, anything that you can afford to give will add up. All money will be used directly for travel expenses, with any excess going towards the purchase of medical supplies specifically in short supply.

We guarantee that 100 percent of your donation will go toward this cause. All of the partners/donors to our mission trip will receive a DVD slideshow of pictures and videos of how your generous donations made a difference in the lives the Haitian people during our mission trip. For more information, contact me at emailmjohnson@gmail.com or Amy Heaney at ajheaney@live.com or 507-273-0316.

This is a team project and we thank you for being a vital part of our team.

We've established a non-profit charitable organization called "Clinicians of the World" to organize groups to respond to the disaster in Haiti, and future disasters as they inevitably arise.

You may donate with a credit/debit card by using the following link: DONATE

Or, send your tax-deductible gift to:

Clinicians of the World/Haiti 909 Nancy Court SW Eyota, MN 55934

Thank you in advance for your consideration. Generosity never goes unnoticed!

Mike

For more information about the organizations we'll be supporting while in Haiti, please see the sites for Haitian Christian Mission who operates one of the largest operational hospitals in Haiti:

http://www.hcmsupport.org/medical.html

And the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, who is organizing the best-run and largest field hospital for patients recovering from surgery, just next door to HCM:

http://www.hhi.harvard.edu/programs-and-research/earthquake-in-haiti/fond-parisien-disaster-recovery-center