Students hoping to visit Haiti with the Global Outreach program received an expert—albeit disheartening—assessment from the nation’s apostolic nuncio during his recent visit to New York.
Speaking at the Rose Hill campus, Archbishop Bernardito Auza painted a bleak picture of the situation in Haiti. He detailed the short- and long-term problems faced by its citizens, as well as the imminent threat caused by disease.
Since hearing the address, which was held over lunch at the McGinley Center on Nov. 19, students and Global Outreach organizers have decided to postpone the trip. The idea will be revisited when the threat of cholera has decreased and there is more stability throughout the country.
Archbishop Auza began by giving the audience a sense of the nation, which he said is very small on the international scene, but looms large in the region as its third-largest country.
Even before the earthquake on Jan. 12, Haiti had suffered from a 30-year decline and was basically run by non-governmental organizations, he said.
The poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, its annual per capita income was $60. Its $6.5 billion gross domestic product is supported by $1.7 billion in remittances—money sent back to Haiti from citizens living abroad.
In the 11 months since the 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the international community has raised $11.5 billion for Haiti. But because the country was awash in corruption before the disaster, there were no reliable local authorities with which relief organizations could work. That has held up redevelopment, Archbishop Auza said.
“Most of that money goes to support basic human necessities, so I’m afraid you won’t see any buildings being built,” he told the students.
The archbishop said that people who judge Haiti’s prospects only by how much money has been earmarked for relief do not understand that there is no toehold from which to built a better society.
“It is very sad and insulting that people say the best thing that happened to Haiti was the earthquake,” he said.
For example, although education takes up roughly 40 percent of the average family’s meager budget, anyone with skills routinely leaves the country. The Catholic Church runs 36 to 40 percent of the nation’s schools, but because the system is entirely dependent on tuition, this past year has been especially difficult.
Catholic higher education has been set back even further. The University Notre Dame of Haiti has been closed since the earthquake, which devastated the university’s foundation and forced the cancellation of all classes.
“Nowhere was there one single, temporary classroom,” Archbishop Auza said.
Lawlessness is also endemic in Haitian society, he said. There is no military, only about 2,500 national police officers—about 30 percent of whom are linked to organized crime.
In addition to social problems, the nation’s natural environment has been severely degraded. Only 2 percent of the total land mass remains covered with vegetation, according to the archbishop.
“Ninety-five percent of Haitians use charcoal for cooking,” he said. “But if five million trees are planted, 25 million are cut. The charcoal being used in Haiti today is not from mature trees—only young trees.”
Infrastructure woes continue to affect the capital city, Port au Prince, which can fulfill only 15 percent of its energy needs. On the streets, water is sold off a truck for much more than the average citizen can afford.
Archbishop Auzen said the only way forward for Haiti is for relief agencies and other nations to cultivate local partners who are reliable. But he said that process will take some time.
“You have to trust your local partners, but they have to merit that trust.”
Also in attendance at the luncheon were representatives from Fordham’s graduate program in International Political Economy and Development, Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs and Fordham Law’s Feerick Center for Social Justice.
—Joseph McLaughlin
October 13, 2010
Haiti Relief: Nine Months Down
Since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, the Fordham community has donated $51,787 to relief efforts—and helped propel a recovery that is only beginning.
With the first anniversary of the quake approaching, 1.2 million people are still displaced, with many living in difficult conditions in temporary camps around Port-au-Prince, according to Catholic Relief Services. Using abundant donations from many sources including Fordham, CRS and Jesuit Refugee Service are working to improve living conditions in the camps, but also turning their attention to long-term recovery in a country that was already impoverished.
“It was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere before this quake. The quake made it vastly worse,” said Tom Price, spokesman for Catholic Relief Services. “We’re not going to solve Haiti’s problems overnight.”
Fordham sponsored many events to spread awareness of Haiti’s plight and raise funds for rebuilding and relief efforts. The donations were evenly split between Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Service, both of which have low overhead costs and were working in Haiti prior to the quake.
Both organizations used the donated funds to provide food, medical care, temporary shelter and many other immediate forms of aid in the aftermath of the quake, which struck just outside the capital, Port-au-Prince. Jesuit Refugee Service has delivered food to more than 50,000 people throughout the city, medical treatment to more than 4,500 injured, and camp management services and psychosocial support to 230,000 people in the seven camps where it has a presence.
Working with Caritas Haiti, Catholic Relief Services provided shelters to more than 256,000 people, supported nearly 1,000 surgeries at St.Francois de Sales Hospital, provided outpatient consultation to more than 69,000 people, installed 680 latrines and bathing spaces and registered 1,863 children to attend child-friendly areas in camps at least three times per week. CRS has also registered 339 unaccompanied children for family tracing and reunification services.
Now, with plenty of donated funds remaining, both organizations are tackling the greater challenge of fostering a sustainable recovery, one that involves Haitians and gives them a leading role in rebuilding the country. At the time of the quake, Haiti was already beset with extreme poverty and high unemployment, along with food shortages stemming from a degraded environment and severe soil erosion, according to Catholic Relief Services.
Through a cash-for-work program, CRS is hiring Haitians to clear rubble and providing tools such as wheel barrows, pick axes, helmets and sledgehammers. Others are paid to perform maintenance work in camps or build transitional, semipermanent wooden homes. CRS has started workingon 2,000 homes and plans to build 8,000, Price said. Its other efforts include a pilot recycling program in one of the camps to help its residents generate income. Also, the organization is providing food to children in 270 schools and more than 100 orphanages.
Meanwhile, Jesuit Refugee Service is preparing to direct funding to long-term recovery projects such as agricultural improvements, or perhaps microcredit programs, that promote economic self-sufficiency, said Christian Fuchs, spokesman for Jesuit Refugee Service USA. JRS is also starting schools in camps, and is working with Fe y Alegria, a Latin American Jesuit school system, to restore damaged schools or build new ones. Jesuit Refugee Service is working on 17 schools at the moment, Fuchs said.
Students who are educated now will be able to rebuild their country later, Fuchs said. “It gives them that sense of empowerment,” he said.
Both organizations have received generous support for their work in Haiti. Jesuit Refugee Service has raised $1.75 million and spent $400,000 so far, Fuchs said. CRS has already raised $140 million toward its five-year goal of $200 million.
While fundraising is less urgent at the moment, it’s important for people to stay engaged with the needs of Haiti and other poor countries over time, Price said. He noted the importance of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, an anti-poverty initiative. Catholic Relief Services has resources onlinefor schools and parishes, such as prayers, lesson plans, solidarity activities and special reports on the recovery, along with an online gift catalog through which people can target their support to some of the areas of greatest need: health care, shelter, food and jobs, child protection, or clean water and sanitation.
“Thanks so much to Fordham for their support. It’s hugely valuable,” Price said. “We wouldn’t be doing this work down there without the enormous support from the Catholic constituency, including Fordham.”
Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to approximately 14,700 students in its four undergraduate colleges and its six graduate and professional schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in Westchester, the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre at Heythrop College in the United Kingdom.
—Chris Gosier
Haiti Relief Fundraising Tops $50,000
As of May 12, 2010, the University has raised $50,031 to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The funds will be split evenly between Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service, both of which have low overhead costs and had personnel on the ground in Haiti prior to the earthquake. This amount does not count electronic donations made directly to the two charities. (See “Relief Funds” below for ways to give.)
“Once again, the Fordham family has responded to catastrophe with an immediate and unstinting outpouring of support for the affected souls and their families,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “I am proud, if unsurprised, by the generosity and compassion of the University community in response to January’s devastating earthquake in Haiti. While much still needs to be done for that country and its long-suffering people, I am very pleased to note that Fordham students, faculty, alumni, staff and parents have reaffirmed their commitment to being men and women for others.”
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is focusing its current relief efforts in the Port-au-Prince area, working in seven camps that serve the needs of more than 21,000 displaced people in and around the capital. JRS is also helping to insure the international community includes Haitian voices in the planning for rebuilding of Haiti, planning which should be guided by the principles of respect for sovereignty, self-determination and dignity of peoples. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) s helping to provide food, water, sanitation and shelter in Haiti.
Since the earthquake, Fordham has sponsored a wide variety of fundraising and educational events to aid the people of Haiti and inform the University community—and the public—of the disaster’s scale and continuing effects. Students and student government took a leading role in scheduling bake sales, dances and other club activities to benefit the people of Haiti. The University also raised funds through collections at mass, concerts, library fines and theatre program inserts.
Relief Funds
The quickest and most efficient way to help the Haitian people is to fund organizations already providing humanitarian assistance in that country. Fordham University is accepting donations on behalf of Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service, both of which already have workers on the ground in Haiti. Cash and checks may be deposited with Thomas A. Dunne, Fordham’s Haiti relief coordinator. All proceeds will be divided equally between Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service. Secure credit card donations directly to those organizations can be made via the links below.
Please make checks payable to Fordham University, and note “Haiti Crisis” in the memo section:
Thomas A. Dunne, Vice President for Government Relations and Urban Affairs
Fordham Haiti Relief Coordinator
tdunne@fordham.edu
(718) 817-0180
Campus Address:
Administration Building (South), Rm. 112
Rose Hill Campus
Mailing Address:
Thomas A. Dunne, Vice President
Government Relations and Urban Affairs
Fordham University
441 East Fordham Road
Bronx, NY 10458
Thank you for your generosity to date, and for your continued support for the people of Haiti.
May 6, 2010
Fundraising Update
As of May 6, 2010, the University has raised $47,870. This does not count electronic donations made directly to Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service. (See “Relief Funds” below for ways to give.)
April 26, 2010
Luncheon Discussion: A Day to Remember Haiti
The Fordham Kiwanis are sponsoring a luncheon featuring Haitian food and a presentation by three Fordham Law School students, who went to Haiti during spring break to help at a camp for orphans. The Fordham Kiwanis will award a scholarship to a Fordham freshman from Haiti. A donation of $10 is suggested for the luncheon. Pre-registration is required.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 | 12:30 p.m.
Faculty Lounge, McGinley Center, Rose Hill campus
Contact: Sister Anne-Marie Kirmse, O.P. (718) 817-4746, kirmse@fordham.edu
April 18, 2010
Fundraising Update
As of April 18, 2010, the University has raised $45,844. This does not count electronic donations made directly to Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service. (See “Relief Funds” below for ways to give.) Of the total, $22,504 has come from student fundraising, including club activities such as bake sales, raffles, concerts and donations solicited at previously planned events.
Fordham Theatre Program Solicits Haiti Funds
The Theatre Program is placing Haiti relief flyers and donation envelopes in programs for all Studio and Mainstage shows. For information and tickets, see the Theatre Program schedule.
Haitian Film Series
The Department of African and African American Studies and Molimo sponsored films about Haiti this month, including:
Égalité for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution, on April 13. The film chronicles the only successful revolution by enslaved people, and the ideas that revolution unleashed. A PBS film directed by Noland Walker, produced by Patricia Aste and narrated by Edwidge Danticat.
The Road to Fondwa, screened on April 15. The film challenges the status quo of international development aid and seeks to inspire a new development model based on the strong partnership between the people of Fondwa, Haiti, and members of the international community. Directed by Justin Brandon and Dan Schnorr and produced by Justin Brandon and Brian McElroy.
April 12, 2010
Lecture: Pierre Toussaint: Journey to Sainthood
Speaker: Camille Brown, Ph.D., of the Archdiocese of Providence. Sponsored by Campus Ministry.
Tuesday, April 13 | 7 p.m.
University Commons, Duane Library, Rose Hill campus
April 7, 2010
Fundraising Update
As of April 7, 2010, the University has raised $43,897. This does not count electronic donations made directly to Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service. (See “Relief Funds” below for ways to give.)
Choir Concert Benefits Haiti
The Fordham University Choir will perform Art and Architecture in Concert for Haiti, the proceeds from which will go toward Fordham’s fundraising for Haiti relief efforts. The concert features music and words celebrating the beauty of the Fordham University Church.
Sunday, April 11 | 3 p.m.
University Church, Rose Hill Campus
Free Admission | Donations Encouraged
Fordham Libraries Donate Fines
Fordham University Libraries (Lincoln Center and Rose Hill) will donate half of library fines collected toward the Fordham University relief efforts to help the Haitian people. Half of all the money collected for fines will be sent to the Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Services. The other half will go toward the purchase of books and materials for the library. Those who do not have library fines to pay but would still like to contribute, may make donations. Contact: Robert Allen at Lincoln Center: (212) 636-6058 or John D’Angelo at Rose Hill: (718) 817-3573.
Conference Touches on Haiti Finances
Jovis Wolfe Bellot, Ph.D., GSAS ’02, a consultant for Haiti’s central bank and a professor of economics at State University of Haiti, said at Fordham’s second annual Migration and Microfinance Research Conference that remittances from migrant workers living abroad made up 25 percent of the Haitian GDP in 2009, and that some 1.1 million Haitians receive remittances on a regular basis, amounting to $1.6 billion last year. See Fordham Notes: “Remittances to Haiti Are Critical.”
Faculty Publication on HaitiSteven Stoll, Ph.D., visiting associate professor of history at Fordham, published “Toward a Second Haitian Revolution,” in the April 2010 issue of Harper’s magazine.
March 12, 2010
Residence Halls Association Auction Raises $14,000
The Residence Halls Association (RHA) Haiti Relief Auction at Rose Hill on March 5 raised $14,244 for Haiti relief, according to president Michael Trerotola.
The auction was only one event in a series during Benefit Week, Trerotola said, and last year the entire week raised a little over $13,000. This year Fordham students opened their wallets to the tune of $18,285 to benefit six charities, including Haiti relief.
Over the course of the week, more than 600 students attended events, Trerotola said.
Courses Offer Haiti History, Background
Caribbean Literature
Haitian literature and literature about Haiti is featured in a major way in the course; but it is also a survey of the literature of the region. It’s an elective, so students are usually literature majors of one kind or another–a level of familiarity with literary scholarship, or how to do literature is assumed.
AFAM-3667 | L01 | CL | 11729 | MW | 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. | Mustafa, Fawzia | TBA | 30 | 0 | 30
The Caribbean
This course is a history ofthe Caribbean and will include significant discussion about Haiti.
HIST-3975 | L01 | CL | 11637 | MR | 4 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. | Schmidt-Nowara, Christopher E | TBA | 35 | 0 | 35
March 2, 2010
A Haiti Relief Auction, sponsored by the Residence Halls Association, will be held on Friday, March 5, 2010.
Haiti Relief Auction
Friday, March 5, 2010 | 7 p.m.
O’Keefe Commons, O’Hare Hall, Rose Hill Campus
Contact: Michael Trerotola at trerotola@fordham.edu, or CassieSklarz at sklarz@fordham.edu.
Also, see today’s article, “GSS Event Focuses on Needs of Haitians in Crisis and Beyond,” by Janet Sassi.
February 26, 2010
Haiti Benefit Concert
On Saturday, February 27 at 8:00pm in the McGinley Ballroom and Campus Center Lounge the Fordham community will again come together to host the Haiti Benefit Concert. The concert will showcase Fordham talent including the B-Sides, Expressions Dance Alliance, Fordham Flava, CSA’s Fordham Idol champion, the Ramblers, the Satin Dolls, and the University Choir; in addition, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice and ASILI will provide educational information about Haiti’s very unique history. There will be a suggested entry donation of $5 which will include entrance, beverages, a “Taste of Arthur Avenue” as well as contributions from Sodexo. CAB’s Cultural Affairs committee will be hosting a ticket raffle for Jersey Boys, Wicked, the Rangers and the Knicks, each person will receive one raffle ticket when they enter the event and there will be more available for purchase.
Office of Student Leadership and Community Development
Contact (718) 817-4339, cab@fordham.edu
February 19, 2010
Fundraising Update
As of February 19, 2010, the University has raised $20,468. This does not count electronic donations made directly to Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service.
Community Leaders to Share Knowledge About Empowering Haiti
Community leaders from New York City and beyond will discuss ways to support Haiti in the wake of its recent tragedy.
“United for Haiti: Compassion in Action” seeks to be a catalyst for continued support of the nation and its people through advocacy, volunteerism and program development.
Saturday, Feb. 27
7 to 10:30 p.m.
Church of St. Paul the Apostle
West 59th Street and Columbus Ave.
New York City
Speakers at the event will include:
• Joel Dreyfuss, founder of the National Association of Black Journalists
• Bill White, ambassador to the Council of Friends of FOKAL
• Rosmonde Pierre-Louis, deputy Manhattan borough president
• Jeff Gardere, psychologist and director of the Harlem Family Institute
• Bishop Guy Sansaricq, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Brooklyn and co-founder of Haitian-Americans United for Progress
This event is sponsored by the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham and Office of Campus Ministry, as well as the Institute for Women and Girls and several student groups.
Free and open to the public. Donations and emergency relief supplies will be collected and refreshments will be served.
Please click here to download a pdf flyer about the event, including information about which emergency relief items are best to donate.
February 8, 2010
A division of the Graduate School of Education is helping to establish a newcomer center in Rockland County, N.Y, for children who are victims of the Haitian earthquake.
The school’s Lower Hudson Valley Bilingual ESL Teaching Assistance Center (BETAC), housed at Fordham Westchester, is working with the East Ramapo Central School District to plan a curriculum for the center and train the instructors who will work there.
The Spring Valley/East Ramapo area of Rockland County is home to the largest Haitian community in New York outside of New York City.
“East Ramapo has already absorbed 52 new Haitian students as of Feb. 4,” said Carol E. Pertchik, director of the New York State Lower Hudson Valley BETAC. The district estimates that the devastation in Haiti will result in 150 to 200 new students in the coming months.
The center will organize the students into four groups based on age and expected grade level—Kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grades, sixth through eighth grades and high school.
“The newly arrived students will have similar needs,” Pertchik said. “The center will create a sheltered experience where they can acclimate to their new environment through counseling sessions—at least one per day—as well as language instruction and a strong academic program.
“It’s a three-pronged approach,” she said.
As the new students become more comfortable with the school system, they will be integrated into regular classes.
East Ramapo superintendent Ira E. Oustatcher, Ed.D., is spearheading the initiative. He is relying on BETAC to help develop the program materials and train instructors at the center and those in the regular classrooms.
BETAC, which is part of the Center for Educational Partnerships at Fordham, provides technical assistance and professional development to schools in Rockland, Putnam and Westchester counties in New York.
Diane Howitt, a resource specialist at BETAC who speaks Haitian, is attending a parent meeting in East Ramapo on Feb. 8 to determine other ways her group can aid the effort.
“Basically, she’s there to find more entry points for us to provide additional support,” Pertchik said.
Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to approximately 14,700 students in its four undergraduate colleges and its six graduate and professional schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in Westchester, the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre at Heythrop College in the United Kingdom.
January 28, 2010
Faith and Public Policy Roundtable, Statement on the Crisis in Haiti
The earthquake in Haiti has not merely hurled the people of Haiti into profound pain and loss. It has placed in bold relief the unrelenting plight endured by the people of this poverty-stricken nation. Such disaster begs a question of the gravest sort: where is God in Haiti’s desolation and grief?
Some religious leaders have answered this question by claiming divine punishment of the Haitian people and calling for mass repentance for some aggravating sin. We utterly repudiate this position. It is erroneous and misleading.
We are Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish clergy and academics, and we share the Psalmist’s conviction that “God is our refuge and stronghold, a help in distress, very near. Thereforewe are not afraid though the earth reels, though mountains topple into the sea—its waters rage and foam; in its swell, mountains quake.” We believe God is near to the Haitian people who have endured such terrible loss and devastation.
Human temptation finds the judgment of a vicious God in natural disaster. Contrary to that impulse, people of faith put their hope in a God who loves and worries for humanity. It is up to us: men and women of flesh and blood created in the Divine image, holding in our hands the redemptive power of our human responsibility, to provide direction in reaching for God’s nearness. As Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik wrote regarding the worst of human suffering, ultimately “We ask not about the reason for evil and its purpose, but rather about its rectification and uplifting.”
Identifying God as being very near to those who suffer places responsibility squarely on the shoulders of all humanity. The impact of this disaster and its toll on human life, both those so cruelly taken and those who struggle daily to survive, is at once borne acutely by a particular people and the concern of us all.
As a non-fundamentalist interfaith roundtable concerned with religious values that address public policy concerns, we urge our country, both its private and public sectors, to provide two forms of aid to Haiti: the kind of emergency support most needed now, and already being provided by so many individuals and organizations, and then, the harder kind of aid to maintain: that which will provide for sustainable recovery. This means we are committed to reconstruction of Haiti over the long term. As human beings created in the Divine image, we must stay near to this people in their need just as God remains close. We urge the faithful of our country to act with such bold resolution.
Acts of faith are the incremental building blocks of healing and justice. In this case we begin by acknowledging that we of the developed world have not been near to the Haitian people. We have allowed abject poverty to perpetuate itself far too long. We of the developed world have failed. God’s nearness to those who suffer calls us to constant vigilance that illuminates the Divinity within our humanity. Our aid to Haiti needs to reflect the value of ongoing sustenance. We bear responsibility to lift the burden of poverty by every means possible.
The people of Haiti will have many needs in the months and years to come. Our aid to Haiti must be deep and long in impact, given over to an individual or a community in a sustainable way. Emergency aid will need to be reshaped into support for the rebuilding of lives, institutions and infrastructure.
We urge all Americans to support relief and reconstruction efforts to help Haiti through this crisis, and to think about how each of us, in our own way, individually and through institutions, will continue to support the recovery of Haiti over time.
This tragedy will become multi-generational unless the human family rallies around this stricken nation.
Faith and Public Policy Roundtable
Steering Committee (In alphabetical order)
Noah Arnow
Senior Rabbinical Student, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Rabbi David Lincoln
Rabbi Emeritus, Park Avenue Synagogue, New York, N.Y.
*The Reverend Gary Mills, Ph.D.
Assistant to the Bishop for Global and Multicultural Administration, Metropolitan New York Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay
National Education Director, Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps
The Reverend Patrick J. Ryan, S.J.
Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, Fordham University
Henry Schwalbenberg, Ph.D.
Director, Graduate Program in International Political Economy and Development (IPED), Fordham University
The Reverend Jared R. Stahler
Associate Pastor, St. Peter’s Church, New York, N.Y.
*Rabbi Abraham Unger, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Director of Urban Programs, Department of Government and Politics & Campus Rabbi, Wagner College
Rabbi, Congregation Ahavath Israel, Staten Island, N.Y.
*Steering Committee Co-chair
The Faith and Public Policy Roundtable is a coalition of mainstream clergy and academics from houses of worship, seminaries and universities, and ecclesiastical organizations throughout New York City. For moreinformation see: Non-Fundamentalist Religious Leaders Confront Economic Crisis
Jan. 22, 2010
Humanitarian crisis experts agree that the best way to help the people of Haiti right now is to donate money to reputable organizations involved in the relief effort. Collections of goods, such as food, clothing and medicine, are well meaning, but do far less to improve conditions in the disaster area than monetary donations. Likewise, traveling to Haiti as a volunteer is probably neither possible nor helpful at this stage of the crisis. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), outlines the very limited conditions under which goods and services might be helpful in Haiti on its website: www.usaid.gov/helphaiti
See the information and links below for ways to donate to relief efforts in Haiti.
Jan. 21, 2010
Credit Card Donations for Humanitarian Relief in Haiti
Members of the University community and friends of Fordham may donate cash and checks to be distributed equally between Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service as outlined below, or may make secure credit card donations directly to those organizations via the following links:
Thank you for your generosity to date, and for your continued support for the people of Haiti.
Jan. 20, 2010
Dear Members of the Fordham Family,
As of Wednesday morning, the death toll in Haiti is reported to beat least 70,000, and experts expect that number to continue climbing. Everything is in short supply in Haiti in the aftermath of last week’s earthquake, especially the basics: shelter, food, clothing and medicine. I ask you to do whatever you can for the people of Haiti in their hour of urgent need. Below are the University’s plans thus far to help ameliorate the humanitarian crisis.
Sincerely yours,
Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
Relief Funds
The quickest and most efficient way to help the Haitian people is to fund organizations already providing humanitarian assistance in that country. Fordham University is now ready to receive donations on behalf of Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Services, both of which alreadyhave workers on the ground in Haiti. Cash and checks may be deposited with Thomas A. Dunne, Fordham’s Haiti relief coordinator. Within 24 hours, the University will have a Web page set up to receive credit card donations. All proceeds will be divided equally between Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Service. Please make checks payable to Fordham University, and note “Haiti Crisis” in the memo section:
Thomas A. Dunne, Vice President for Government Relations and Urban Affairs
Fordham Haiti Relief Coordinator
tdunne@fordham.edu
(718) 817-0180
CampusAddress:
Administration Building (South), Rm. 112
Rose Hill Campus
Mailing Address:
Thomas A. Dunne, Vice President
Government Relations and Urban Affairs
Fordham University
441 East Fordham Road
Bronx, NY 10458
Affected Community Members
The University has identified approximately 25 members of the campus community whose families may have been affected by the earthquake. Deans and administrators are reaching out to those individuals to offer whatever support the University can provide during the crisis. If you are concerned about a student affected by the crisis, please contact the Office of Residential Life at (718) 817-3080 (from any campus).
Campus Activities and Community Involvement
Expert Panel: Haiti: Crisis and Humanitarian Action
Fordham’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs, moderates a panel on the nature and scale of the disaster in Haiti, and the humanitarian response underway there. Panelists include:
• Paul Browne, New York City Police Department’s deputy commissioner of public information and deputy director of the International Police Monitors in Haiti, where he helped establish an interim police force during the United States-led “Operation Restore Democracy” in 1994-1995.
• Rev. Ken Gavin, S.J., national director of the Jesuit Refugee Service, U.S.A.
• Robert Nickelsberg, American photojournalist whose work often appears in Time magazine, and who was embedded with the First Marine Division in the Iraq War in 2003.
• Ed Tsui, former longtime director of the New York office of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Thursday, Jan. 21, 1 p.m. | Keating First Auditorium, Rose Hill campus
Free and open to the public
Student Life Council Emergency Meetings
Lincoln Center
Thursday, Jan. 21, 11:30 a.m. | Lowenstein Center, Room 508
All interested students and student leaders are encouraged to attend.
Contact: Keith Eldredge,
Dean of Students
(212) 636-6250
Rose Hill
Thursday, Jan. 21, 3 p.m. | McGinley Center, Faculty Lounge
All interested students and student leaders are encouraged to attend.
Contact: Christopher Rodgers,
Dean of Students
(718) 817-4755
Campus Ministry
Interfaith Prayer Services for Haiti
All members of the University community are welcome.
Lincoln Center
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2:30 p.m. | Lowenstein Center, Blessed Rupert Mayer, S.J., Chapel (Room 221)
Rose Hill
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 5 p.m. | McGinley Center, McGinley Ballroom (Second Floor)
Holy Eucharist in Solidarity with the People of Haiti
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, will be the main celebrant at this Mass for the people of Haiti.
Sunday, Jan. 24, 9 p.m. | University Church, Rose Hill Campus
All members of the University community are welcome.
In addition, collections from the Mass that traditionally accompanies the Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony, Saturday, Jan. 23, 9:30 a.m., will be added to Fordham’s Haiti relief funds.
Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to approximately 14,700 students in its four undergraduate colleges and its six graduate and professional schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in Westchester, the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre at Heythrop College in the United Kingdom.
01/10
Jan. 15, 2010
Dear Members of the Fordham Family,
As you know, this week the Republic of Haiti has been wracked with what is likely to be the hemisphere’s worst humanitarian crisis in our lifetimes. The Red Cross tells us that there are 50,000 dead already in that stricken country, and many, many more people at risk in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake. The scale of the crisis is immense, and its effect on that already poor nation heartbreaking.
The University is mobilizing its response to the catastrophe (indeed in true Fordham fashion, many people have already contacted my office and Campus Ministry, to find out what they could do to help). We are already reaching out to those students, faculty and staff who may have family in Haiti to find out what assistance the University can offer. By next week we will have a dedicated fundraising program in place, the Fordham Fund for Haiti, to channel donations to Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Services, both of which already have workers on the ground in Haiti.
As students return from the winter break, the University will coordinate their efforts with those of faculty, alumni and staff, so that our efforts will offer the most benefit to the Haitian people. I have asked Thomas A. Dunne, vice president for government relations and urban affairs, to coordinate the University’s response to this crisis. If you, your department or your student group or alumni chapter would like to help, please contact Tom Dunne at the number and e-mail addressbelow.
As Fordham’s relief efforts gather momentum, we will keep you informed via e-mail and the University’s home page. Until our response to the disaster is fully in place, I invite you to join us in prayer for the people of Haiti, for those who have died, and for their loved ones here and abroad. Campus Ministry has already organized prayer services next week, and will receive collections at Holy Eucharist this Sunday at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center.
Thank you, in advance, for your compassionate response to this humanitarian crisis, and for your prayers on behalf of the people of Haiti and their loved ones.
Sincerely yours,
Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
