Join Kiwanis Haiti relief effort

I don't understand KIF "providing a grant from its disaster relief fund to UNICEF".  What is the amount?  Why isn't KIF providing DIRECT disaster relief to Haiti.  Seems like the KIF grant will get "lost in the shuffle", with Kiwanis money not receiving any credit.

I don't have a comment, I have a chalange, and I hope it gets out to the entire North American Kiwanis Community. Anyone reading this that is as old as I am should remember the old TV show "The Millionaire". It was a show about someone that gave away a million dollars each week to a randomly picked person. I alweays dreamed that one day it would be me. As with all of us, that dream went unanswered. Heck, now I'd settle for a quarter that much to pay everything off, but that is another story. Well, now, as Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "I Have A Dream". We as Kiwanians, world wide, are family. Part of our family is in need of major help. There are many organizations, including us, raising money and donations of materials, to send. What I am looking for is something for the near future. The law of averages says that, just like in the outside world, here in the Kiwanis world we have some millionairs as members. They are the ones I am looking for. In June, when we have the International Convention, Haitti may be back to some sort of normalcy, but our Kiwanis brothers and sisters there will not be able to afford to come to convention as there country will still be in very very bad shape. Now the rich stay rich by not spending their money on anything unneccesary. What I am asking goes against every fiber of their being. I am asking two or three of our richest Kiwanians, or business owners, or any other Kiwanian that can afford it, to bring our family together at convention. I would like to see them pay for our Haitian Kiwanians transportation to convention and back, and pay for all Kiwanis related expenses while they are here. They were planning to attend just like any of us, until the earthquake hit. Those that survived are undoubtedly helping others as well as themselves. That is what Kiwanians do. Now it is our time to help them get a few days of relaxation, if you can call convention relaxation. Please, anyone that can afford to do this, Please start working on it.

from Jack Savastano, Secretary

Kiwanis Club of Manopmet-Cedarville, Mass.

New England District Inter-club Chair  

Like most large foundations, UNICEF will send targeted funds where-ever they are earmarked.  Just like United Way, you say to give to BBBS, they do.  UNICEF has a distribution system already in place...does it matter who distributes the aid?  If you give to Jeremie Kiwanis, their hands would be tied by the rules & regs of gifts to them...then they have to grant it out - by using UNICEF, we get a direct pipeline to aid the people and children of Haiti - and that's what matters.  

Deb Rittenburg

President-Elect 2009-2010

Midland Kiwanis

Newsletter Editor & Electronic Distribution

Janet,

I agree with you.  The KIF should provide the relief directly to Haiti.  It is one of the ways to get ourselves out there just as UNICEF, United Way and the other organizations.  After all isn't that what we are aiming for?

Janet,

I agree with you.  The KIF should provide the relief directly to Haiti.  It is one of the ways to get ourselves out there just as UNICEF, United Way and the other organizations.  After all isn't that what we are aiming for?

I agree also. I personally am gathering things to auction for "Hope for Haiti" and our club is going to do a fundraiser dinner auction. This auctioneer is going to donate his time and travel and not charge any fees. We have a friend in Red Cross Management that can see that our funds go straight to Haiti but it would be far better if Kiwanis sent it ourselves and made a presence just as Red Cross and UNICEF.

Why not help our Kiwanis Club of Haiti directly? Tony Thermidor, President of Kiwanis of Haiti survived the earthquake which occurred as he was conducting a Kiwanis meeting on January 12th. Three Kiwanis children died as a result of the earthquake and three hundred plus Kiwanians are homeless. Please see the article in today's The News - Press of Fort Myers.  @ news-press.com .....click on local news and look for the the article titled   "KIWANIANS FIND ' PERFECT SOLUTION' FOR DONATIONS.

My e-mail is trudyhutch@comcast.net and my cell phone is 239.822.6312 .....I have Tony's information (cell only) however, he has a heavy accent and is very difficult to understand on the phone. As of this writing he has no internet access. We are working on getting him an an apartment here in Ft Myers or Cape Coral. He plans to return Haiti ASAP with relief for his fellow Kiwianians.

I am proud to report the Aktion Club of Lake Worth is holding a car wash and a bake sale for the Haiti Relief Fund.

The Kiwanis Club of Tamarac in the last two weeks has collected $3000 for the Haitian Relief Fund. We will be giving a check next week to the Red Cross for the above amount to go to Haitian Relief and we have not stopped collecting funds from our club. We plan on continuing to collect funds and contribute for the balace of this fiscal Kiwanis year of 2009-10.

SERVING THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD

                                                  Joel Davidson, President

                                                  Kiwanis Club of Tamarac

I share the view that the Kiwanis donations should be sent directly to Haiti under the Kiwanis umbrella.  Maybe the funds could be directed through the Kiwanis Foundation of Jamaica since Jamaica seems to be the Caribbean headquarters for the co-ordination of relief efforts for Haiti.

K-Kids of Blue Angels Elementary is having a "Hats for Haiti" day on Feb. 5.  Students who donate a dollar will be allowed to wear the hat of their choice in school that day.  The money will be donated to the Haiti relief efforts of the Red Cross.  With over 900 kids, we are hoping to raise close to $1000!