PHOTO: 1199SEIU Florida members took quick action by forming Konbit for Haiti, a community center in the Little Haiti area of Miami, just four days after the earthquake.
The unforgettable images captured on news programs around the world only scratched the surface on the magnitude and scale of the devastation that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010. As we come upon the one-year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake, we're reminded of the needs that are still faced by hundreds of thousands who remain without shelter or a home in Haiti today.
From day one, SEIU members joined relief efforts to help our neighbors in Haiti; raising funds, volunteering for deployment to Haiti and put our union's resources to work to support the Haitian community in Miami, New York, New Jersey, Montreal and Boston, among other places. SEIU member nurses from Miami were deployed to St. Damien's Children's Hospital just days after the tragic event.
In addition, our locals and members have contributed nearly $1.5 million in resources to NGOs working directly with the people of Haiti and helped establish ways to engage with and involve the Haitian community in the United States in multiple efforts.
We'd like to thank all SEIU locals that have participated in providing services to their affected members, contributed dollars to the relief efforts and sent their members to Haiti. The collective strength of our work has saved and changed lives forever in Haiti.
A year after the earthquake, Haiti remains in a desperate struggle for survival, recovery and development. So let's renew our efforts in Haiti in 2011. Consider a direct contribution to our primary partner in this relief effort, Konbit for Haiti. Your contribution will allow Konbit to continue the coordination of deploying our SEIU members to Haiti.
