Community Corner

FOLLOW-UP: Not Enough Money or Hands for 'Hand to Hand For Haiti'

For those trying to lend a helping hand to victims devastated by Haiti's earthquakes, low turnout for the event has left organizers scrambling to pay their own bills, not just those of their beneficiaries.

The end came sooner than scheduled. The turnout was lower than organizers had hoped.

This year's Hand to Hand For Haiti event is over, yes, but the need is still there.

at Centennial Park in Ellicott City brought in an estimated 100-300 people at a time and a total of 600-1,000 for the day,  according to Larry Jackson of the Ellicott City Rotary Club, which sponsored the event.

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The goal had been 4,000 people.

That number wasn't just sought for the symbolic holding of hands around the 2.6-mile path along Centennial Lake, which followed a couple hours of music at the park's amphitheater. The event's finale came about half an hour ahead of when it was originally expected.

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Organizers had also hoped that everyone would donate $20, and that a combined $80,000 could then go toward projects in Haiti being doneby Rotary International and the Columbia-based Build Haiti Foundation.

The fundraising, like the attempt to reach around the lake, fell far short.

"It was definitely far below our expectations," Jackson said. "We're struggling right now just to pay for the event."

This was the second year for the fundraiser. Last year's event was held shortly after the devastating earthquake, bringing in more than 1,000 people and raising about $13,000.

Though it has been about 14 months since the earthquake, organizers sought to remind people that there is still a substantial need for help in Haiti.

People tend to forget over time, Jackson lamented.

"Haiti has dropped from the public view," he said. "The struggle that they're going through to try to rebuild is more than just the earthquake – it's trying to create structure in the country. And that's a long-term commitment.

"Unfortunately, we don't always have a long-term commitment in this country. We tend to go on to the next item as quickly as it pops up on the radar. We're fighting an uphill battle, but that's why we put the event on."

The donated money was to go toward food, water, medicine, shelter and long-term support and redevelopment projects, according to the event website. But right now, organizers are still working on paying for the cost of the event.

"We had buses lined up to satellite people in and out of the park, [portable toilets] to pay for and bands that donated half of their time," Jackson said. "There was photocopying and stuff like that for the fliers and everything else that went out. We initially had that covered through corporate sponsors, and most everyone has paid those, but we're still trying to collect everything else."

He described Hand to Hand For Haiti not reaching expectations as "a frustrating situation."

"We have it so good here. We are very privileged to be in Howard County and to have the resources we have," Jackson said. "When you have a  country like Haiti that has nothing, it doesn't take much to be able to help them.

"We all have things that we struggle with every day, and our lives are very complicated. You think about life and how hard our life is and the problems we have to solve. We were just trying to get $20 from people for a place that wishes they had the problems we have," he said.

Jackson believes there will still be another fundraiser next year, though he wasn't sure what it will entail.

"The band approach was a good approach," he said. "It changed the focus and gave people something for their visit. I'm hoping that's the direction we go next year. As opposed to being a free event, we'll probably sell tickets for it."

And this year's efforts will continue. People can still donate via the Ellicott City Rotary Club's fundraising website, happydollars.org, or even through snail mail – PO Box 64, Ellicott City, MD, 21041. 

"We want to reach our goal," Jackson said. "But that means we're going to be committed to this for the entire year. Maybe it's a multi-year commitment, but it's something that needs to stay out there."


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