Did you know? Bell’s Fast Facts Fridays
On a seemingly regular, recent Tuesday afternoon the small island country of Haiti was shocked and devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.
In the days following the news of the massive quake, stories, images and videos of unimaginable destruction and unbelievable carnage swept across the newswires.
What accompanied these horrific developments was an immediate and unprecedented outpouring of relief aid, money, support and prayer.
Today’s Fast Facts Friday is meant to shine a light on only a few of the many good Samaritans and caring people across the world who have stepped up to help the people of Haiti cope with the devastation and rebuild their lives.
1) One electronic form of support brought $30 million in relief funds in a matter of days: text messaging. Right after the quake, the Red Cross and mobile phone companies announced that they would take donations by cell phone. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and other major carriers all quickly jumped on the bandwagon, allowing donations over their text messaging network … with no hidden fees! Texting the word HAITI to 20222 will give a $10 donation to the Clinton Foundation. You can give $10 to the International Medical Corps (85944), the Salvation Army (52000), and the American Red Cross (90999) by simply texting the word “HAITI”. (ThePilot.com)
2) While people and communities across the US and the world are mobilizing and giving all they can to aid in the relief effort, governments have also been quickly prompted to action. The Obama administration has pledged $100 million in aid and the deployment of 10,000 troops. (NYTimes.com)
3) Canada’s military has deployed the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to provide “eyes-on” feedback and assistance to the catastrophic situation. The Canadian Forces has named this mission “Operation Helmet” and foresees it as an ongoing mission that will focus on supplying search and rescue teams as well as medical supplies to victims of this devastating earthquake. (MigrationExpert.com)
4) The Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans helped raise more than $34,000 for earthquake relief in Haiti prior to Thursday night’s game against the Washington Capitals. Fans donated more than $17,309, and the organization matched that bringing the grand total of money raised to $34,600. Overall, the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and other professional sports have stepped up in a major way donating millions of dollars, hosting relief drives, and sending countless aid care packages. (ThePittsburghChannel.com and BusinessWeek.com)
5) Finally, after nearly two weeks of sadness, an image of hope has emerged: One of a smiling young boy named Kiki being lifted from the rubble by American rescuers:
