County Groups Raising Funds for Haiti
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These are just a few of the fundraising efforts going on; we will update the list as needed.
North County
The Haiti Plunge Project, of which a team returned this past Sunday from two weeks in Haiti, will be accepting bottle donations at 107 Main St., North Adams, on Monday, Jan. 18, from 10 to noon.
All donations will benefit the COTY Center's Haiti Plunge Project, which will be presented this year's Peacemaker Award at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. event on Monday. For more information about the bottle drive, contact Ashley Benson at the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, 413-663-7588 or abenson@nbccoalition.org.
Desparados Mexican Restaurant in Williamstown will also donate 25 percent of its sales on Sunday, Jan. 17, from noon to 9 p.m. to the COTY/Haiti Earthquake Relief fund. It will accept monetary donations during those hours as well; checks should be made payable to COTY/Haiti EQR.
The North Adams Ambulance Service is soliciting medical supplies and equipment from other emergency services, doctors and hospitals. The materials will be shipped by sea through a Haiti relief organization in New York City. The service expects to have more information available on its Web site this weekend.
Red Cross
The American Red Cross is accepting text donations via cell phone; it's so far raised more than $8 million in the past three days. By texting "Haiti" to 90999, cell phone users can donate $10, which is applied to their phone bill.
Donations can also be made at www.redcross.org, to the International Response Fund, American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013, or by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). For information on donating locally, contact the Berkshire County chapter at 413-442-1506 or www.redcrossberkshirecounty.org.
The relief organization is not currently accepting volunteers to travel to Haiti because of the difficulties in getting to the island nation. The country's main airport is nonfunctioning. For inquiries about relatives living and who have citizenship in Haiti, call repeatedly until the lines clear or contact other family members who live nearby. Telephone, Internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster. People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Haiti should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202-647-5225.
Central Berkshire
FunWorks in the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough will hold a fundraiser on Thursday, Jan. 21, from 5 to 9 p.m. with all proceeds going to the Salvation Army's relief efforts. "Since arriving in Pittsfield, we have been very impressed with the sense of community in this town and we are counting on that community spirit to help make a difference for the aid workers in Haiti," said manager Roger Allan.
South Berkshire
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in Great Barrington has established a Disaster Recovery Fund for Haiti. Donors can make contributions online through www.berkshiretaconic.org or by sending a check made out to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, with Haiti noted on the memo line. The proceeds will be divided equally between Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders and Paul Farmer's Partners in Health. There is no community foundation in Haiti, so Berkshire Taconic selected these three reputable nonprofit organizations, each of which has long worked in Haiti, to receive the funds.
Southern Berkshire County residents are organizing a number of fundraising events to take place this weekend, including setting up a table to accept donations at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 16, during the Met Opera "Live in HD" broadcast and at a dance party Saturday night at Dewey Memorial Hall in Sheffield produced by EnLivenment.
The party includes a one-hour swing dance lesson at 7 with Nadia and Paul Rix, followed by "blues boogie-woogie jazz with soul" music by The Colbys with Bev Rohlehr from 8 to 11. The cost is $15 per person and $25 per couple, with all proceeds going to the Disaster Recovery Fund for Haiti.
Other fundraisers or individual donors are welcome to contribute to the fund at any time.
Regional
Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell of the Diocese of Springfield has authorized Catholic parishes in Western Massachusetts to hold a special collection to raise funds to assist earthquake victims. This special collection also responds to Pope Benedict XVI, who during his Jan. 13 public audience at the Vatican, urged Catholics worldwide to come to the aid of the impoverished nation.
Donations may be made at any Catholic parish or mailed into the diocesan offices, PO Box 1730, Springfield, MA 01102-1730, in care of Haiti Relief efforts. Checks can be made payable to the Diocese of Springfield with notation for "Haiti Relief." The diocese will distribute all funds to assist Haitians through reputable Catholic agencies working in Haiti, including Catholic Relief Services. In addition, special prayer petitions provided by CRS have also been distributed.
A Mass will be celebrated Saturday, Jan. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at Holy Spirit Chapel, St. Michael's Cathedral, 254 State St., Springfield, by La Salette Father James A. Aherne, chaplain to the Catholic Haitian community in Western Massachusetts. The liturgy will be offered in Creole.
Beware of Scams
Attorney General Martha Coakley's office is cautioning residents to be sure their contributions are going to reputable charities.
"Before making a donation, we encourage people to do a little homework on the charity they are considering donating to, to ensure that their money is going to reputable charities that can best help those in need in Haiti," she said.
All charities and fundraisers operating in Massachusetts are required by law to register with the attorney general's office. This requirement also applies to businesses that advertise a portion of their sales will go to earthquake relief.
While registration does not indicate that the office approves or endorses the organization, it does provide the public with information regarding how long the organization has been in existence, its financial condition and its track record of complying with state registration and filing requirements.
Registration and filing information can be obtained at www.mass.gov/ago/charitiesreports or by calling the division at 617-727-2200, Ext. 2101. Web sites such as Charitynavigator.org, CharityGuide.org and BBB.org/charity also contain valuable information on a large number of charities.
Tips: Don't give cash; don't feel you have to give to the first charity you see; don't fall for hard-luck stories; never give out a credit-card number over the phone; ask lots of questions and do research; mail checks directly to the charity, not the phone solicitor; make sure Web sites are legitimate and offer secure transactions before donating online.
