Haiti

[Innkeeper]

My old Air Force outfit, formerly know as the 2d Mobile Communications Group is on the ground in Port au Prince providing emergency communications and air traffic control. A history of that outfit just including the four years I spent with it in Europe would be a great read. They are now stationed (when not deployed)at Patrick AFB, FL.

[hotwine]

Suspect a lot of folks from Bragg and Pope are on the way. Devastation is unbelievable!

[Georgie]

Those poor people.

[winoweenie]

CB had tears in her eyes as she reached for her checkbook. Seems unfair for this to happen to people with little to now have nothing. WW

[hotwine]

D did the same thing, WW. Our church is sending a medical mission team down there, but that may be like putting a Band-Aid on a gaping chest wound.... well-intentioned, but the patient will still bleed to death. It's a monumental challenge for relief agencies, so massive it's hard to comprehend.

[Innkeeper]

We and one of our daughters have made contributions through Catholic Relief Services who are on the ground there.

[wondersofwine]

I heard that the Catholic archbishop and many priests were among those killed by the earthquake.

I may contribute through Red Cross or another charity. I like International Rescue Committee so will see if they are involved. A lot of their work is with refugees from wars.

[TheEngineer]

I heard that too and that is a big blow to people who do look to the church for guidance in tough times. My thoughts and prayers are for those people who have already gone through so much this year.

[Kcwhippet]

I've heard there are quite a few scams going on with the Haiti relief. So, be very aware of any organization to whom you're donating any funds. Also, be sure that you specify that ALL the moneys you're donating specifically go to Haiti earthquake relief. That goes for all organizations including the Red Cross. If you just donate without a specific cause, most charities insert the funds into a general fund that they use in any way they want to.

[wondersofwine]

I decided to donate through International Rescue Committee. Checked their ratings and they have an A+ from the American Institure of Philanthropy, are one of Forbes 10 Gold Star charities, and meet all 20 wise giving standards of BBB. 90% of their funds go directly to programs and services, 6% goes to administration and 4% to fundraising.
When the big tsunami hit, they already had IRC personnel on the scene. That is not the case in Haiti but they have deployed an emergency response team to go and work with other organizations already there. These are veteran first responders. Their primary focus is working with refugees from war. They are helping rebuild communities in Pakistan that were devastated in the fighting between the Pakistani Army and the Taliban. Also helping Iraqi war refugees in Iraq and in Jordan and Syria.

Catholic Relief Services (mentioned by IK) also has an A rating from the Institute.

Interesting side note: The American Institute of Philanthropy recommends Fisher House (homes on military bases for family members to stay temporarily when soldiers are in the military hospitals--the one on Fort Bragg had many family members immediately after the disaster on the green ramp when two planes collided and went down in flames burning Army troops waiting to board one of the planes.) It also recommends Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund but is quite critical of Army and Navy Relief Funds which have hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve, rather than spending for the benefit of service members.

[Georgie]

If you are looking for a highly reliable relief charity, may I suggest the United Methodist Committee on Relief. It has an A+ rating by the Amercan Philanthropic Institute. We have been told many times that 100% of donations to UMCOR go directly to those in need, as the Methodist Church uses other means to administrate this relief effort. I know this to be true. You can go through the API to donate.

[andrawes76]

Its really heartbreaking... My heart, money and prayers go out to those people. I donated via Red Cross.

[hotwine]

We prefer to contribute to organizations that don't nick donations for overhead, or withhold a portion of contributions for "later contingencies". That's why we chose UMCOR; they do it right.

[Kcwhippet]

It just galls me how much a lot of professionsl fund raising companies keep for themselves at times!! The Massachusetts Salvation Army hired a company in AZ (that's right, WW) last year for a small fundraising event. Little did they realize how small!! The company raised just under $11,000 during the fundraising period and returned only $618 to the SA. Disgusting!!

[hotwine]

I'm trying to refrain from posting the names of orgs I feel are rip-offs, to avoid having their mafia lawyers descend on me. But it really is quite common for a lot of orgs to use only a fraction of donations for their intended purposes and spend/bank the rest. Gotta do your homework as a donor.

[winoweenie]

I'm sure the company bought only the best juice with their cut. WW ( We've identified and ostrasized most of the nasty groups that sprung up here after Katrina )