A poor neighbourhood shows the damage after an earthquake measuring 7 plus on the Richter scale rocked Port au Prince Haiti just before 5 pm yesterday, January 12, 2009.
I don’t think anyone is unaware of the horrible events that have left over 50 000 Haitians dead, and rising. Time to show the world what kids can accomplish…especially homeschooled kids!
- Pray
No one can really deny the power of prayer. Since at least the dawn of recorded history, and regardless of what your personal religious beliefs are, positive prayer has shown to accomplish amazing things. Give it a try! Do you have anything to lose in doing so?Pray on your own or with your family; silently or out loud. Millions of people in Haiti are desperately trying to survive today, let alone for the immediate future. - Start close to home
Large corporations have (for the most part) already pledged to the plea of Haiti’s earthquake victims. Approach local small businesses and you have a better chance of getting them to pledge to this cause. - Hold a bottle drive
Most people drink a reasonable amount of soda, beer, etc, then save their bottles for refund. Get together with a group of friends and beginning a refundable-bottle collection campaign. Advertise in advance and then either ask people to drop off their bottles at a given location, or (more effective), get a team to go door-to-door. - Canvas door-to-door
This is one project which is best done with an established group or organization, due to the possibility of fraud by certain unethical individuals.Get together with a group on a weekend (be it a scouting troup, hockey team, etc) and assign regions for each child to go door to door to collect spare change to help Haitian victims. Once the event is over, roll up the money, take it to the bank, then send the funds to a RELIABLE NGO such as the Red Cross, World Vision or UNICEF. - Host a talent nightGet together with other kids and prepare a talent showcase. Find a venue, a date and advertise the event, not forgetting to mention that proceeds are going to a good cause.
- Get donors to check with employers about matching donationsWhen seeking out direct donations, encourage donors to check with their employers first. Sometimes a business will offer a matching donation for contributors from their employees.
- Foster a childOrganizations such as World Vision have programs to ‘foster a child.’ For a monthly fee, a child in a third-world country is fed, given health care, and sent to school.
- Stuff schoolbags with school suppliesWith the assistance of other homeschoolers, schools, local citizens, and businesses, prepare a campaign to get people to donate or purchase school supplies to ship to Haiti.
Get hold of new or gently used backpacks, and fill them with supplies such as pencils, erasers, sharpeners, paper, etc.
By contacting organizations such as the Red Cross or World Vision, they should be able to help coordinate shipping these supplies so that they get to their destination. Keep in mind that funds will also need to be raised to pay for shipping the items (ideally a container). If you don’t feel you have enough to fill a container, invite other communities to join in the efforts.
- Shoeboxes
Using the same concept as in #8, get hold of empty shoeboxes and fill them with items useful for children of different ages. Ideas of ‘categories would be for woman, men, female teens, male teens, girls, boys and babies.Fill the boxes with items you believe are useful for them, such as shaving cream, sanitary napkins, a comb, some gum, water purification tablets, etc. Keep cultural differences in mind and if you feel that something needs to be explained, find a French speaker who can translate your words to French. - BlogIf you have a blog, write about how you are helping Haiti’s earthquake victims, and the owners of this blog will personally donate $10 on your behalf to an organization to help the Haitians. Hurry up though, this deal is only valid until January 21.
- Organize a bake saleFind a group, any group. Together with other members, plan and hold a bake sale. Not many people can turn their heads from yummy treats!
- Plan a silent auctionFind donations of items or services and hold a silent auction in your community.
Ideas of donations include: concert tickets, sporting event tickets, art, trips, vacations, memorabilia, etc.
- Sell your own t-shirtsDesign a T-shirt that you believe best shows the cause you are trying to make money for, and sell it online and in your community, handing the profits over to a charitable organization.
Two good sites that print t-shirts on demand are Zazzle and CafePress
- Create a calendar By combining Flickr Creative Commons and sites like Staples or Lulu, you can create and sell calendars for the upcoming August-August school year.
Find pictures suitable for your subject using Flickr’s creative commons licence and with desktop publishing software, create your calendar. Once you’ve ordered a sample and are satisfied with it’s outcome, market it in your community and online. Take the orders and when you know how many to order, place your order and deliver the calendars.
If you are able to find a quote from a local printer, you may be able to raise more funds that way.
- Give gifts in form of a donationIs someone celebrating a birthday or anniversary? Instead of an actual gift, why not make a donation in their name?
- Stick your extra change in a jarCollect your spare change in a jar, then donate it. Especially for Canadians that have their $1 and $2 in the form of coins, this can add up quickly. Get friends, neighbours and family involved.
- Sell soda/chips at a local sporting eventSpring is on it’s way. Why not arrange with local sports clubs to sell refreshments at their events, with the proceeds going to Haiti?
- Adopt a childThis may be a little extreme, but remember that even before the earthquake, many children have been living as the victims of poverty, awaiting adoption. Now the problem is only going to get worse. If you have spare room in your home and your heart, why not consider giving a home to a child in dire need?
- Raffles Consider holding raffles in local schools or community events. 50/50 raffles or “how many jelly beans in the jar” are popular ones.
- Get local businesses to donate proceeds for a day
- Hold a contest Come up with a contest (writing, drawing, etc) based on the theme of Haiti’s plight. Charge a small submission fee (which goes to Haiti)and find donations for prizes.
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