Hearts For Haiti

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By Melisse.
Victoria Strowbridge, our friend and teacher I wrote a blog entry about in mid December (African Dance Revisited), has for years celebrated the culture of Haitian people through teaching and performing their dances and drumming. She has friends who are closely connected to the country where the tragic earthquake recently happened. Feeling compelled to do something to help the people there she organized a fundraiser, a powerful night of dance classes accompanied by incredible drumming, informative speakers, a silent auction offering fun Sonoma County goodies, and delicious, Haitian style, home cooked food at Santa Rosa’s beautiful and funky Monroe Hall.

The invitation read:

"A Free evening of music, dance classes, speakers,
DJ and open dance floor
to benefit Haitian earthquake victims

Cuban, Congolese, West African, Brazilian as well as
Haitian Dance Classes
performances of music from the African Diaspora
open dance floor with live Brazilian music and DJ "

We received this email invitation early in the week, and knowing it would be a fun and worthwhile event, we planned our travels to get to Sonoma County in time to go. I arrived at the hall a couple of hours after the event started and was overwhelmed by the power in the hall as I entered the pulsating space. A huge colorful mass of people danced synchronously across the floor to the penetrating beats of resounding drums. I felt swept away by the river of movement and instantly joined in, disappearing into the gyrating, joyful crowd.

Midway through the night the music and dancing subsided so that we could listen to speakers tell us about their direct involvement with the people and situation in Haiti. One man told us of his heart-wrenching, first-hand experience of the earthquake, another, the director of an organization called “Food First”, spoke of the need to change the infrastructure of Haiti in its rebuilding. He emphasized the need to reestablish small-scale, self sustaining farming and move away from industrialized US dependent agriculture. Both speakers were very interesting and powerful.

All are encouraged to donate to organizations who are helping out on the ground, with little overhead so that donations go directly to helping the people in need.

Here are some organizations who will put our donations to good use:
• www.foodfirst.org - Food First
• www.pih.org - Partners In Health
• www.nph.org - NPH helps fund St. Damien’s, an on-site hospital. Works in many Latin American countries.
• www.jphro.org/donate.html - founded by Sean Penn and Diana Jenkins (Jenkins Penn Haiti Relief Organization) is directly on the ground, sending medical personnel, supplies, distributing food, water, filters, etc.
http://reneallison.wordpress.com/ is a blog written by Rene, the sister of our friend Donya. They both regularly volunteer in Haiti each summer and Rene has been in there recently offering medical assistance.

Victoria plans on putting on another fundraiser in Sonoma County. If you would like to get involved contact her at - [e-mail]

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Comments

[Debby]

powerfull
Wish you could post this on facebook...sorry I was too sick to come, but glad you made it!!! And especially glad you put this together for others! You're the bomb!

[jim]

Love for Haiti
Our club at school, the Mud Club, held an impromptu sale last Thursday and raised $700. in 4 hours by selling pots... Now to try to figure out where to send $700.-1000. where is can be most useful....it's something... thoughts? Love, J