Eight great ways San Diegans can support Haiti earthquake relief

John Hannon of Foxboro, Mass., a member of the MA1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, holds a child who was injured in last week's massive earthquake at a field hospital in Port-au-Prince, Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, killing and injuring thousands and leaving many homeless. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

San Diegans are stepping up to provide assistance for victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti. The need for aid in the forms of food, water, medical supplies, and monetary donations, is dire.

Here are eight ways you can support Haiti through local organizations and events.

1.   The Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego is donating all proceeds from the $20 door charge to enter its 207 nightclub on Friday starting at 9 p.m.  to Rescue Task Force, a San Diego County based team of people that are already involved in Hait, delivering medicine, food, and water and, helping with search and rescue efforts.

2.   Archery House, a local organization that promotes and teaches the sport of archery, will be raising money for the Sporting Chance Foundation through classes Jan. 30 at Doyle Park and Recreation Center in the UTC area. A $10 minimum donation is requested, with all proceeds benefiting Sporting Chance. Classes run from 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. for kids ages 8 and up through teens;  a family hour, from 10:30 a.m. -noon; and adults from noon-1:30 p.m. To RSVP to this event, call (858) 254-4058 or email TRobey (at) usarcheryhouse.com.

3.   The WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park is holding a fundraiser-concert, Sat., Jan. 30, from 6-11:30 p.m. to raise money for Haiti relief efforts; the event will feature speakers such as Quino, One Drop, Through the Roots, and River Rock Bottom. Proceeds from the $10 admission will go to organizations such as the Yele Haiti Foundation, which has been working to improve lives in Haiti through education and community development.

4.   Also in Balboa Park, the  San Diego Air and Space Museum is donating a portion of each ticket sold to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Effort, through Jan. 29. San Diego’s Air and Space Museum exhibits artifacts throughout the history of aviation and space flight dating back as far as 1783. New on display is the Lockheed Vega 5B plane that was used in the film Amelia; the Lockheed Vega5B is the same model that was flown by Amelia Earhart in her many historic endeavors.

5.   AdventureCORPS, Inc., based in La Jolla, is hosting an “80 for Haiti” cycling event on Sat., Feb. 13. The ride is 80 miles long, along California Highway 80 and has an $80 entrance fee. All proceeds are being donated to Mercy Corps, an organization that works to end poverty and bring relief to suffering people around the world.

6.   The organization Invisible Children is a finalist in the Chase Community Giving Facebook Competition to win $1 million for their “big idea” for how to end Africa’s longest running war. They have revised their spending plan and have set aside $100,000 to donate to Haiti Relief efforts if they win the competition, and are the only finalists to do so. Invisible Children is a San Diego-based organization focused on bringing awareness about the “invisible” issue of child soldiers in Uganda and the Congo. By visiting InvisibleChildren.com, you can vote for Invisible Children to receive the $1 million. Voting ends Feb. 22.

7.   Give Clean Water is asking for donations in order to raise $25,000. These funds will be used to purchase 1,000 clean water filters to send to Haiti so that people can have access to clean water. Give Clean Water, based in Tierrasanta, installs water filters for people that are living without clean water, a dangerous health hazard.

Read more about San Diego’s Haiti relief efforts.

8. On a national level, many well known hotels and airlines have found ways to contribute to the relief effort. Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways are accepting donations of frequent flier miles to be given to the American Red Cross so that volunteers can be sent to Haiti.

American Airlines is giving away bonus miles to people willing to donate a minimum of $50  to the American Red Cross; Spirit Air is giving similar incentives to people willing to give $5 or more to organizations such as Yele Haiti, UNICEF, and the American Red Cross. (Donations can be made online; donations with Delta Airlines can also be made over the phone at 800-325-3999.)

United Airlines will match up to $50,000 of monetary donations to Haiti relief made through their link. Virgin American has begun a Haiti earthquake fundraiser by accepting donations through its Web site, and has so far collected almost $26,000.

Hotels such as Best Western and Starwood will also donate money toward relief efforts in exchange for loyalty points.

Sally Robertson is an SDNN intern.

Tags: Haiti earthquake, San Diego Haiti relief, SDNN

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