Disaister Relief in Haiti
As I mentioned in my last post I have been working crazy hours this week and not getting much sleep for a project I am working on for Gallatin’s fashion week. I have been very stressed out from it, and so consumed by it that I wasn’t really focusing on the fact that a crisis was occurring in Haiti. It is very easy for us all to get wrapped up in our own little worlds and little problems. I forgot that my lack of sleep was due to stress from a fun project and there are people in Haiti right now not sleeping because they are injured, have no beds, homes, clean clothes, food, and many have lost family members. I can not imagine the pain and suffering they have been through and I think it is very important that we all try and step back from our busy lives and realize there are more important things out there.
An amazing guy named Andy did just that and started a group on flickr called charity print auctions where people can post their photos and other people can bid on them for a set amount of time and then the winning bidder donates to the British Red Cross (but I changed mine to the American) and the photographer donates the cost of printing the image. I’ve decided to put in one of my favorite images, Polar Bear Hunting on Ice Flows, Svalbard.
You can donate to the red cross in England or America, and I also listed UNICEF as an acceptable charity. All you have to do is place your bid and keep checking back (and bid again!) until the auction ends next Friday (January 29, 2010). Then if you are the winner you make the donation for the amount you won the auction for, take a screenshot of your successful payment and send me the image to prove you paid. I will then have the image printed and send it off to you signed and dated. I put a minimum bid of $20 because that is the basic cost of materials to print and if you pay less than that it would make more sense for me to give the 20 directly to the charity, which I will do if it doesn’t sell. I have also already donated to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s relief fund. When this kind of gigantic disaster happens it is easy to forget about the animals that need help too. Best Friends is sending teams to Haiti to help take care of the now homeless, wounded and abandoned animals. I’m not saying animals should be made a priority over humans, but it is important that we remember to help all creatures both great and small in the wake of this tragedy.
If you chose not to place a bid or get outbid I still encourage you to make a donation, remember every penny counts and every person can make a difference.
Give to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Haiti Fund
Thanks everyone!
