Oh, Haiti...

I noticed that not too many of the blogs I follow have had any insight or info on the crisis taking place in Haiti right now. I find it interesting that many cynics out there are criticizing people's choices to aid in relief. I've heard various comments via Twitter like, "what about America?" and "When will we help our country?"

Take a look around, guys - we live in one of the most privileged countries on this earth. Even in our times of crisis - we are far better off than many countries who are living day to day lives. Haiti is a perfect example of that. This is a country that has been through so much over the years - hurricanes, massacres, political strife - and now - an earthquake.

I believe that a lot of the insensitivities that come from certain people is because they have never experienced extreme crisis in their lives. Being evicted from your apartment may seem like a big deal - but in the grand scheme of things, you have places to go. Imagine sleeping on the street, simply because this is where you live. That is the life of an impoverished Haitian right now. It's nothing to scoff at. How many of us have actually been poor and hungry to the point of near death? I doubt any of us can attest to that. I doubt that any of us can live without our cell phones, our lip gloss, our cars and mp3 players. Imagine not having electricity to charge those things, much less a home to get electricity from. Now take that - and picture your world coming crashing down around you. Does that not deserve attention?

I guess not. I guess we should all go back to our regularly scheduled lives. I guess we should press play on our TiVo and finish watching Bad Girls Club, and go out to dinner with our friends and spend money on that new pair of sneakers we've wanted. I guess it's not our business, duty or concern. I guess it doesn't matter if a child lives or dies under a pile of rubble. It's not our families, friends or co-workers. It's not our hospitals, jobs and homes. It's not that big of a deal. Someone will help them.

Right?

Wrong.

Everyone takes that approach at one time or another, but this is serious! There are millions of lives at stake right now, and it's not the time for passing the buck. Last year, when the hurricane's brutalized Haiti - my Mom, her co-workers and I pulled together and collected donations of clothes and food to send to the island. Food For the Poor shipped the parcels and distributed them to the people in need. I don't get anything for doing this - and I'm not even remotely Haitian - but you know what? Someone has to do it. People have to swallow their prid and reservations and make moves to help others. At least one time in everyone's life - they should know they did something to impact the life of another person. It's an exhilarating feeling.

I give you all the opportuity today.

There are quite a few ways to help right now, and more will be on the way.

To donate through Wyclef Jean's Yelle Haiti Foundation:

Text "Haiti" to 501501 - this will add $5.00 to your cell phone bill towards relief for the stricken island.

If you feel more secure using your credit card on a secured website - you can visit http://www.yele.org and donate directly to the page.

To donate through the Red Cros:

 Text "Haiti" to 90999

 The Red Cross will donate $10.00 to relief, deducted from your phone bill.

Or, you can visit The Red Cross Website Here.

I'll update you guys when I organize my plan as well. I should be ready by tonight or tomorrow morning for sure. There's something that draws me to these causes, and I think God blesses those who bless others. Pay it forward, guys...

More to come soon...