eagle.ca Haiti Relief Challenge

Letter from Tom Copeland

January 17 Update

January 18 Update

January 20 Update

Update on eagle.ca Haiti Relief Challenge

January 17, 2010
updated 4:00 p.m.

Last Thursday at 5:10 p.m. I challenged eagleMembers to help us send five ShelterBoxes to Haiti. By noon on Friday you had helped us commit to four ShelterBoxes. As of this afternoon we are well on our way to securing our sixth ShelterBox.

I'm now appealing to all eagle.ca clients to help us send more relief to Haiti. You can learn more at www.eagle.ca

For those of you hearing about our effort for the first time, each ShelterBox provides a dry shelter, warm bed, light and heat, clean water, cooking aids and tools for 10 people. A ShelterBox costs CDN$1,000. They are stored in strategic locations around the globe for rapid deployment. Visit www.shelterbox.ca for details.

ShelterBox was initiated several years ago by a British Rotary Club member. It has become one of the largest Rotary Club projects in the world. ShelterBox Canada is a project of the Ladysmith Rotary Club in British Columbia. This week, the 55 Rotary Clubs of District 7070 (eastern GTA and Central Ontario) have committed to sending at least one ShelterBox per Club to Haiti. This past Friday the members of the Rotary Club of Cobourg committed to 10 ShelterBoxes.

As of this afternoon, 1,700 ShelterBoxes have been dispatched to Haiti from various global locations. Another 1,600 boxes will leave England early this week. 5,000 boxes are typically stored in England and will be deployed as funds come in. ShelterBox suppliers and volunteers world wide are working around the clock to ensure sufficient boxes are available as donations are received over the coming days.

I received the following information from Don Ohlgren, coordinator of ShelterBox Canada, this afternoon:

This will be the biggest deployment in ShelterBox's history. We are not first responders (although we had our team on the ground in Haiti within 24 hours). We are second responders. After people are rescued they need water, food and shelter. We are not specialists in water, food or medicine.

Other far more capable groups like Red Cross, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and many more do this extremely well.

What we are the best at is providing shelter. Now that the first traumas and rescues are winding down, displaced Haitians need to get shelter desperately or face continuing hardships from the weather.

Emergency shelter provision for more than 30,000 people has now been pledged to the people of Haiti with more due to follow but the logistical nightmare in Haiti continues.

The ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) on the ground is continuing its work with ACTED and local Rotarians in order to ensure the fastest and most effective distribution of aid.

I'd like to continue the effort to help ShelterBox Canada. Other agencies are working on rescue. More will be helping with redevelopment. In between there is the dire need for shelter to span the gap of weeks or even months that it will take to rebuild in Haiti. ShelterBox Canada has a team in place in Haiti now coordinating the arrival and distribution of ShelterBoxes. The ShelterBox projects around the world are assembling boxes and preparing them for shipment. All they need is our help. eagle.ca can coordinate your donation with ShelterBox. Cheques and cash can be dropped off at our office at 26 Chapel Street in Cobourg. We will also accept donations by credit card. We will issue you a donation acknowledgment and forward your donation to ShelterBox. Official tax receipts will be issued by ShelterBox Canada. You can also donate directly by visiting www.shelterbox.ca and clicking on the Donate Now button. The Canadian government has agreed to match donations to ShelterBox Canada so every dollar you contribute is effectively doubled. Please help us to help the people of Haiti.

Cheers,

-tom

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