FULTON COUNTY — Just like former U.S. President’s Bill Clinton and George W. Bush said, the best thing Americans can do to help Haiti right now is give cash to one of a number of aid organizations working on the ground right now in the devastated nation. For a complete listing of those organizations working on the ground right now in the Caribbean island nation, visit the Web site of the joint foundation the two former presidents have formed. On NBC’s Meet The Press Sunday, Jan. 18, President Bush promised that the organizations they were supporting would be “accountable and transparent.”

In response to Fulton County residents asking how they can help, the following statement was released on Friday, Jan. 15 by Board of Commissioners Chairman John H. Eaves. 

“Three days have passed since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti and neighboring nations across the Caribbean. If you have seen the photos and video, you know that it’s no exaggeration to say this earthquake, along with the severe aftershocks, is among the worst natural disasters to take place in Haiti in over 200 years. As of today, officials expect as many as 50,000 deaths and there are many thousands more still missing.

Fulton County is home to hundreds of Haitian-American citizens, with several thousand living in metro Atlanta, who are waiting word on their relatives back home. Here in Atlanta, many are asking “what can we do to help?” My office has been in touch with the White House on a regular basis since the quake hit and we have a simple answer. Give cash.

Our colleagues in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, the staff at the State Department and at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) tell us that cash donations are the most efficient and effective way to help the relief effort in Haiti right now. They allow humanitarian organizations to purchase (often within the affected region itself) the exact type and quantity of items needed by those affected by the crisis. Click this link to read about the advantages of monetary donations.  

You can immediately donate to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Click this link to contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting “HAITI” to “90999″ right on your cell phone. You can also find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information, or through USAID’s interactive website, which has a list of credible non-governmental organizations that may be providing relief to Haiti, along with instructions on how to help. Click here http://www.usaid.gov to reach USAID’s web site.

If you don’t have access to the Internet, you can still help out. Donate by telephone; toll free at 1-800-REDCROSS, or 1-800-733-2767. To send a check through the U.S. mail, send your contribution to: American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013

CARE, the international relief organization, based right here in Fulton County, is also receiving contributions to mount relief missions to Haiti. You may donate directly to CARE Haiti Earthquake Relief by going to the CARE website at http://www.care.org.

Another organization you may wish to send cash donations to is Doctors Without Borders. This organization sends doctors all over the world to provide medical treatment during disasters and have already begun aid to Haiti. You may give a donation online at this website: www.doctorswithoutborders.org or you can donate by phone, toll free at 1-888-392-0392. To send a check through the U.S. mail, send your contribution to: Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030

I am happy to report that our employees at Fulton County are pitching in too. Our “Volunteer Fulton” team and the county’s Office of Communications today began staffing a table at the downtown county government center building to collect monetary donations. Today, are employees donated more than $1,000. The money we collect at the county will go directly to the HAITI RELIEF FUND at CARE. Our table will also be setup next week after the King Holiday beginning on Tuesday, through Thursday to receive donations during county business hours. Checks should be made payable to CARE.  For more information contact Volunteer Fulton at (404) 612-7308.

As many of you know, I was the Southeast director of the Peace Corps and spent time in Haiti as part of that work. In 1999, I visited Haiti to assess the work of Peace Corps volunteers working in Port au Prince, Gonaïves, and Carrefour. During that visit, I met local residents who lived in many of the areas impacted by Tuesday’s earthquake and aftershocks. Though living in one of the most impoverished nations in the world, the vitality and work ethic of the Haitian people moved me deeply. I truly hope that what is happening there now will move you to help, and help NOW.

The people of Fulton County are praying for Haiti and her people, and all those affected in anyway by this tragedy.”

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