There’s nothing else to say. You have all been magnificent in your response to the crisis in Haiti. The power of individuals coming together to form a specific community for a purpose has never been more clearly demonstrated. Over a million dollars raised via texting for Yele Haiti. Over EIGHT million dollars texted to the Red Cross. With millions more coming into the dozens of active non-profits in Haiti via websites and good old-fashioned passing the hat gatherings. Thank you. Well done.
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Brian Williams reports from Port au Prince, Haiti
And the money just keeps coming – corporations, governments, celebrities, and good citizens just like you around the world – all continue to give.
Corporate America has really stepped up, donating money and materials to the cause. There was a million dollar smackdown going on among banks, as JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America all pledged that amount to Haitian relief and recovery. Investment bank Jeffries Group also pledged $1 million and threw in Friday’s global commissions and some volunteered salaries to boot. Nicely played, sirs.
Meanwhile, #2 home improvement chain Lowes donated $1 million to the Red Cross, leaving #1 Home Depot looking a little, um, conservative, with their $100,000 pledge. Hopefully, some building materials might get loaded onto a plane soon, too.
The burning question for everyone, of course, is what about the celebrities!? Well, not to be outdone by a silly little international banking consortium, supermodel Gisele Bundchen donated a whopping $1.5 million to the Red Cross! Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Oprah, Sandra Bullock, and Ted Turner each pledged a million, while Madonna, Tyler Perry, and Lance Armstrong have pitched in $250,000 apiece for various organizations. Celebs like Alyssa Milano, Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher, Paris Hilton, and Christina Applegate are banging the drum for donations using Twitter, Facebook, and public appeals. Probably the most well-known is that Wyclef Jean Yele Haiti campaign mentioned above. Ben Stiller’s StillerStrong was already raising money for a school in Haiti when the earthquake hit. For now, any donations received will go to emergency relief.
But what about the king of Hollywood, George Clooney? He led the way when the towers fell in 2001 by organizing a telethon to raise money for the victims and their families. He’ll be it again, this time on all the MTV networks (VH1, Comedy Central, and CMT) as well as on ABC,NBC, HBO, and CNN. The telethon is currently scheduled for January 22nd.
Finally, we want to remind you that America isn’t in this fight alone. Money is pouring in from all across the globe. Governments were quick to release funds for the effort. The United Kingdom and Brazil both pledged $10 million in relief funds. Canada is loading two warships, helicopters and planes with supplies, as well preparing to send a large relief and rescue force. And the United Nations has released $10 million in emergency funds.
Also:
Israel – two planes with a field hospital and around 220 emergency personnel.
Cuba – 30 doctors to join staff already operating field hospitals in Haiti.
Columbia, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela also promised help.
The people of the world are generous, too. More than £2 million (approx $3.25 million) has been donated online so far to the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee, which supports numerous organizations including the British Red Cross, Save the Children, and Oxfam. The Canadian Red Cross has also received millions of dollars worth of donations. Relief organizations in every country, on every continent are benefiting from the generosity of their citizens.
So, three cheers for us!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!! But wait, there’s more.
This Sunday, we’re going to beat Mr. Clooney to the punch by having a telethon of our own. One by One Media, WS Radio, and Causemedia Group (Whatgives!? parent company) are joining forces for 24 hours beginning at 6:00pm PST on January 17th to help raise awareness and mo’ money, mo’ money, mo’ money for disaster aid. Jim Turner, leader of One By One Media, will host the Haiti Assistance Relief Telethon (HART). 
Please stay tuned, as the kids used to say. We’ll have updates soon about guests and ways you can give!
By the way, thanks again…
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Tags: American Red Cross, Angelina Jolie, Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, Canadian Red Cross, corporations, Disasters Emergency Committee, donate, George Clooney, Gisele Bundchen, Lance Armstrong, Madonna, Oprah, Sandra Bullock, Ted Turner, telethon, Tyler Perry, Wyclef Jean, Yele Haiti
