A letter to Haiti

I find myself heartbroken, feeling helpless for Haiti. If it was in my power I would pack a bag right now and get down there any way I could. But that's not realistic for me. My wife wrote a beautiful letter on her blog that sums up how my heart feels right now too....
Dear Haiti,

I do not know you well.  I don’t know much of your story.  I’ve never had the chance to visit you and see your beautiful home.  I hear it’s wonderful.  I hear your story is one of heartbreak and struggle to persevere and unity with your family.  I hate that this tragedy has struck you.  I hate that I sit on a soft couch in a warm building, drinking coffee, knowing that as helpful as my money may be, nothing I send you can take away your pain.  I want to take you home with me.  I want to clothe you and feed you, and sing songs to you like I do my own children.  Haiti, I am sorry that the world has ignored your needs for so long.  As awful as this sounds, maybe the beauty from the ashes is that this time, your needs won’t go unnoticed.  Maybe this is the season for the world to step up and face their fear of failure, give away their need for power and control, sacrifice more than seems possible, and open their arms to strangers without calculating the costs first.  Maybe this is the season that the heart will lead and it will not be a hardened heart, but a broken heart, a remorseful heart.  A reconciling heart.

Haiti you have a very amazing creator.  He thinks your special.  He has given you both your inner beauty and outer beauty.  He has given you inner strength, when your outer strength crumbles.  If you don’t know him, you should meet him.  He’ll walk with you through this storm closer than anyone else.

Haiti.  I am sorry.  I wish I could do more.  Someday I will come meet you and I hope we will be good friends.
I support an organization called One Day's Wages. Each year I commit to donating a % of earnings to them. With the recent events they have already setup an Emergency Haiti Relief Fund where you can go and donate to help relief efforts. If all we can do right now is help fund the efforts that more then just sitting still. If you haven't already and can, give. If you can't then keep yourself informed of what is happening over there on a day to day basis. We all have a voice and can all make a difference in our own way.

Maybe as a photography community we could all pick a date this year and donate all proceeds to help. Who's in for a"Your Wedding for Haiti" program?

Corey

Welcome One Days Wages

I am proud to write about an amazing organization that launched today. Eugene & Minhee, who founded this organization are really good friends of ours. I'm excited about what they're doing & even more excited about partnering with them on many levels. Below's a note from Eugene about the launch. Please take the time to read it and also take part in the fight.
One Day's Wages - an international grassroots movement dedicated to ending extreme global poverty.  We are certainly not the first and thankfully, not the last...

Here are 5 simple ways you can help:

1.  Visit the website - onedayswages.org and create an account.
2.  Make a donation. Calculate your day's wages on the website or make another donation. You can choose to invest in one of the organizations/projects highlighted on the website. 100% of your donations (minus transaction costs) go directly to these projects.

3.  Be a FAN on Facebook: facebook.com/onedayswages
4.  Spread the word. Use the tools on our website (like Twitter) to spread the movement with your friends and network.
5.  Forward this email.

The numbers regarding extreme global poverty are overwhelming but there is some good news. There are already individuals and organizations around the world doing amazing work to fight extreme global poverty. We're not trying to re-invent the wheel but rather to collaborate and partner with others and inviting you to join this movement dedicated to ending extreme global poverty.

We know that the issues are very complex but it’s also very simple:  It shouldn’t be this way and doesn’t have to be this way. In our lifetime, we can end extreme global poverty.
As I write this I think about the cup of coffee next to me and how much it costs. What's disturbing about it is that we don't think about what a cup of coffee costs us, we need it in the morning to get going. At least I have something to get going for right? Please take the time to spread the word and join the fight. You won't regret it.

Corey

PS: If you want a good cup of coffee go to the Q Café, they give 10% back to outside causes.