I recently found out about an interesting fundraising effort for Haiti called C4C or Cooking for a Cause. Staff at the United Nations International School came up with the idea to devote their time to creating fabulous dinner parties for those who are interested. All the money they collect is donated to Haiti relief and reconstruction. Details follow:
C4C (Cooking for a Cause)
United Nations International School Faculty and Staff will cook, serve dinner in your own home.
To raise funds for Haiti UNIS Faculty and Staff has formed a Catering Service whose members will cook on request many types of cuisine, serve and clean up before they leave your home. 100% of proceeds will go to UNIS Haiti Relief Fund . We are committed to help Haiti for a long term. We hope to provide this service for at least one year.
Date and time: Any Saturday from 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Location: Your home
Menu: French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese,Italian and vegetarian cuisine
One appetizer
One main course
One or two side-dishes
Dessert
Price: $100/person
Numbers of guests: 4 to 12
Reservations: One week prior or by Wednesday for Saturday.
Contact: Kimxuan Huynh Brezinsky at kbrezinsky@unis.org
I digress from this month’s forecasting theme because I am devastated by the large-scale destruction in Haiti. I would like to share a different vision of Haiti and to send my best to all those I met over the years. I learned to love Haiti from one of my first best friends in high school. She showed me a vibrant and proud culture of music and mysticism. I grew up seeing the strengths of the Haitian community in New York – indeed, Haitians rank among the more successful immigrant groups in the U.S. Later on, when I was studying for my graduate degree at NYU, my friend helped me to navigate New York’s Haitian community for my International Reporting class.
New York City’s Haitian community is clustered in three main neighborhoods: in Manhattan on 103rd and Amsterdam, in Queens’ Jamaica and Cambria Heights and in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush and Crown Heights areas. In my travels, I met Jack who co-owned, Les Delices, a restuarant in Cambria Heights, and Vioela Caze who worked at Haitian music store, Antilles Mizik Ltd. Vioela was here to study but wanted to return to Haiti where she loved the club scene in Port-au-Prince. She introduced me to traditional Haitian troubadour music and kompa, the music of the new generation. I spent several evenings with the regular attendees of the Haitian American Student Association at NYU, most of whom were studying medicine, and all of whom were mixing Haitian culture into their American lives.
I also met strong advocates for Haiti including Gina Cheron-Merlin, at the time director of National Coalition for Haitian Rights; Kim Ives, who edited and wrote for Haiti Progresfor over twenty years; Gary Pierre-Pierre, founder of the Haitian Times; Farah Tanis who launched Dwa Fanm, a service provider for Haitian victims of domestic and sexual abuse in New York City; and Steeve Coupeau who founded Haiti Advocacy to give a voice to the Haitian community in New York and he told me to show, “We are not just boat people.”
I hope they are all well, and I reach out to them to help get Haiti through a seemingly neverending crisis which escalated in 2008 when hurricanes and tropical storms killed hundreds of people, wiped out Haiti’s food crops and caused nearly a billion dollars in damage. Last year, rising food prices further hurt families. And now the unspeakable losses.
