LC Meridian

Issue date: 2/1/10 Section: News

With only a day's notice the brightest minds at Lehman met to answer the call for help in the wake of Haiti's earthquake. The heads of many clubs along with the student Government hosted a meeting to solve and ease the rebuilding of Haiti. Lehman along with all of CUNY is racing to raise donations, and supplies, anything that would help during such troubled times.

A student at Lehman says it was the worst week of his life. After the earthquake, he lost contact with an uncle who raised him. "I was home and it was everywhere. I couldn't open my eyes without seeing what happened. I was so scared I couldn't think."

All he could do was watch helplessly as pictures and footage of his devastated homeland filled everything around him. He is happy to report that his uncle was one of the survivors. "I was so happy. My mother hugged me so tight when we found out. We cried for a long time. Everything was destroyed. There still so much damage."

Lehman's Caribbean Student Association is working with the Kreyol Student Club. Shinelle Wright, President of CSA says, "We are working to raise a Caribbean relief fund. Seventy five percent of it is going to help Haiti. Hurricane season is coming and other Caribbean countries will need help so we will try to support every country that gets hit, but most of the proceeds will go to Haiti to help in any way they need."

Lehman has started a Lehman College Haitian Relief Fund. In a recent email, Joseph Magdaleno, Vice President of Student Affairs, gives step-by-step instructions on how students can help and where they can go to assist. There are events being hosted on campus such as a benefit concert and a candlelight vigil on February 24th coordinated by "Lehman Sauvé Ayiti," a collaborative group of forty five students, staff and faculty who have joined forces to create HAWK (Haiti Aid Week). During the week of February 22 to 26, collections will be made at different location across the campus, which include Student Life Building room 222, Shuster Hall room 208, and cash contributions can be given in the Bursas Office. Any and all contributions will ease every step of the Haiti reconstruction. Amanda Dubois, Coordinator of the Office of Community Service is serving as the coordinator for the Haitian relief efforts and will provide additional information. Her office is in Shuster Hall room 208.

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