Community Corner
Give Up Lunch for Lent, Help Rebuild Haiti
Westchester Habitat for Humanity asks people to take small steps to help build 100 homes in the quake-ravaged country.
As Lent begins, many people have vowed to give up some of their vices and bad habits–alcohol, cigarettes, French fries, swearing, procrastinating, to name a few.
Habitat for Humanity of Westchester is asking community members to sacrifice something much simpler–a lunch, a coffee, dinner or a movie–and donate the money you would have spent to Habitat to build houses in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
The No Lunch for Haiti program launched Wednesday and already local organizations and individuals have stepped up to help, said Habitat Westchester executive director Jim Killoran.
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The Port Chester Rotary Club, students from Fordham University and Iona College, elementary school kids and other groups have committed to raise money.
One person walked into the office on Wednesday and wrote a check for $3,500, Killoran said.
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"We're one of the wealthiest counties in the wealthiest country in the world and we should be able to help the poorest country in the Western hemisphere," Killoran said.
The national Habitat for Haiti project has built more than 2,000 homes in the country, with the goal of building 50,000. Killoran said the Westchester Habitat for Haiti hopes to raise $350,000 to build 100 homes. The group has received a $100,000 challenge grant from the Lanza Family Foundation to match every dollar raised.
Killoran said he's not expecting big checks from people, just a few dollars or even spare change, saying those small donations can add up significantly. "If one out of three people in Westchester County gave a dollar, we'd have raised our goal," he said.
Killoran traveled to Port-au-Prince in January with Pastor Pierre and Emmanuelle Ceyeus, both of New Rochelle, to distribute medicine, sift through the rubble and help the injured.
"When I got back, people asked me, 'How was it?'" Killoran said. "How can you answer that? It was horrific." He blogged about the trip and posted pictures on the Westchester Habitat for Humanity Web site.
Killoran plans on organizing several volunteer trips to Haiti, saying there are "a lot of people who want to go."
"There are thousands upon thousands of people living in tents, and we want to turn those into homes before the rainy season," he said.
To make a donation toward the homes, go to www.habitatwc.org or e-mail Haiti@habitatwc.org.
