DELIVERING HAPPINESS AS WELL AS HEALTH TO HAITI
2010: Medical supplies and personnel
Immediately after the earthquake in 2010, we orchestrated a series of spectacularly successful missions to bring medical professionals and healthcare supplies into the country. In addition to providing medical supplies, Project C.U.R.E. also introduced us to its associates at Partners in Health, who organized medical teams to be transported into and out of Haiti.
The shock and horror of what was happening also resonated clearly with many industry partners. Rock It Cargo donated a plane as well as the crew to fly it. APR Energy donated the money to fuel the aircraft, plus trucks and personnel on the ground in Port Au Prince to assure direct and safe delivery of supplies to University Hospital. Upstaging and ShoMotion donated the trucking and labor to move medical supplies from various warehouses around the US to Miami. Diversified Production Services donated crew to load the plane in Miami. Individual roadies paid their own way to get to Miami to handle freight.
Altogether we were able to fly four relief flights to Haiti, moving over 150 doctors, nurses, and emergency personnel in and out of Port Au Prince while delivering more than 50 thousand pounds of medical supplies (worth over $2 million) to people in need.
Haiti
2011: One World futbols
Charlie Hernandez connected with Tim Jahnigen and the One World Futbol Project in 2011 through performing artist Sting, who was an early fan of Jahnigen’s organization.
The One World futbol (soccer ball) impressed Charlie. He watched Sting secretly test the prototype futbol by running it over with a loaded semi-truck; Charlie's wife then incredulously double-checked its damage immunity by stabbing it with a knife. The ball still bounced.
We subsequently decided to incorporate purchased futbols into our deliveries to disaster areas, refugee camps, and generally impoverished areas around the world. It’s easy to forget that in disaster, people need some semblance of the familiar and joyful as well as medicine and supplies. Now we have that covered too.
Haiti
Background
Our involvement in Haiti started back in 2010. When the earthquake hit in January of that year, the devastation felt so close to home that we couldn't look away. Haiti is a neighbor, at only 600 miles from the United States coast.
Partners
Thank you to APR Energy, Diversified Production Services, Project C.U.R.E., Partners in Health, Rock-It Cargo, Shomotion, and Upstaging.