Gospel Stars Unite to Help Haiti 01/23/2010

Penned by award-winning songwriter/producer Kirk Franklin, “Are You Listening: A Love Song for Haiti” premiered Friday night an hour before Gospel Music Channel’s broadcast of the “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon. The two-hour global telethon featured musical performances and a phone bank manned by celebrities. Proceeds will benefit organizations such as the Red Cross, UNICEF and the Yele Haiti Foundation started by Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean, a telethon co-host.

“All the artists associated with the project donated their talent and gifts for this project,” said Franklin, project producer, in a press release posted on the Verity Gospel Web site.

The Haitian government said 111,481 people were confirmed dead in the 7.0 quake that struck the Caribbean nation on Jan. 12. The quake also displaced more than 600,000 people in and around the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The recording happened while the gospel artists gathered in Nashville last week for the 25th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. The awards program airs nationwide in February. The song will be available on iTunes, in Wal-Mart and other retailers in a few days.

“The words are so incredible. It’s a strong song and it’s for a very needed time. I was honored to be a part of it. That’s the least that we could do is lend our voices and our gifts to help people,” said singer CeCe Winans in a behind-the-scenes video about the project. She said she hopes that the victims know they are not alone. She also wants then to know that “those things we don’t see, He sees. Those voices we don’t hear, God hears.”

Franklin wrote part of the song nearly eight years ago. But he was inspired to finish as he watched quake coverage on CNN while he was in Nashville.

“It’s a song God gave me after 9-11 but by the time I finished it, the timing had passed and I was just never able to marry it to anything,” Franklin said. “But as I watched what was going on in Haiti, the Lord brought it to my attention that it would be perfect. We recorded it as quickly as we can so that we can have it to radio and other outlets with all of the proceeds going to the people of Haiti.”

All of the proceeds from the song go to Haitian relief.

The project features more than 150 participants including Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, Dorinda Clark Cole, Natalie Grant, Fred Hammond, Tamela and David Mann, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, Bishop Paul S. Morton, J. Moss, Smokie Norful, Marvin Sapp, Nicole C. Mullen, and Micah Stampley.

“This initiative is so important because while we are asking America to give we know that many are giving sacrificially. The people of Haiti are very spiritual people with an unwavering faith and belief in God and still count The Lord as the main source and provider,” Franklin said. “We will continue to pray and stand with them. We hope this song will bring much needed support and awareness in an effort to raise funds in the near and long-term future.”

An encore presentation will be shown at 6 p.m. ET today on Gospel Music Channel. To buy the song.

Obamas Visit Red Cross Headquarters 01/18/2010

 

Flickr image courtesy of http://www.redcross.org/

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Monday visited the American Red Cross headquarters, located near the White House in Washington, D.C. The pair toured the Disaster Operation Center, a 24-hour operations command post that coordinates disaster services activities; during large-scale disasters addition DOCs may be available.

During the visit Monday, Obama thanked employees and volunteers, complimenting them service.

The president also sent his first tweet. He hit send “Send” button on a message a media team member typed: “President Obama and the First Lady are here visiting our disaster operation center right now.” The next message: “President Obama pushed the button on the last tweet. It was his first ever tweet!”

Wyclef Defends Haiti Charity 01/17/2010

Haitian-born, Grammy winning Wyclef Jean spoke out Saturday in defense of his foundation, which collected more than $2 million to help victims since a 7.0 magnitude quake hit his country.

He posted a statement and video on online in response to scrutiny of the accounting practices of Yele Haiti, also known as the Wyclef Jean Foundation Inc. Jean arrived in the capital city a day after the temblor Tuesday afternoon. 

Concerns surfaced after the charity collected donations since the quake shattered the Caribbean nation. Since Tuesday, he has appeared on television and appealed online to supporters to text “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5 to his foundation.

On Facebook, as word of the financial scrutiny spread, several of my friends noted that while Jean’s group may not have the longevity and experience with disaster relief as the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders, they didn’t think he was disingenuous.

One friend in Newark, N.J. noted that while Jean’s Yele Haiti’s received media coverage, “there are a few other organizations that are accepting donations for Haitian disaster relief that are directly connected to the people.

“One reputable organization that is directly connected to grassroots organizations in the region is the Haiti Support Project, an organization under the umbrella of the African think tank, Institute of the Black World (21^st Century) founded by Dr. Ron Daniels,”Ali McBride wrote.

“An Associated Press review of tax returns and independent audits provided by Jean’s foundation showed that it was closely intertwined with Jean’s businesses,” according to an AP story.

Jean denounced the allegations and said he’s never profited personally through his work with the charity.

“In fact, I have, time and again, committed significant amounts of my own money to support the work of Yele Haiti and other organizations in support of our efforts over the years,” reads in part Jean’s statement posted on his blog. “More than that, I have spent countless hours, days, months and years of my life committed to the country of Haiti, the people of Haiti and the success of Haiti.”

First lady supports earthquake survivors 01/16/2010

Honoring King by helping Haiti 01/15/2010

“Happy birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What are you doing to honor his memory?” was a friend’s Facebook status update I saw earlier this morning.

Today is the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Monday is the official holiday in honor of the slain civil rights leader whose pastorates included Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. Text, audio and video of King’s most famous speech.

This year’s observance will mark King’s 81st birthday and the 24th anniversary of the national holiday, which is celebrated in some form in more than 100 countries, according to the King Center  in Atlanta.

“The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others,” Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006, said in a message posted on the King Center Web site.

Last year, on the eve of his inauguration, President Barack Obama recognized the holiday as a national day of community service, encouraging Americans to serve then and make an ongoing commitment to service. The call for service persists. One of the best ways to honor King’s quest for justice this year is to help earthquake-shattered Haiti.

 On Tuesday, a magnitude 7.0 quake struck 10 miles outside the capital city. The temblor devastated Port-au-Prince with collapsed buildings and people trapped beneath the rubble. The Red Cross estimates 45,000-50,000 died, but an official death toll isn’t available. Full reports of need and damage assessments are also unavailable. A list of aid groups  working on the ground to provide medical care, access to safe water, shelter, energy supplies. Also, guidelines on how to help Haiti are available by visiting the Center for International Disaster Information and more information is available at InterAction, a coalition of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations serving poor and vulnerable people around the world.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.’ As we prepare to honor Dr. King by serving on his holiday, let’s take those words to heart, and support the people of Haiti in this time of great need,” Nicola Goren, acting chief executive officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service, said in a message posted online Thursday. The Corporation for National and Community Service is coordinating with the State Department, USAID, FEMA, and other agencies as the United States responds to the crisis.

Right now, the Caribbean nation needs immediate assistance, but the quake also forces a re-evaluation of policies allowing many countries to abandon it.