 "Photo: photo courtesy of yahoo.com")
The catastrophic earthquake in Haiti left hundreds of thousands dead, and has left even more Haitians without food and shelter. Of the countless relief efforts that instantly came to aid the devastated country, one has gone largely unrecognized.
Numerous athletes and sporting organizations have established Haiti relief funds in the wake of the disaster that rocked the country. Athletes from all over the world have helped to raise millions for the victims.
Dwayne Wade and Alonzo Mourning established a relief fund that can be accessed through Mourning’s website amcharities.org. Wade, a current star for the Miami Heat and Mourning, a former Heat All-Star, are residents of Miami, which has the largest Haitian population in the United States and lies 90 miles from Haiti.
In addition, Major League Baseball has pledged $1 million to Haiti. Many players are natives of the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti, and for most, the disaster hits home. Veteran shortstop Miguel Tejada flew down to Haiti and volunteered, arranging for water and food to be supplied to the survivors. Tejada is among several major leaguers who are spending their offseason donating their time and money to the massive relief effort.
The National Football League has also made several large donations and has a few players who have been personally affected. One of the most heartfelt is that of Pierre Garcon. Garcon, a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, has family ties in Haiti and has set up a website where people can donate for a relief trip that he has planned after the Super Bowl. His target goal is $200 thousand.
Garcon had 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown in the AFC Championship game against the Jets helping send the Colts to their second Super Bowl in four years. After the game, Garcon, full of emotion, donned a flag of Haiti and spread it out under the Lamar Hunt Trophy, given to the AFC Champions.
Several other sport outlets are displaying ways in which relief efforts can be made. ESPN has an advertisement on their scrolling bottom line urging watchers to donate $10 by texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999.
In times like these it’s an amazing thing to see the sporting world come together to offer relief to the victims of this horrible disaster. Athletes are often put up on a pedestal and sequestered from the rest of society and as a result, we tend to view them in a different light. In the wake of such a tremendous disaster, it’s a beautiful thing to see countless athletes getting their hands dirty and donating their vast resources to such a worthy cause.
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