Helping Haiti

By Chaplain Bob Ganung and Baba Frew

The video created by Blake Joblin '13 for the concert ticket raffle.
Flowplayer
01/29/2010

Many Taft students first became aware of the poverty and challenges that confront the small island nation of Haiti when they read Mountains Beyond Mountains as our all-school summer read in 2007. Author Tracy Kidder came to speak to the school that fall, and described the medical and humanitarian work in Haiti by Dr. Paul Farmer.

So when news of the earthquakes came, students were eager to help. Student leaders from all school clubs and organizations met the day after the earthquake struck to coordinate relief efforts at Taft. The Global Concerns Club and the Volunteer Council are working together to consolidate the many different forms of outreach students  chose to pursue.

  • The Volunteer Council is raffling off five tickets to the Trey Anastasio (Taft '83) concert at the Oakdale Theater on February 13, and so far have raised more than $2,000. (See video above. Tickets were kindly donated by Brad Joblin '73.)
  • Students have had bake sales, and will be having more in the near future.
  • They are collecting toiletries and towels in all of the dormitories.
  • There will be a Coffee House next Saturday, and students will be asked to give a voluntary donation to aid earthquake relief.
  • Students are also planning a music festival in which bands from the surrounding area will participate and from which all proceeds will go to earthquake relief.
  • On February 14, students are participating in an erg-a-thon in Boston, and  are looking for sponsors.  All proceeds will benefit Haitian relief.


THE TAFT SCHOOL  | 110 Woodbury Road | Watertown, Connecticut 06795 | 860-945-7777 | Info@TaftSchool.org