Update on Haiti Auction fundraiser

Jeff Green | Apr 08, 2010

Back in January, Parham's Jerry Ackerman won a trip to the Dominican Republic by purchasing a coffee from the Country Style store in Napanee.

Through a series of events that trip was sold, with the help of the Frontenac News, yielding $2,100 for Haiti relief.

The money was donated to an organization called International Rescue, which also has a local connection. Bill Powers, also of Parham, is one of the volunteers and a vice president of International Rescue. International Rescue is a small group that has developed a particular expertise; they are world renowned for their ability to react quickly and efficiently to major disaster situations.

John Green of Ottawa, the founder and major force behind International Rescue, wrote about one of the things International Rescue did in Haiti earlier this year.

“Have I mentioned the ‘tent story’? It’s a great one. We are working with a Florida based group to facilitate the movement and loading of a former Cirque-du-Soleil tent (currently in Reno Nevada), and their personnel, which will be erected just outside the airport in Port Au Prince. We will likely be loading 2 self-sufficient mobile medical trailers, a Toolcat and supply trailer and the 11 sea containers in which the tent is currently being stored. The cargo vessel bound directly for Port-Au-Prince will deliver these precious materials after 6 days of being at sea. Hopefully the ship will transport me and one other volunteer as well.

Bringing our “Toolcat” and trailer will allow us to travel form hospital-to-hospital and site-to-site autonomously, as well as to be able to perform the digging, lifting and hauling tasks to which we are already committed. The key to effective disaster response is to be able to operate without any assistance. The Toolcat is a multi function, road-worthy front-end loader that is capable of travelling at approximately 30 km/hour through traffic while still carrying over 500 kilograms in the rear box and while pulling a trailer at around 1000 kilograms. It is truly a vehicle made for the purpose of search and rescue.”

The $2,100 that was raised through the auction of Jerry Ackerman's coffee cup paid for one of the medical trailers referred to above.

Again, thanks to Country Style, who bent over backwards to turn a promotional campaign for their coffee into money for Haitian relief.

(Country Style coffee is available at the Kaladar Shell).