You give CASH. I give a LAPtop DANCE. Let me explain.

Brief Explanation:
You donate to Partners In Health, an organization with 20+ years and deep roots in Haiti.
Click here to donate: http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/haitiearthquake/emruth03
I send you a THANK YOU DANCE VIDEO. (I'll even post it to facebook!)
We raise $2,000
People in Haiti get more medical care, you and me get to share our resources and laugh in the process.

Long Explanation

What's going on with you, Emily?
For the past week I’ve been raising funds for Partners in Health. I decided to donate $200 of my Christmas cash to PIH. I thought some friends might want to contribute small amounts to match my donation. They did. Oh boy, they did. As of yesterday, we surpassed the goal by $200! But I've been inspired (see here: http://standwithhaiti.org/haiti/news-entry/our-partners-in-health-cliff-landis-librarian/). The need is great. And PIH/ZL is committed for the long-long-run so the money will always be needed. The new goal? $2,000. I'm giving the final $225 of my Christmas cash (and it hurts... I had great plans for that money.) Will you join me?

Why Partners In Health (PIH/ZL)?
Of course, there are many wonderful aid organizations working well. Thank God for them! I've chosen to support Partners In Health and want to share them with you. Partners In Health (aka Zanmi Lasante in Creole) is medical organization with 20+ years experience in Haiti, and very deep roots. Perhaps you remember Mountains Beyond Mountains, a book about PIH/ZL co-founder Paul Farmer? PIH/ZL is internationally noted for their efficacy and compassionate care. Most of their staff is Haitian (without need of translator, among other things). They have worked closely with the Haitian Ministry of Health in order to help strengthen it. PIH/ZL has been one of the first groups on the scene, Haitian docs treating people out of the rubble of their homes. Now, PIH/ZL is at the center of the coordination of medical aid. On January 16th, the World Health Organization and Haitian government designated PIH/ZL coordinators of the public hospital, Hopital de l' Universite d'Etat d'Haiti (HUEH). Thousands wait inside for surgeries. Tens of thousands wait outside for help as well. PIH/ZL is saving lives as best they can. More than that, though, they are committed to Haiti for the long-haul.

Each dollar you share with PIH/ZL is well-positioned to do good, effective work in Haiti, today and ten years from now.
Click here to check them out for yourself: http://www.standwithhaiti.org

Why Dance?
You know me! I love to dance! And you love to watch me make a fool of myself! I don't want to make light of the immense suffering with dance. But, I want to make it lighter with dance. Picture it: I'm sad, even balling on occasion with grief for those suffering and dying in Haiti. But dancing lifts that heaviness for me. You're sad, perhaps overwhelmed with info, or feeling disconnected. But laughing at me, and maybe even dancing along can lift your heaviness. And of course, more cash for PIH/ZL lifts their burdens and enables them to help more people.

Already Given?
I don't intend to pressure you to give more. I do invite you and hope you feel welcomed and appreciated for what you've already done. But, hey, if you want a personalized dance video, you gotta cough up some cash.

Don't have cash, what can you do?
Stay engaged, follow PIH/ZL through their website.
Read Paul Farmer's suggestions for building back better: http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti/news-entry/building-back-better-op-ed/
Pick up a book about Haitian history and learn its complexities and contexts. Here's one: An Unbroken Agony: Haiti from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President by Randall Robinson.


Now what?
Donate: http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/haitiearthquake/emruth03
Await your foolish dancing. Dancing commences Monday.

Sending lots and lots of love and appreciation!
Emily