How can I help in Haiti?

[Jude]

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hcJ474CjaJGOUznskl4ZgTHdpxUAD8UFQVR00

I saw this on the news and decided that if I didn't do something, I was a horrible person. I don't know why I picked this one, it just affected my in a way that nothing ever has before. So I need some ideas on how to help.

[blackstone]

Do you go to college?If so there is probably a Hatian Student Association there(hopefully), if so link up with them. If you don't goto a college, find a nearby college with a HSA.

[Jude]

I'm a junior in High School. I was thinking about lobbying for money or maybe for the UN to to start building hospitals, farms, and such in Haiti.

Also, I was wondering the practicality of starting a fund.

Would it be out of the question to get corporate sponsorship? I don't agree with giving companies a reason to gloat about their charitable exploits, but i would rather do that than let people be forced to eat the same stuff that they walk on.

[Jude]

I have a petition up and running. I figure the sooner I get it started the better, and if I end up not lobbying, then it never hurt getting people to support what I am doing. The URL is http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/dirtcookies. Please sign it, put it in your signatures on this and other forums, email it to people, put it on your facebook, myspace, whatever you can do to get it around. Once I get a significant amount of people, I will start sending it and other information to the UN and US government officials. Please don't start criticizing me for using the government for this, I don't care how it gets done, as long as no one gets hurt in the process and these Haitians don't have to sicken themselves eating dirt and clay.

[blackstone]

You will need a non profit organization in order to collect donations or solicit funds from people and corporations. Do you have one or prepared to run one?

Supporting Haiti doesn't have to be your starting your own initiative. I'm pretty sure there's alot of other NGOs or groups that are doing the same thing you want to do. You need to search and link up with them and their campaigns. It will save you alot of trouble and prevent you from quitting before anything gets accomplished.

[Jude]

I'll look into the whole NPO thing, but right now, I'm starting with Lobbying. If I don't get results on my petition within 2 or 3 weeks, I will drop that and begin looking into the whole non-profit organization thing. Thanks for your help so far, and I'll appreciate any further help from you or anyone else. The easiest of which would be to sign the petition and advertise it on social networking sites, forums, and by forwarding it in a few emails.