Relief Effort -- Great News Out of Haiti this Morning!

The supplies just reached the creche and are already unloaded and being put to use. Thank you to all who donated, everyone who helped load the plane and to Alecia for making the trip to Haiti with the supplies. Pictures will be coming! The children in the village and the orphanage are grateful for your generosity.

Relief Trip Update

Plane landed, trucks loaded and inspected and they are now en route (as of 8:00pm EST) to the border town of Jimani. Alecia Settle is with the trucks. The trucks will be driving all night to reach the border crossing when it opens at 5 a.m. and then onto the creche! Alecia will then travel back to the Dominican and home. This was an incredible effort, please keep the Alecia and the donations in your prayers as they make this last leg of their journey.

Packing!!

An entire day of packing and 7200 pounds later the cargo is scheduled to go on the plane tomorrow headed for the Dominican and on to Haiti. Alecia is hoping to travel on take photos all the way to the creche for delivery.

A big shout out to Ann McGregor, her sister Kim, and her Sage Room Middle School Students for all fo their hard work and help today, we couldn't have finished without them tonight.

Thanks to Beth, Jim, Alecia, Marvin and Kathi for all of your hard work!!

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping

Chances for Children's team in Miami spent all day shopping to fill the cargo plane heading for the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.

The repackaging effort starts tomorrow with the help of high school students from Orlando. Items will be broken down and placed in manageable size boxes and then stacked and wrapped on pallets!

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far.

More information on additional projects will be coming up as soon as we are back from Miami! Many thanks to the team on the ground here, Jim and Beth Peifer, Marvin List, Ann McGregor and her high school team, and our one of our founders Kathi Juntunen!

Hoping to post again tomorrow the repacking efforts!

April

Remember, you can continue to donate thru:

www.chances4children.com

THANK YOU!!!

Chances For Children Team Departing Sunday

The Chances for Children Team, founder Kathi Juntunen and three adoptive families, are departing on Sunday to Miami to purchase and load 8000 pounds of supplies heading directly for Creche Enfant de Jesus in Haiti. The team are all donating their time and expenses to fill the cargo. If you would like to donate money to help fill the plane, please click the following link to donate online:

http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/contribute/

Or send your check or money order to:

Chances for Children
20343 North Hayden Road
Suite 105-114
Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Thank you!!

Donations Still Needed for Immediate Relief

Donations are still needed to help fill the cargo space going to Haiti this week. Please visit our site where you can donate by credit card (you will receive a receipt for your taxes):

http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/contribute/

or your may send a check directly to:

Chances for Children
20343 North Hayden Road
Suite 105-114
Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Update from Chances for Children Founders

Earthquake Relief Efforts UPDATE 1/20

As you may have heard there was another 6.0 aftershock in Haiti today. Again, all of our children and staff are safe and secure. They have received enough food, water and supplies to sustain them for another 10 days. So much has happened since the last update and I will try to provide as much information as possible in this quick update:

The orphanage has received visas for 15 children who are now ready to come into the United States to be with their adoptive families. We are currently in a frenzy trying to coordinate these efforts so that all of our children can travel together with the orphanage director and some adults.

Most orphanages are having to send their children in mass on military planes and then alert their adoptive families at the last minute urging them to fly into Florida on 4 hours notice. This is not how we wish to start the transition for either our children or their parents. So we have planes (or a plane – still a work in progress) ready to fly to PAP on Thursday to bring these children home. Please keep these children and their families in your thoughts and prayers!

Here is an update on our Relief Efforts

We have increased our cargo load to 8,000 pounds. A team is heading to Miami on Monday to purchase supplies and begin loading. One of our adoptive parents collected over 1,000 pounds of formula and food and will be sending that to our warehouse as well. Nourish the Children is also donating 1,500 pounds of protein packaged meals which will be very valuable to children in the village. Over $3,000 in prescription medicines will be on our planes. If you have any interest in helping us pack boxes in Miami please contact our Team Coordinator, April at aprilrconnors@gmail.com

Future of Adoptions

Many of you have contacted us about pursuing adoptions or foster care for children in Haiti. At this point we have to ask that you patiently wait until we can handle our immediate needs – getting our 15 children already in the adoption process home, and getting supplies to the people in Haiti. Once we have accomplished these two goals, we will begin to prepare a plan along with JCICS to help determine how to best serve the needs of the children abandoned from this disaster.

Update on Statistics in Haiti from U.S. Aid Organizations:

Haitians are leaving Port-au-Prince and setting up refugee camps outside the city.

Fifty thousand bodies have already been accounted for and the Haitian government expects an additional 100,000 to 200,000. An absolute number will never be known.

Lack of fuel is a major concern.

Civil unrest is escalating.

Fifteen hundred search and rescue personnel with 115 cadaver dogs continue search and rescue efforts.

One million people have been rendered homeless in the Port-au-Prince region.

We ask that you continue to support our neighbors in Haiti and keep them in your thoughts and prayers. If you know someone who hasn’t yet donated to assist in the relief efforts, encourage them to do so either through our efforts or by donating to one of the other charities providing assistance within the country. As a reminder here is a link to our earthquake relief campaign and our website.

http://chances4childrendonations.blogspot.com/

http://www.chances4children.org

Once again, thank you for your support.

Kathi and Craig Juntunen

Plane Set to Depart Miami on 1/27/2010

Thank you to everyone that has donated so far, donations are still needed to support filling the cargo plane to Haiti on January 27, 2010. Please remember that no donation is too small, $10 will buy a can of Costco formula and $5 will buy numerous bars of soap. If you can give, please consider donating to the new children at the orphanage and the new children that will be coming thru the orphanage's doors.

TO DONATE:

http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/contribute/

One of the founders of Chances for Children, and a group of past adoptive families from Haiti will be travelling to Miami on Monday to shop for supplies and purchase the most needed items for the orphanage. On January 27, 2010 that same group of volunteers will be loading the donations onto the cargo plane which will land in the Dominican Republic where the supplies will be airlifted by helicopter to the orphanage in Lamardelle.

While in Miami we will be looking for warehouse space so that we can start an "in-kind" donation drive. As soon as we have a location and point of contact for those of you wishing to send supplies to the first container we have available to the orphanage we will let you know!

CARGO PLANES FOUND - FINANCIAL DONATIONS STILL NEEDED

TO DONATE: http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/contribute/

Earthquake Relief Efforts - Update 1/18

***As soon as information is available on where to send supplies the blog will be updated***

In a week filled with devastation, despair, sadness and frustration there were a few hours of hope! Hope – when so many in our community donated so much, hope when friends worked tirelessly on our behalf to help locate air cargo space and RELIEF when today a plane was not only confirmed but donated.

Chances for Children is forever grateful to Ray Croghan, a C4C Board Member, who made it all come together with his time and monetary donation. In addition, we are grateful to Robert Sarver, who directed the The Phoenix Suns Charities to make a large donation allowing us to helicopter our supplies directly to Lamerdelle. And finally a HUGE thank you to all of you – if you are receiving this email, you helped to achieve our goal of delivering over 5,000 pounds of supplies to our team in Haiti. We have received so much and we are so grateful.

Here is an update on our Relief Efforts

Early this week a supply of food, water purification tablets and formula will arrive in Haiti to provide enough food and clean drinking water for the next few weeks.

The U.S. Embassy has also distributed water and milk to the village of Lamerdelle.
The week of January 25th Chances for Children will fly 5,000 pounds of supplies destined for Haiti. This food, water, formula, medicine and supplies will last for at least 4 months. Our next step after this will to begin collecting in-kind donations and prepare a container to ship to Haiti once the ports are open.

Finally, as it relates to adoptions in process, there is also some potential good news on the horizon. JCICS is working with the U.S. government to encourage our government to expedite the processing of all adoptions in process. Craig will be flying to Washington DC this week to meet with congress people and to bring this situation to the media’s attention. Let’s all work together to encourage our congress people to focus their efforts on making this happen.

And finally, the grim reality in Haiti - supplies are finally coming into the country, but it’s still a long ways from providing the water, food and medicine that is needed. Our team in Haiti reports that approximately 3 million Haitians have been affected by this tragedy. The situation at the airport is deteriorating and reports state that unloading supplies can be dangerous. Many roads are impassable, there is still no water, power or phone service – although some satellite phones are working. The country is low on fuel and propane so generators that produce power may also stop functioning. At the orphanage in Lamerdelle we have lost generator capacity. Our water source has been contaminated and the only method of cooing for us is now over open flame. And this is just our story – multiply this by 3 million. Buildings are in ruins, debris and bodies still line the streets and there are thousands of people without food, water, shelter or medical treatment.

The road to a stable environment is still very steep and littered with obstacles.
We ask that you continue to support our neighbors in Haiti and keep them in your thoughts and prayers. If you know someone who hasn’t yet donated to assist in the relief efforts, encourage them to do so either through our efforts or by donating to one of the other charities providing assistance within the country. As a reminder here is a link to our earthquake relief campaign and our website.

http://chances4childrendonations.blogspot.com/
http://www.chances4children.org/

Thank you for all you have done to help the children in Haiti.

Kathi and Craig Juntunen

TRANSPORTATION HELP NEEDED

We are still in need of financial donations:

http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/contribute/

***IMPORTANT UPDATE***

Chances for Children continues to look for air cargo space, but also looking for helicopter contacts to fly between Dominican Republic and Haiti. Anyone?

Donation Flyer

***UPDATE 1/16/2010***

To Donate: http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/contribute/

We are only focusing on monetary donations at this time to purchase supplies to fill air cargo space. If you are collecting supplies (THANK YOU, THANK YOU), we ask that you hold them until we have further instructions for you of where to ship them to. If you are purchasing supplies please consider these basic items, MOST URGENT ---Kirkland or Enfamil Infant Formula, Rice, Beans, Tuna Pouches (cans are too heavy), Top Ramen, Beef Jerky, Soap (they prefer Ivory), Medicines - Infant and Children's Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen - Pepto Bismal, and disposable diapers. If you have access to prescription medication please see the left hand side of this blog. Thank you all for all of the donations that are coming in, your help is TRULY amazing and appreciated!!!

Below is a flyer that explains the immediate financial needs of Creche Enfant de Jesus, the orphanage is left with less than a week's supply of food, water and formula.

An additional flyer for supplies will be coming in the next 24-48 hours. Please keep in mind, if you or your organization is gathering supplies they will need to be shipped at a moment's notice to make a last minute airline deadline.

Please feel free to link this blog to any of your social networks as well as forwarding this flyer on to anyone you feel can help. This is a desperate situation and your help is more than appreciated!

Earthquake Relief - URGENT HELP NEEDED

URGENT HELP NEEDED

UPDATE: IF YOU HAVE ANY CONNECTIONS WITH EITHER AIR FRANCE, AMERICAN AIRLINES, OR JET BLUE FOR CARGO SPACE, PLEASE CONTACT - VIVIAN AGUILERA AT vivian@chances4children.org

Chances for Children is frantically working on air cargo space to Haiti to help our orphanages. According to the Orphanage Director in Haiti they are down to a one week supply of food, formula and other needed supplies.

A list should be coming within the next 24-48 hours of items that may be mailed expedited to a specific location where the airplane will be departing from.

Timing will be critical on this drive.

The easiest way to donate at this time is the thru Chances for Children's website. Any denomination is truly appreciated! Chances for Children is a 501(c)(3) organization and you will receive a tax deductible receipt for your donation.

A representative from Chances for Children will purchase needed supplies to fill the airline bins. You can easily do this by following the link below:

http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/contribute/

On the left side of the screen you are given three choices:

Immediate Earthquake Relief
Rebuilding Efforts
General Donations

We desperately need your help. Please pass a link to this blog on to all friends, family or link to twitter and facebook.

*all photos courtesy of Gwenn Mangine, an C4C adoptive mother who resides in Haiti with her family providing missionary work.

Message from Chances for Children Founders

Earthquake Relief EffortsWe must start by thanking all of you for your unfailing support. Your generosity and passion for our work is heartwarming. In the first 48 hours we directed most donation inquiries to both the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders to assist both of these organizations working on the ground in Haiti to provide life-saving relief and supplies. Many of you gave generously to these organizations and we are deeply grateful.

As you know from watching the coverage of the events in Haiti – the destruction is unfathomable. We have had email correspondence with our partner organization, Foundation Enfant Jesus and they are overwhelmed by the destruction and death they have seen in PAP. Many staff members have lost family and as you know the downtown office is only partially standing. All of the children under C4C/FEJ care are being well taken care of and are safe. However, the aftershocks are so strong that everyone is afraid to sleep indoors – there is no power, no water, no phone service and getting anywhere is difficult and treacherous.

There are many organizations already on the ground and many others who are working to get volunteers and supplies into Haiti. These efforts are critical and the first step in stopping more deaths and the spread of disease - we encourage our Chances for Children community to continue to support their efforts. Most relief organizations will be focused solely on Port au Prince - the most devastated area. But there is also a huge and growing problem in the outlying villages and this is why we are asking for your help.

As you may know, in late November, Chances for Children (through donations from all of you) filled a container valued at over $14,000.00 with food, supplies, medicines and other critical items for our team in Haiti. This container was to provide FEJ with food for 6 months. Unfortunately, the container arrived in Haiti sometime before Christmas and with the holidays and the lengthy custom process - the contents did not make it to the orphanage before the earthquake. Due to the instability in Haiti, the complete shutdown of all government processes since the earthquake, and looting that is occurring - we no longer know if our supply of food and medicine is secure. Our partners reached us last night to let us know they have only one week’s worth of food left for the children at the crèche and the village school. This is where we need your help. We are in the process of securing air cargo space (either donated or reduced) so that we can load tubs of food and supplies to send to Haiti. The timing of this is very critical and we will need to be able to mobilize these supplies in a moments notice. For this reason, we are asking for anyone who wishes to assist in our specific efforts to make monetary donations. Chances 4 Children will then purchase the needed supplies when we know when and where the flight will be originating from. For those of you who would prefer to make in-kind donations of food and formula we ask that you collect these donations and they will be sent down at a later date via a shipping container. Both of these links will provide you with the donation information:

http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/contribute/

http://chances4childrendonations.blogspot.com/

We have a long road ahead of us in Haiti. When we began our planning for 2010 we were confident that we would begin the implementation of some additional community service programs, knowing that things were starting to stabilize. All that has changed. There is no stability in Haiti – there is only instability. There is no hope for new programs this year - our only hope is to provide food, shelter and services to the many children who will be abandoned due to this catastrophic event. Again, please continue to support our neighbors in Haiti and keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

We are very grateful for your support. Thank you for allowing us to continue helping the children in Haiti.Kathi and Craig Juntunen