A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Aug. 14 and impacted over 1.2 million people according to UNICEF. As disaster relief efforts spread across Haiti to help survivors, students are looking for ways to help.

The Community Service Club (CSC) began a fundraiser on Aug. 16 to gather donations for the earthquake survivors in Haiti. Club officials posted an infographic informing students of what kind of donations they were seeking and where to send them.

“We are accepting items, such as medical supplies, general items, such as food, clothes, water, and hygiene products,” club officials wrote in the caption of the post. “All donations will be given to MaDaMe Distribution located in Davie, Florida. If anyone is close by the MaDaMe Distribution, they are accepting donations and you’re welcome to bring your donations to them as well.”

MaDaMe Distribution is an international shipping company that specializes in distribution to Haiti, the Caribbean, and South America.

Students can also drop off donations to the Business and Professional Women’s Scholarship House (BPWSH) which is located behind the University Village Apartments on the Boca Raton campus.

President of the CSC Michaella Louis felt a deep connection to the survivors of the earthquake because she experienced the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

“I remember how devastating it was for many people when that earthquake happened. However, since I was really young, I wasn’t truly able to understand the true pain they were experiencing,” she said.

Louis felt crushed after learning about the recent earthquake and knew she had to do something.

“I just felt like something should be done. As the president of CSC, I spoke with my executive board members and they all thought it would be a really good idea to create this drive,” she said. “The true inspiration is knowing we’re making a difference.”

Louis wants the FAU community to know that donating can help more than just those who were directly affected by the disaster.

“There are people around us who are affected by this earthquake. It may have happened in another country, but many of our peers have families who were badly affected by the earthquake,” she said.

The CSC is partnering with FAU Fanm Kreyol, Neg Kreyol, Inc. at FAU, Konbit Kreyol, and the FAU Caribbean Student Association to further spread the news about the fundraiser.

Donations are being accepted between Aug. 16 and Sept. 16, 2021. To learn more about the fundraiser, check out the CSC Instagram page.

Kendall Little is the Managing Editor for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @klittlewrites.