Over $5,000 raised for "Pour for Haiti"

Approximately 250 members of AU's diverse community attended the Foundry Guild's “Pour for Haiti” fundraiser at the National Casting Center at Alfred University Feb. 6, raising over $5,000 for a student-run Haitian earthquake relief fund.

“I was really impressed with how many people showed up," student Chelsea Bouffard said in response to the success of "Pour for Haiti." "It was really nice to see an idea turn into something so magnificent!”

The magnitude 7 earthquake broke foundations and rattled Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince down to rubble. Over 200,000 people were reportedly killed, although that number is now being questioned, and some 300,000 were injured. Over a month later, one-ninth of Haiti’s population of 9 million citizens remain displaced, residing in makeshift tents roofed by anything from cloth sheets to corrugated zinc.

For bachelor of fine arts student Walner Edmond, the earthquake in Haiti had personal repercussions, as he only recently was notified of his father’s survival through the quake. The 65-year old Thermolien Edmond, resident of Port-au-Prince, is amongst the many who have taken refuge in the city’s shattered streets.

Edmond also learned that a cousin, though injured, is still alive. Although Haiti has received millions of donations from around the globe, conditions remain bleak as food is scarce and medical aid proves to be inadequate.

Immediately, faculty, staff and students at AU took initiative to aid Walner Edmond, any of his remaining family members and the survivors of Haiti’s quake. The effort culminated in last Saturday's “Pour for Haiti.”

During the event, 100 scratch blocks were sold, scratched and poured with aluminum to create risen designs in squares of aluminum and were sold for $10 per mold. As molds were poured, a silent auction of over 100 donated art pieces, some of which Edmond contributed, took place.

The "Pour for Haiti" sold out of pulled pork and venison chili within the first hour. The event's affectionately dubbed “Guild Cheeses” were available for the entire duration, and 108 total were consumed.

A slide show completed the event, reeling images of the Jan. 12 earthquake and information about Haitian earthquake relief foundations. DJ Morehouse, who arrived with bubbles and a disco ball, performed for the entire six hours of the event.

Of the $5,000 that were raised, half will be donated directly to Edmond and his effort to help his family. The remaining $2,500 will be donated to Doctors Without Borders, the organization deemed most relevant to the project’s cause.

For more information on AU earthquake relief efforts, refer to “Hearts out to Haiti” published in the Feb. 1 edition of the Fiat Lux.