Conn. YPs Gather for Haiti

A group of young professionals gathered last Thursday at a bar in New Canaan, Conn., to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
 
CT4Haiti, a partnership between the Hip Hop Republicans, the young professional networking organization Connecticut Social and the Will Gregory for Congress campaign, organized the event.
 
“We want to help, but it feels so distant,” 24-year-old Bryan Flemming said. “All we can do is make donations and hope for the best.”
 
Another attendee, Nikita Akramovich, 23, said he doubted he or any of his peers would actually go to Haiti and help.
 
“Everyone wants to go, but we can’t do more than just talk about it,” Akramovich said. “I will donate, but I still don’t feel like I’m really contributing.”
 
Getting young people to open their wallets is easy, said Gregory, the 24-year-old candidate for Congress in Connecticut's fourth district.
 
“I can probably say this is the easiest job in the world,” Gregory said. He solicited people for donations in between chatting with them over a drink.
 
The organizers struck a deal with the owner of the bar to have part of the profits from the night go towards AmeriCares, an organization that provides disaster relief around the world.
 
CT4Haiti held a similar event the Saturday before at a bar in Stamford, and raised $100 in the first hour.
 
“Having that first successful event on our resume made it easier to approach other venues,” CT4Haiti organizer Michael McClure said.
 
The group plans to host one or two more similar events. The next one will most likely be in Bridgeport.
 
The event was advertised mainly through social media. The organizers sent out a press release and relied on sites like Facebook and Twitter to quickly spread the word.
 
For some, the more traditional way of raising funds was the event's draw.
 
“I chose not to use my cell phone to make a donation,” Flemming said, referring to a new technology trend that allows people to text a code to a certain cause, and have their donation added to their phone bill. “I trust giving my money more here.”
 
McClure admitted that the events don’t raise “exorbitant” amounts, but the contributions are just one part of a greater effort made by young professionals. Organizer Emily Hoffenberg, for example, has been collecting donations for a local church.
 
“These are all small things, but they will eventually add up,” Hoffenberg said.
 
(Photo of (from left) Organizer Will Gregory, attendee Brendan Kwiatkowski, and organizer Emily Hoffenberg chat during the CT4Haiti fundraiser in New Canaan, CT, Jan. 21.)
 
Know of other young professional groups that are contributing to the relief effort in Haiti? Tell us about it! And check out this post on ways you can help out in Haiti.