Minnesota bar members called on to contribute to Haiti relief effort 

Posted: 1:00 am Mon, February 1, 2010
By Patrick Thornton

The images of the death, destruction and devastation from the earthquake that ravaged the country of Haiti last month are impossible to forget. Two legal professional groups in Minnesota are calling on members of the state bar to donate money for relief efforts that will keep the rebuilding going after the television cameras leave.

The Minnesota State Bar Association and the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers recently established a joint relief fund to pool donations that will be sent to organizations doing work in Haiti.

“Members [of the bar] can contribute on their own, but at the same time we wanted to show what we can do collectively. There is strength in numbers,” said Ben Omorogbe, an attorney and member of the fundraising committee. “Time is of the essence. The need will always be there, but the quicker the better. We want to do the best we can while the cameras are still there. We don’t want a situation where people forget what happened.”

The local legal community has a history of stepping up when a major need arises, said Wood Foster, an attorney and member of fundraising committee. The MSBA coordinated donations following Hurricane Katrina, raising more than any other state’s bar for hurricane victims.

Foster has been to Haiti twice and said the earthquake crippled an already crumbling country. The average Haitian lives on about a $1 a day and the life expectancy is under 50 years.

“It’s unimaginable how far this sets a country back that was already the farthest back in the western hemisphere,” he said. “This isn’t going to be solved in one month and it’s not going to be solved in five years. The Haitians have maintained a spirit and resilience, but you can’t do much with resilience when you have epidemic starvation.”

He said the donations are a “life saving mission” because so much is needed. Rescue workers estimate they still need about 250,000 tents for survivors to sleep under, and there are reports of people selling baggies of potable water on the streets.

“Rarely do you have a situation where giving money will save lives in real time,” Foster said. “I think every professional organization in the country should be doing their part to make sure no one misses an opportunity to give.”

To donate to the MSBA/MABL Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund send checks to: MSBA/MABL Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, 600 Nicollet Mall #380, Minneapolis, MN 55402. Make check payable to “Minnesota State Bar Foundation” and write “MSBA/MABL Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund” in the memo section of the check.

Each contributor will receive an acknowledgement email from the MSBA. Donations can be made online.