Haiti Needs Our Support!

I’ve been following the desperate situation in Haiti and the news out of there is just heartbreaking.  The Dominican Republic is right next door to Haiti, and while we have no reason to believe any of our friends there were seriously affected by the quake, we have yet to hear anything because of the poor communication infrastructure there.  We know that many of our friends in the Dominican had family in Haiti...we hope that their loved ones are okay.

Tonight at our bimonthly fundraiser at Poleng, we’ll contribute our 10% of the bar tab to Partners in Health.  Giving emergency funds can get kind of sticky, so I was careful to do my research.  The reason why I chose Partners in Health is because they’ve been in Haiti since 1987 providing direct health services.  They know the needs of the community and since they are well-established there, they have already set up a temporary field hospital.  Here is a message from their website:

"A major earthquake centered just 10 miles from Port-au-Prince has devastated sections of the city and knocked out telephone communications throughout the country.



In an urgent email from Port-au-Prince, Louise Ivers, our clinical director in Haiti, appealed for assistance from her colleagues in the Central Plateau: 'Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS... Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us.'

We are still in the midst of collecting information from all our sites in Haiti, and determining how we can best help with the recovery efforts in the areas hardest hit."

If you can’t make it out to Poleng tonight, please consider making a donation to Partners in Health.

Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

FUNdraiser at Poleng Lounge

You never know who you’re going to meet and how awesome those people will be.  This past summer I worked at Starbucks.  The girl who trained me, Rosie, was tough, but she taught me how to make a mean latte!  Anyways, Rosie loves music and is a great DJ.  She decided to try to get a regular gig at a club next door to our Starbucks.  Not only did she and our other co-worker Kellyn get the job, but they also thought of me and Beyond the Block!  They came up with the great idea of getting the club to donate 10% of the proceeds for their DJ night to BTB!  How great is that?

So if you are over 18 and in San Francisco, come join us at Poleng Lounge tonight at 10pm!  Great music, great company, for a great cause. 

The way this whole thing came about makes me think of how much good people can do when they chase their dream in a compassionate way.  Thanks Rosie and Kellyn for thinking of Beyond the Block!  We love you! 

See you there!!!!