Nowhere is that need more apparent than Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Following the devastating earthquake on Jan. 12, Haiti’s already fragile and limited healthcare facilities were destroyed. In response, Project C.U.R.E. mobilized its network of suppliers in order to collect and ship healthcare materials to emergency efforts occurring on the ground.
In an act of assistance, the Colorado School of Public Health sent a team of staff members to the Project C.U.R.E. warehouse to sort through hundreds of pounds of donated materials destined for Haiti.
“Without people like the school of public health coming, there’s no possible way we could do this” says Barbara O. Jacobsen a Project C.U.R.E. Angel Ambassador. According to Jacobsen the warehouse is only fifty percent sorted. And without first sorting and conducting a materials inventory, Project C.U.R.E. cannot ship the donated supplies to the intended destination.
Enter volunteers such as those from the School of Public Health.
“It felt great, it was a good day giving back” reflects Information Technology Director Bob Schell. Shell was one of eleven staff members who spent the afternoon with Project C.U.R.E. The school sent representatives from all areas of administration including IT, education, communication, grants and contracts and public health practice. Each staff member helped to sort, inventory and package donated supplies, all of which will be shipped to Haiti.
“UC Denver Giving Back is a great opportunity to promote volunteering and make a difference in the world,” says Education Assistant Anne Hannaway.
All of participating staff felt the afternoon was well worth their time away from the office, in particular because of the immediate need to send supplies to Haiti. The Colorado School of Public Health encourages others to participate by volunteering or donating items of need to Project C.U.R.E. Learn more at www.projectcure.org.
View photos and video clips of the volunteer efforts online at www.flickr.com/photos/coloradosph and www.youtube.com/coloradosph.