To most who call New Orleans home, the reports of untold dead and images of devastation from Haiti reopen deep wounds. Seeing millions of people stranded in a leveled city with no food, water or worse, no way out, was like seeing New Orleanians five years ago.

This has prompted many people to inundate Robert Reed and Kurt Bindewald’s offices with phone calls. It was the number of calls that motivated them to form a task force, Hope for Haiti, to pool everyone’s ideas to provide both immediate and long-term aid to Haiti. ‘I received some calls, Kurt received some calls and we thought it would be better to get everyone who wants to be involved together,’ said Robert Reed, assistant vice president for Student Affairs.

Each caller had a different idea. Some were connected to organizations that could help in the aid effort. Others had ideas to raise money. And many wanted to help the Haitians as volunteers. But according to Bindewald, who is Loyola’s director of university ministry, Haiti is just not ready to take on the burden of housing and feeding volunteers. ‘The most urgent need in Haiti right now is just cash,’ Bindewald said. Loyola is encouraging people wishing to donate to contribute to reputable agencies such as Text for Haiti and Yele Haiti

Earthquake Fund, which are both text-to-donate, non-profit organizations endorsed by Loyola University. Loyola is also endorsing orgaizations like the Red Cross. ‘What we’re trying to do right now is (build) a university-wide fund that will be a significant amount of money to help these particular organizations instead of us sending five dollars here and five dollars there,’ Bindewald said. Yet this shouldn’t discourage students from donating now, he added.

According to Bindewald, LUCAP and University Ministry had been exploring the possibility of hosting an immersion trip to Haiti last year, but the trip was shelved because of political instability in the country. Given the current circumstance, they have begun taking another look at a trip to Haiti, only this time to help in the relief and rebuilding effort. Bindewald said while Haiti is in no condition to receive visitors right now, the university is looking into a long-term partnership with a relief agency in the future.

He added that Loyola would not likely officially sponsor a trip to Haiti involving students before spring break because of safety concerns. But that hasn’t stopped students, faculty and staff from considering it. The Ignacio Volunteers had planned a trip to El Paso, Texas, but are looking into the possibility of turning it into an immersion trip to Haiti. In addition, faculty in the Latin American studies program and University Ministry want to organize trips that would offer immediate relief.

Hope for Haiti’s long-term relief efforts will include a series of benefit concerts, beginning with one orchestrated by associate music and fine arts professor and director of Orchestral Studies John Mont’egrave;s on Feb. 26. Jethro Celestin, a music junior from Haiti, suggested the idea for benefit concerts in spite of his own anguish. When he brought it up to the task force two days after the earthquake, Celestin had yet to hear from his parents.

Celestine was auditioning for an opera in the Communications/Music Complex when the earthquake occurred. Celestine heard about the earthquake after receiving an e-mail from a friend. ‘Then I started calling home. I tried calling for like three or four hours and nothing happened. It was crazy,’ he said.

‘I called my brother (in the Dominican Republic) and asked him if he had talked to them and he said no. It took us until three days after to be able to get in touch with them, but those three days were like hell for me.’ Celestine said his parents had given everything so that he and his brother could go to the best schools.

He said they were his motivation in his studies. ‘But I thought, ‘Man, if my mom and dad died together, there would be no reason for me to go to school anymore.’ I would rather drop out and get a job,’ Celestine said. ‘That’s what I was thinking at the time. Luckily after three days, I heard that they were alive, even though I haven’t talked to them (yet).’

Celestine has not yet spoken to his directly parents, but gets updates from friends and family in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He has not lost any of his family, but he has lost many friends.

‘There is going to be a time when I know that I need to cry, you know. But I’m trying to stay strong,’ Celestine said. ‘I’m trying to figure out how, on my side, I can help, because the country really needs that right now.’

Jean-Paul Arguello can be reached at [email protected]