shipment number three - 60 more beds for Haiti!

While Hurricane Tomas drenched Haiti with sheets of rain and heavy winds on Friday November 5, the 100 Beds team was creating a stir of our own as we prepared our third shipment of beds for our partners in Milot.

Two storage containers full of hospital bed frames and a shipping container at Lexington Health Care Center

The exciting day began with the collection of 60 hospital bed frames generously donated by the Lexington Health Care Center, a Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lexington, Massachusetts. Thanks to the logistical help of Mission and Relief, our team was able to load two 40 foot shipping containers with 60 frames. One container was filled completely with 45 frames and is being shipped directly to Haiti from Massachusetts. A second container was packed with the balance of 15 bed frames, before it was driven to make a second pick up, in New Jersey.

transloading bed frames into the shipping container

Our friends and partners at Medical Angels, an organization that collects medical equipment and caregiver supplies to redistribute them to people and organizations in need, very charitably provided the complimenting 60 hospital bed mattresses. Volunteers from the 100 Beds team connected at the Medical Angels facilities in Hackensack, New Jersey to help load these mattresses and additional medical supplies and equipment into the second container, which will ship to Haiti from New Jersey this week.

volunteers helped load supplies into the shipping container before it was sealed for shipment to Haiti

Thanks to the generous support from Medical Angels, we were ultimately able to send Hôpital Sacré Coeur far more than 60 beds. Our shipment of donated medical supplies included bedside tables, reclining medical chairs, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, diapers, blankets, liquid food & protein drinks, rehydration supplements, gauze, latex gloves, dressings, respirator systems, lancets, orthopedic bandages, catheters, tracheotomy care supplies, anti-diarrheal drugs, vitamins, and batteries.

in addition to 60 beds, our shipment included medical equipment and supplies

Our biggest thanks and utmost appreciation is extended to both the Lexington Health Care Center and to Medical Angels, whose philanthropic donations made this all possible. Likewise, this exciting collaborative effort couldn't have happened without the invaluable logistical guidance from Mission and Relief and the ongoing support and encouragement from the friends and fans of the 100 Beds for Haiti campaign. We thank you so very much for your enduring commitment to supporting Haiti's healthy recovery and look forward to sharing updates with you about the arrival of these beds to Hôpital Sacré Coeur.

some members of the 100 Beds team back in NYC celebrating after the move

If you would like to view more photos from our exciting day, please visit our flickr site here.

updates: many movements!

On the heals of a cholera outbreak that left nearly 450 people dead and more than 6500 hospitalized, Haitians are preparing for the arrival of yet another threatening disaster, Tropical Storm Tomas. Yet not all things headed to Haiti are so ominous! After two months of organizing offers and coordinating partners across the northeast of the US, we are very excited to be updating you from Boston with news that our next donation of beds for Haiti is ready!

Some of us from the 100 Beds team have traveled to help pack up hospital bed frames in Massachusetts. With help from logisticians in Pennsylvania and volunteers from New York, these frames will be matched with mattresses in New Jersey, and then shipped to our partners in the Caribbean on a shipping line from the Mediterranean!

On the eve of our next major shipment of beds to Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Milot, Haiti, we are incredibly grateful for the support and encouragement received from friends and collaborators across the country and around the world. Your financial generosity, and the incredible commitments of volunteers near and far, have made this amazing process possible and it’s really quite moving to see all of these efforts coming together.

It is our hope that everything goes well with our packing and shipping tomorrow, and we look forward to sharing pictures and stories from this next step with you soon. Keep your fingers crossed for us and for our friends and partners in Haiti, with wishes that they weather the upcoming storm, and await our next shipment of beds, with resilience.

Love and Beds in the Time of Cholera

Apologies for the long break from posting, but we wanted to share some developments with everyone who has supported the 100 Beds campaign through an incredible year so far.

Foremost, the recent Cholera outbreak in Haiti continues to to be of grave concern to our partners in Cap-Haitien and Hôpital Sacré-Coeur. CRUDEM and the hospital continue to take in patients, which only reinforces the need to deliver more viable beds. While there has been some good news regarding the veracity of the crisis, there is still a greater danger of the outbreak spreading to the still-reeling populace in Port Au Prince.

So far, 259 Haitians have died, with another 3,300 afflicted. Partners In Health has provided a thorough news round up, here, and official Haitian government and UN statistics are available within the Cholera Situation Update, here.

We at 100 Beds have been collaborating with new partner organizations, including Medical Angels, to help secure more quality beds as well as emergency medical supplies. We continue to reach out to new sources for the next shipment and should have some good news to share very soon. As always, you can donate to the campaign here, and help us BEAT our goal of sending 100 beds to support the continuing recovery of Haiti and her people.

Imagine This: a track and video supporting Haiti

It takes a certain type of person to dedicate their craft to helping educate others and create social change, and the 100 Beds for Haiti Campaign has relied on this type of creative generosity and talent from the very beginning of this project. We are thrilled to share the newest contribution of this type of compassion and talent, from the amazingly talented JGROMMA, a music producer, emcee, and singer living and making music in New York City.

JGROMMA has written and performed Imagine This, an awesome track that he has dedicated to the people of Haiti affected by the January 2010 Earthquake. Touched by the ongoing recovery efforts, JGROMMA will generously donate all proceeds from the sale of Imagine This to the 100 Beds For Haiti Campaign. Please take a moment to hear the track and watch this great video, arranged by Daren McKelvey using photographs from friends of the 100 Beds Campaign.

"Imagine This" by Jgromma from 100BedsForHaiti on Vimeo.

Support our campaign and purchase this track for $1.29 via iTunes or Bandcamp. Stay tuned for more amazing music coming from JGROMMA and learn more about his work on his myspace and facebook pages, follow him on twitter, and catch more of his videos on youtube.

35 More Beds Arrive in Haiti

Our second shipment of 35 beds arrived in Haiti this month, bringing our grand total of delivered beds to 70!

Initially the beds-- a second generous donation from the Bethanien Hospital in Germany -- were scheduled to arrive in July. However, do to the overwhelming traffic of aid and supplies headed into Haiti, our beds were delayed for a few weeks in Caribbean.

And if you are wondering how well the first shipment of beds were received: not long after the beds were installed and patients were transferred into the first shipment of 35 beds, we received word from Jacques Raymond Delnatus, HSC CFO, that patients immediately felt safer and more secure in the new beds. We wish them all the the best in their recoveries!

We are now well within our goal of sending 100 hospital beds to HSC, and through the generous donations of sponsors from our various fundraising events, outreach, and online donations, we should have some pretty exciting news soon! Stay tuned!


Only 30 more beds to go!

breaking records for beds

Great news! The 100 Beds for Haiti campaign and its supporters have set a new world record!!

During our July 16 fundraising event, A Night of Art, Film, Dance and Fun: Raising Funds for a Healthy Haiti 6 Months After the Earthquake, we challenged attendees to help us set a world record with the The Universal Record Database:

Using the neat new product SQUARE, we collected credit card donations via iPhones throughout the evening. The attendees at our Manhattan event donated a total of $401.72 using SQUARE, setting a new record for Most Money Raised Using Square At A Charitable Event!

Thanks for the cool tool, SQUARE, and thanks to all the attendees and donors that helped set this record!

Think you can beat our record? Give it a go, or set your own new record at URDB!

comings and goings

In early July we sent our second shipment of hospital beds to Haiti: the 35 used beds were donated by the generous Bethanien Hospital in Germany and were scheduled to arrive in Haiti in early August.

Much like the delays from traffic jams and winding security lines during the heavy summer travel seasons across the US and Europe these days, our exciting shipment encountered some delay in the Caribbean due to the huge amount of cargo destined for Haiti during the busy summer months.

After three weeks of delay, while our partners at Hôpital Sacré Coeur have continued caring for patients on makeshift cots and temporary beds, we are very happy to announce confirmation that our shipping container has arrived! The precious container was discharged this week in Cap Haitien and the beds will reach the hospital soon.

We hope that all our supporters and fans are enjoying a great summer of smooth sailing and fun travels, and that you will stay tuned for more updates and pictures!

and the thanks continue...

We are still reveling in all the positive feedback from last week's event and wearing big smiles of gratitude towards all of our supporters and collaborators that made this event possible. On behalf of the entire 100 Beds for Haiti campaign and our partners at Hôpital Sacré Coeur, 100 thanks are extended to:

Our fantastic venue and hosts:

Our three beat-slinging and dance-inducing DJs:
Justin Miller, of DFA records
DJ SABO, of Sol*Selectas/Bersa Discos/Mo'Glo' Radio 91.5 FM,

DJ Max Pela, of Afrobeta Bodega/Uhuru Afrika

The great graphic design and photographic talents lent by
TYTHEdesign
Color Me Katie

Excellent sound and visual elements supported by:
Kiss Brooklyn
v.KA$H (888 Life) visuals
Dubspot electronic music production, DJ School
Barry Heyman entertainment law
Daren McKelvey video production

Greg Mailloux

The wonderful friends, artists, and companies that supported our auction and helped create a fantastic ambiance throughout the affair:

the artist Rojmeck
HIMANE/Trashy Chic
The Team at Collective Hands Foundation (CHF)
Nadege Fleurimond of Fleurimond Catering
Kombit Bar & Restaurant
The Universal Record Database (URDB)
Square Up
Happy Faces Party Goods
The Mattress Insider
Facilities Management and Student Affairs at Columbia University Medical Center

Our generous alcohol sponsors and donors:

Bushmills Irish whiskey
Brooklyn Brewery

"Complimentary Bushmills Irish whiskey" - Share Bushmills Responsibly. 21+
"Beer has been lovingly provided by Brooklyn Brewery”

100 Thanks!

A huge thank you to all who helped make our recent fundraising event, A Night of Art, Film, Dance and Fun: Raising Funds for a Healthy Haiti 6 Months After the Earthquake such a tremendous success!

Each one of our generous collaborators, selfless volunteers, supportive donors, and fantastically fun guests, made the Friday, July 16th 'bedefit' an incredibly special event. Between donations collected at the door and the bar, earnings from our impressive silent auction, and online contributions from our website and collected through Square, the 100 Beds for Haiti campaign raised over $8500 to get needed beds to our partners at Hôpital Sacré Coeur!

In the coming days we will post more details on the amazing individuals, organizations, and companies that were critical to making this possible, as well as an update on how your generous contributions are helping bring our campaign goals forward and bring beds to Haiti. For now, please take a moment to relive the awesome affair with these great pictures from the party:

click for even more photos!

100 thanks to each of you who made this possible!

Six Months Later: Haiti's Continuing Recovery

It has been six short months since the disastrous earthquake struck Haiti, leaving unprecedented disaster and trauma for the nation of people who are no strangers to suffering. In an instant, the fragile health care system was shattered and overwhelmed by thousands of injured victims. It will take years, if not decades, to rebuild the country including its hospitals.

Today, on the six-month anniversary of this tragedy, the 100 Beds for Haiti Campaign continues responding to the ongoing need at Haiti’s Hôpital Sacré Coeur, where a shortage of hospital beds is compounding the extreme challenges facing health care professionals and the patients they are treating under the most difficult circumstances.

Together with an amazingly talented group of volunteers, I have dedicated these past six months to sending desperately needed hospital beds to the injured, sick and dying at this hospital: because of your help we have successfully shipped 70 beds to this hospital and we need your help to send 30 more.

Make a donation today and help us get the beds Hôpital Sacré Coeur badly needs.

Today I ask that you remember Haiti’s continuing recovery: please join us at our upcoming fundraising event in New York City this Friday or do your part today by making a secure, online donation right now.

Thank you for your support in helping us reach this vital goal, and on behalf of the patients and medical staff at the Hôpital Sacré Coeur, thank you for helping build a healthier Haiti for years to come.

35 more beds!

As mentioned in our last blog update, we are thrilled by the arrival of the first 35 beds to Hôpital Sacré Coeur and very happy to announce that we have received a second donation of 35 hospital beds from the very generous Bethanien Hospital.

Unlike our first shipment of beds from Germany to Haiti, that saw a freight container pass first from a shipping port in Düsseldorf to a port in Miami, and then unto port in Cap-Haïtien, our second shipment of beds are traveling directly to Haiti! With the help of the Dutch division of Mission & Relief Logistics, the 100 Beds for Haiti Campaign has arranged for door-to-door shipping of these 35 beds through Rotterdam. This process should help us navigate the complexities of freight forwarding through customs and bring the donation of beds to Cap Haïtien by the end of July or the beginning of August.

Freight containers at port in Rotterdam: can you spy our shipment?!

With 35 beds delivered and 35 more on their way, we are so close to reaching our goal of delivering 100 hospital beds to Haiti. In addition to our thankfulness to the Bethanien hospital and our friends in Germany, we are very grateful to all you generous donors that are making this possible. Stay tuned for an update as these beds make their way to Haiti!