Need Help for a Mission Trip

[zoke]

Hey NG. I haven't been on here for a long time, except last week when I had a debug question I posted in Programming. But I need some help. I'm trying to spend my Spring Break down in Haiti to rebuild after the earthquake in 2010 (I can hear yells of "laaaaaaame" already). But the problem is... it's 'spensive. It costs right at $1,800 to fly there, get put up in a lodge for a week, and fly back. And I don't have $1,800. I've just now sent out an email patch to a bunch of my friends, family, family's friends, etc., but I don't know how much money I'll be able to get from that. Probably not $1,800. So, now I ask the generous corps of the Newgrounds general forum... please donate and help. My donation page is here, and please donate as much or as little as you want. If not, there are social network icons inline so you can share it with someone you think might be able to help. I understand that money is tight, and you might not be able to give much, but... please. I'm trying to do this for a good cause, and that relies on people like you who can spare a few dollars to help get me there. Also, I will make a section on the page dedicated to all the NG donors who help me out and donate at least $10. It will be sectioned apart from the other "normal" people donors, and will have a linky to your account page as well as me posting your level, rank, and whistle. I know $10 will buy you a full sixth of Skyrim (minus tax), but I would really appreciate it if you could spare it to help me rebuild peoples' homes in Haiti. I love you all. No homo.

-zoke

(TL,DR: Need money for Haiti trip. Click on the link and give me $10+, and I'll give you accolades and shit.)

[SKHM]

donate money to a privileged white kid or to actual disadvantaged and starving haitians??????

[Playtapus]

I'm loving what you plan on doing, but I have no money to spare. Sorry.

[zoke]

At 1/16/12 09:07 PM, SKHM wrote: donate money to a privileged white kid or to actual disadvantaged and starving haitians??????

If you want to donate straight to Red Cross, of course I won't stop you. I'm just trying to do my part and help.

[Thecraz100]

I'm pretty sure people are either broke or not willing to donate (I just got a $750 snow blower today...)

[WeHaveFreshCookies]

At 1/16/12 09:18 PM, daethdrain wrote: Would 10$ be better spent sending it directly there or for sending a kid over there?
I don't think you should ask here. Ask a bank for a loan and tell them what you're planning to do.

As a person who has done these kinds of trips a couple times, I would like to correct these misconceptions. First, banks don't give loans for that sort of thing. Asking for a loan is out of the question. Donations and digging into your own pocket are the only ways to do it. Secondly, giving money to the OP is just as good as sending to the Red Cross. To the people in Haiti, the money pales in comparison to the fact that a rich, privileged American came to their country to be with THEM.

It may not make sense to you, but it's the truth. A 10 dollar donation to the Haitian family is nice and appreciated. But an American coming to visit and help personally is a monumental experience that fills their life with hope, joy, and a feeling of self worth in an enviorment where people are normally hopeless, miserable, and feel unloved and worthless. What OP is doing is worth JUST as important as sending food money.

I would contribute... But to be honest, I'm headed to the Haiti/Dominican Republic border area myself this summer. It's a pretty bad situation in that area.

[Bit]

Not to try to insult what you're trying to do, but what you're trying to do isn't very cost-effective.

Consider the amount it takes to simply transport yourself to Haiti and find a place to stay. That money would be better used by groups who already have a system in place and transport people there in larger numbers. Also, none of the money will go to actual supplies and you'll be stuck looking for a group to work with once you're there. Taking into consideration that you may not even be in Haiti long enough to get an equivalent amount of work done for the money you spent to get there and it seems as though it's not very cost-effective after all.

Your post is worded as though you're going there alone. If you want to really make a difference, go in a larger group or simply donate your money to a current aid effort. It will go much further.

Only Comrade could pull off what you're trying to do, and only because he has a magical motorcycle.

[zoke]

At 1/16/12 09:31 PM, Stevenscar wrote: Your post is worded as though you're going there alone. If you want to really make a difference, go in a larger group or simply donate your money to a current aid effort. It will go much further.

I'm in a group of a bit under 100, all from my church. Maybe I should have clarified. But I'm not going in alone... I'd be lost as hell. Still need the $1,800 though. No matter what the group size, the cost per person of that is relatively the same. And I'll be going for a week... Through my group, we hope to have a sizable amount of homes rebuilt in that timespan.

Also, I'd like to thank WeHaveFreshCookies for the clarifications to others. This is my first mission trip (outside of the country), so I have no first-hand experience in that regard. Thanks for the comments.