Project Haiti Raises $5,000

Project Haiti made $462 for an event that cost them nothing to run over Presidents’ Day Weekend. With the money from the Haiti Benefit Concert and Cultural Celebration, Project Haiti has now raised $5,000, which is half of the $10,000 goal which it hopes to raise by the end of the academic year.

Katie McCann ’12 and Katie Tripp ’12, representatives from Project Haiti’s fundraising committee, contacted various musical groups to perform at the Hope for Haiti Benefit Concert held at McPhail’s on Saturday, Feb. 13. Despite the long weekend break, Valentine’s Day, and 110 Nights, McCann and Tripp were surprised to see over 100 people attend the event.

"People filtered in and out all night," Tripp said.

McCann agreed that the group of people who showed up to support was consistent throughout the night.

McCann and Tripp said that McPhail’s and Todd Incantalupo, associate director of the SAIL Office, were major contributors in terms of booking a venue for the benefit concert in order to raise money for their Project Haiti account.

"It was the only open night in sight, so we grabbed it," Tripp said.

McPhail’s is usually booked on weekend nights throughout the academic year. Luckily, McCann and Tripp booked the event through Incantalupo, who had McPhail’s fund the band to perform on that night. According to McCann and Tripp, McPhail’s normally pays for bands like Taste to perform on weekend nights, and was willing to support Project Haiti’s initiative.

The opening act for Taste was student group Cub, who McCann described as having a "steady following." Cub contacted McCann and Tripp on Facebook and asked if they could donate their performance to the benefit concert, while Taste was sought out by Project Haiti members.

"We have a good use of connections," Tripp stated. Many members of Project Haiti donated their time and services to the benefit concert that night, McCann and Tripp said.

McCann and Tripp are Resident Assistants who are members of various clubs at Providence College. McCann is involved in Amnesty International and Stop Hunger, while Tripp is a member of Student Congress. They approached club members and fellow Resident Assistants and encouraged them to fund or attend the Hope for Haiti Benefit Concert. Student Congress, the Feinstein Institute, and the Global Studies program agreed to co-sponsor the event, while fellow RA Meaghan Schlosstein ’11 sent out letters to various vendors.

McCann and Tripp received donations from the Providence College Bookstore, PC Department of Athletics, Big Tony’s Pizza, Café Four Twelve, Salon 88, SAIL, and Narragansett Brewing Co. Donations from these vendors were offered off to those who purchased raffle tickets and won a drawing that night. McPhail’s paraphernalia, gift cards for Jazzman’s Café and a basketball signed by members of the male Friars basketball team were also raffle prizes.

"We never had to ask twice," Tripp said, in terms of finding people to donate and help out with the cause. Food for the event was sold for $2 a plate and was donated by Chou Koun’s, a Creole Restaurant in Providence. They also sold hemp bracelets with red and white beads to students for a profit of one or two dollars.

McCann and Tripp described Project Haiti as an "organized effort" with "delegated responsibilities." Both parties are a part of the fundraising committee.

"We took on the McPhail’s initiative together," said McCann.

Their involvement in Project Haiti has brought McCann and Tripp closer together. They have been overwhelmed by the support that Project Haiti has received from the student body thus far. They both joined the group because they believe there is a dire need to make a difference in the lives of people in Haiti and both view their involvement in fundraising as an ongoing initiative.

"We want people to get involved, not just by texting money in, which is a great start," McCann said.

Project Haiti has been collecting money weekly from donation jars that Incantalupo leaves out for students at McPhail’s. Donation jars can also be found at the registers of Alumni Hall Food Court in Slavin. Along with spare change, "there’s been some bills," Tripp stated. Several student organizations on campus are also collecting change to donate to Project Haiti through the program called Penny Wars.