The Haitian earthquake is the worst natural disaster to hit the Western Hemesphere in recorded history. As many as 200,000 people are feared dead, with 250,000 injured, and 1.5 2 million homeless.
This Friday, January 22nd at 8pm ET, close to 100 broadcasters across North America will put aside their corporate differences to simulcast Hope For Haiti Now. Canadian broadcasters, will also carry the program, and have joined forces to produce Canada for Haiti, an hour-long pre-show starting @ 7pm ET.
In support of relief efforts, CBC Radio 3 is planning a one-day open-source webathon in support of Haitian quake victims. Throughout the day, we will be urging the Radio 3 community to come together and donate as much as they can to NGOs working in Haiti. But unlike a traditional telethon or radiothon, a webathon is someting everyone can participate in. Don't think of this as a Radio 3 thing, so much as an open source web community thing.
:: If you have a blog, push your readers to get involved. Who cares if you usually write about music, or hi-larious cat videos... take the time today to shift gears and help fight the good fight.
:: If you Tweet or are on Facebook, don't be shy, tell your followers who you've donated to. Every little bit helps. And be sure to use the hashtag #haitiwebathon.
:: CBC has compiled a list of NGO's working in Haiti. We encourage the online community to push people here, or if you have your own NGO you'd like to promote, by all means, please do.
We know this is short notice, but the web was built for speed, flexibility and creativity. Even a single blog post can help keep this disaster fresh in the minds of people who've yet to donate, so don't be afraid to go all PBS fundraising drive on theirs asses.
To help you out, we've created a few graphics. Please feel free to use and spread them around.
Facebook Graphic
Twitter Graphic
300X300 Graphic
500X100 Graphic
See also: Upcoming Benefits In Support of Haitian Relief Efforts
