For the past week the world has been shocked by the images of suffering and destruction left in the aftermath of the earthquake that has devastated Haiti – this already poorest of poor countries.
The numbers being tagged to the horrific scenes are staggering: 1.5 million homeless, dead bodies lining the streets, over half a million children on the island are orphans and unnumbered masses are injured and suffering with minimal to no medical treatment of any kind.
As we watch the media reports, many of us struggle to find something we can do to help. Texting the Red Cross to donate $10 is the most genius use of technology yet. But can one person really make a difference in the face of such an immense need?
To the surprise of few who know him, Mike Wnek, Palm Harbor Homes’s own Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Plant City, Florida, needed about 3 seconds to ask, answer and act on that question. Mike has had an ongoing relationship with Haiti for a number of years through an orphanage he has helped build and support there. His immediate response was simply a continuation of his habitual acts of care and concern for a people who fight poverty every moment of their lives.
In typical Mike Wnek fashion, he went to work as only he can. Within days of the earthquake, Mike had gathered funds from his own First United Methodist Church of Auburndale, Florida, gotten himself to the island, teamed with other religious and Haitian volunteers, “negotiated” the discounted rental of a flat bed truck in the nearby Dominican Republic and persuaded local merchants to donate or drastically discount food, water, clothes and more for the homeless and hurting Haitians he had determined to reach.
Then, with a group of volunteers from Calvary Chapel and a few Haitian natives, this small convoy of hope painstakingly negotiated through the rubble-strewn roads with Mike standing in the back of the flat-bed truck caked in dry red dust. Finally, they reached their destination before most other government or national aid societies had been able to mobilize any type of help whatsoever, and began handing out their desperately needed water, orange juice, clothes and other supplies to the stunned and dazed survivors.
From tampabay.com - (01/18/2010 PETIONVILLE, HAITI) Mike Wnek of Auburndale stops to pray for XXXX, 38, who just had her left leg amputated form the thigh down at the Jimani Publich Hospital. "She stopped to ask me if she was still going to be beautiful," said Wnek. "It breaks my heart. And I really have a lot of questions for God."
According to an email Mike’s Plant City co-workers sent to Larry Keener, Palm Harbor’s Chairman, CEO and President, on Wednesday, Mike is still in Haiti and survived the 6.1 aftershock that took place . However, he does ask for prayers and supporting thoughts as he struggles inwardly and outwardly to meet the overwhelming need he sees everywhere around him.
To read more of this team’s excursion to save lives and other videos, photos and details on the devastation and how to help, please visit the links below and consider what you can do today to help these real people with real pain and real needs. Will you be one who makes a difference?
Info Links:
Polk Man’s Heroic Efforts to Help Haiti – Tempa Bay Fox
Auburndale Man Gets Food, Water to Needy Haitians – The Ledger
Haiti Earthquake: Covering the Tragedy – Tempabay.com
An Easy Way to Consider Helping from Your Desk:
Americans were asked to text HAITI to 90999 or Yele to 501501 and in three days, a million pledged millions of dollars in aid to quake-stricken Haiti using their mobile phones.
To Assist Mike Wnek’s Efforts Directly:
First United Methodist Church of Auburndale
Attn: Haiti Project
PO Box 636
Auburndale, FL 33823
If donating by check, please include “Mike Wnek/Project Haiti” in the Memo line.
