Miami Mayor and Haiti Consul Kick-off Initiative to Revitalize Haitian Neighborhoods

Sept. 18, 2011 - PRLog -- On September 22, 2011, the Hard Hats for Haiti campaign, a South Florida-based initiative led by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), will launch in Miami to raise funds and focus attention on providing safe homes, revitalized neighborhoods, and job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Haitians.

“Hard Hats for Haiti provides a unique opportunity for our Miami community to invest in on-the-ground results in Haiti,” says Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, an event host.

Fueled by more than $50 million in investments from the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and other donors, including the American Red Cross, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, and Caterpillar, the campaign will boost PADF’s efforts to rebuild homes and improve infrastructure, such as roads, schools, clinics, and water sources, while training and employing thousands of Haitians.

Hard Hats for Haiti seeks to raise $1 million each year from individuals and corporations over the next three years in order to access and implement the $50 million in funds already committed by PADF’s institutional donors. To join the campaign, go to www.hardhats4haiti.org.  

“South Floridians are looking for ways to make a difference in Haiti,” says Haiti Consul General Ralph Latortue, who will co-host the launch event. “Small and large donors alike want their dollars to go directly to the poorest Haitians to move the country forward. Hard Hats for Haiti is an opportunity to do just that.”

This campaign comes at a critical time when Haiti faces a seemingly bleak picture: a growing cholera epidemic and more than a million earthquake victims still living in unsafe conditions, among them thousands of children who are due back to school in less than a month. Although daunting, Haiti’s reality highlights the urgency to build Haiti back better.

For years, South Floridians and Haitian diaspora members have been vital partners in PADF’s relief and recovery initiatives in Haiti. Since the deadly January 2010 Haitian earthquake, Haiti has benefitted from more than $30 million from foundations and corporations in South Florida alone, according to the Florida Philanthropic Network.

Hard Hats for Haiti will kick-off on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 7 p.m. at The Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212  NE 59 Terrace, Miami, FL 33137. Members of Miami’s Haitian and business communities will be in attendance.

The event will also provide an update on successful rebuilding efforts and discuss opportunities for South Floridians to partner with PADF in this major initiative.

Pan American Development Foundation:
Headquartered in Washington DC, PADF is a is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1962 to promote, facilitate and implement social and economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Today, PADF is closely engaged with the South Florida community through its Miami office.  PADF develops public-private partnerships that assist the least advantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean. Having worked in every country in the western hemisphere, PADF engages community-based groups, governments and the private sector in the process of implementing appropriate solutions for sustainable development. In 2010, PADF helped more than 10.2 million beneficiaries in 22 countries. To learn more about the Hard Hats for Haiti campaign, please visit www.hardhats4haiti.org . To learn about PADF, go to http://www.padf.org.

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