On February 7, the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) presented a $ 50,000 donation to Operation Helping Hands to help victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. TCA had previously donated $50,000 to Operation Helping Hands and to Cross International, another relief organization, bringing the total TCA donation for the Haiti relief efforts to $100,000.
The donation ceremony was held at the Florida Turkish American Association (FTAA) Turkish House with the participation of Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in whose district Operation Helping Hands is headquartered, G. Lincoln McCurdy, TCA President, Joe Pena of The United Way and Serap Odabas-Yigit, President of FTAA. Congresswoman Lehtinen praised TCA and Operation Helping Hands for their efforts to provide vital assistance to the people of Haiti. The event received coverage in the Miami Herald and the Bradenton Herald and on local television networks.
“The Turkish Coalition of America hopes that this donation will provide clean water and vital materials to alleviate the suffering of those suffering from the recent outbreak of cholera,” said Lincoln McCurdy. “The Turkish American community continues to be responsive to the needs of the Haitian people; and we hope that this donation inspires others to contribute to this worthy cause.”
In Haiti more than 4,000 people have died from cholera and 209,000 have been infected since October. The TCA grant will be used for buying and installing water filtration systems in affected areas in Haiti. These water filtration systems can process 10,000 gallons of water a day and are guaranteed for five years. The funds will also be used for the continued to distribution of personal hygiene kits and water rehydration kits.
"We thank the Turkish Coalition of America for providing this donation to Operation Helping Hands,’’ said Joe Pena of The United Way. “The continued generosity of TCA has helped our organization and others to provide life-saving supplies to the grief stricken nation of Haiti.”
