Hospitals, schools, the capital building, stores and most buildings in the capital city and surrounding communities have collapsed.  There are no services available and the dead are being left where they lay. It is unimaginable to think of how the poorest nation in the Caribbean can deal with such devastation, or how any of us could manage through this catastrophe.  “We expect the damage to be significant and the loss of lives catastrophic,” said Christa von Hillebrandt, the head of Puerto Rico Seismic Network in Mayaguez.  She estimated that in Haiti, the earthquake lasted anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute.  Von Hillebrandt said that two major fault lines run through Haiti: one in the north, the other in the south. Therefore, she said it was no surprise that Haiti was hit with a destructive earthquake.

Officials from disaster relief organizations across the territory say that the best way to help Haiti in the aftermath of Tuesday’s massive earthquake is by sending monetary donations.  Our State Department has set up a method for each of us to do our part by texting the number “90999″ and put in the message the word “Haiti”. (As of 1-15-10, over $8 million US was raised just in two days from people donating $10 at a time!  WOW!) It will immediately send $10 to the Red Cross – 100% of it will get to the Red Cross.  Please take a moment and do this IMMEDIATELY!  You will then get a text back from the Red Cross thanking you for your contribution.  Please do this now.  The monetary donations will be used to purchase emergency relief items there thus injecting money into the local economy.  You can also go to DoubleTake Clothing and purchase a “Help Haiti” t-shirt and they will send $5 to the American Red Cross. ( Spread the word about these shirts.)

In a noontime press release, Gov. John deJongh Jr. and Senate President Louis P. Hill urged residents to coordinate their relief efforts.  “We are asking each and every Virgin Islander who wishes to offer their assistance with the recovery in Haiti to work with us and within the guidelines given us by the American Red Cross, the Haitian Embassy and F.E.M.A.,” deJongh and Hill said.  Within the next 24 hours, a disaster-management team will be on the ground and in place to focus the necessary resources in the primary relief areas, where food, water, temporary shelter and emotional support will be provided.

In addition, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, Red Cross, C.A.R.E. and Rotary International have all provided relief.  “Rotary is working on an efficient way for people to make donations, which we hope to unveil in the next 24 hours,” said Roger White, who is part of Rotary International’s District 7020 Haiti task force.  “We are looking to find out what the priority of needs is and looking at logistics,” said David Edgecombe, special assistant to the USVI governor for external affairs. “We want to avoid getting relief items and then have no way of getting them there without knowing the best routing. The needs are clearly great … it is going to take a little while for us to get the lines of communication open and accurate data as to how best to get goods to people in Haiti.”  “The Red Cross is specifically telling those who want to help to send money at this time,” Edgecombe said.

Click on each of the following links for additional ways to be of help to this world crisis;  Haiti Community Support; American Red Cross of the Virgin Islands;  Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands;  Rotary – St. Thomas;  C.A.R.E. ; Catholic Relief Services;   DoubleTake Clothing.  Please act now!

Jim Walberg

After several days and hours of discussions with Jay, my eyes were opened to the impact that growing coffee is having on this world we live in.  The carbon footprint of this industry is gigantic!  BuyWell Coffee  is constantly looking for ways to become more sustainable and making their daily carbon footprint much smaller.  And, they are doing this while still producing the best coffee I have ever tasted, plus their premium coffee is very affordable!How about this for sobering information about the coffee industry?  The U.S. consumes one-fifth of the world’s coffee – the largest consumer country in the world!  But few Americans realize that agriculture workers in the coffee industry often work in conditions that can be described as “sweatshops in the fields”.  Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt for their entire lives.

Fair Trade Certified  is a solution, assuring consumers that the coffee we drink is purchased under fair conditions. To become Fair Trade Certified,  BuyWell Coffee must meet strict international criteria; paying a minimum price per pound of $1.26,  providing much needed credit to farmers, and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming.  Fair Trade Certified for coffee farmers means community development, health, education, and caring for the environmental.

I had no idea what “Fair Trade Certified” and “Organic Certified” labels meant.  It means that farmers and workers receive a fair price for their product. The FTC price means that farmers can feed their families and that their children can go to school instead of working in the fields. By receiving a fair price, FTC producers can avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality. The FTC producers’ traditional farming methods result in exceptional products.  And, it means you are receiving the highest quality product that is able to be produced!  So, purchasing on of  BuyWell Coffee’s ten+ coffee blends contributes to the well-being of farming families around the world.  I have to admit, I am not able to say that about each of the real estate sales that we facilitate – yet!

Now, back to the real mission of Jay’s company – combating poverty and protecting the environment through coffee.  BuyWell Coffee supports  Roots & Wings International  by donating coffee for fundraising and has a scholarship with the company’s namesake that supports university education for indigenous youth from rural Guatemala.  Roots & Wings International scholars come from coffee-growing communities, and they are the first in their families to study past elementary school. The scholarships are awarded based on financial need, academic promise, and commitment to promote community development where the students live.

All of BuyWell Coffee’s giving programs are coffee-powered.  BuyWell Coffee invests in sustainable development initiatives in coffee growing regions around the world,  plus the U.S. in order to create long-term health and global opportunity for the coffee grower families of the world.  Now, wouldn’t this be a worthwhile idea for all of our companies to explore as we daily participate in “paying it forward”?   Click here  for more information as to how you can get involved in making a difference in your own world.  Until next time…fair winds!