Jan 14: First Response

South Florida really does have a heart. In this land of sun-baked beautiful beaches and sun-tanned beautiful people, it's sometimes easy to forget that. All of us, residents and tourists alike, tend to think of Greater Fort Lauderdale as a playground. And it is, of course. But it's much more too. I'm always amazed at the number of important charitable causes this community supports. Hundreds of nonprofit groups work each day to improve life for people in this area and all over the world. I founded my own nonprofit organization, the Humanity Project, here in Fort Lauderdale and I've learned that many folks genuinely want to help our cause. I mention all this now because South Florida's heart is on its sleeve again in the aftermath of the horrendous Haitian earthquake. With a tragedy of massive proportions just off our shores, everyone here seems eager to give.

Fort Lauderdale is close to Haiti. In many ways. We're only several hundred miles away geographically, but in truth we're much more intimately linked than the mileage suggests. My former neighborhood in Oakland Park was home to many Haitians, for instance. Among the wild variety of ethnic groups living in South Florida, Haitians are a significant minority. We interact with Haitian neighbors and friends and workers and colleagues all the time.

So it's not surprising that Greater Fort Lauderdale, all of South Florida really, is responding quickly to do what we can to help those caught up in the calamity. Drives are going on to bring in much-needed money along with donations of food and other vital supplies. TV stations, newspapers, nonprofits, individuals -- all these and more are launching collection efforts in one way or another. I read an account just today about a homeless man who panhandled $2 for a Haitian neighborhood center and explained that the Haitians had always been good to him. That's the feeling down here at this moment. I've been to Haiti twice, own a number of Haitian artworks and have a genuine respect for the country's rich culture. I find that the Haitian people often emanate some kind of dignity and pride in their bearing, even the poorest among them. They seem to refuse to let their struggles break their will. So yes, like all of us, I'm looking for meaningful ways to contribute to Haiti's relief. One simple way is to text the word HAITI to the Red Cross by dialing 90999. Your phone bill will reflect the $10 automatic donation. I know a lot of us in the Fort Lauderdale area are doing that. And trying to do much more as well. We may be sun-tanned and our beaches may be sun-drenched and we may live in a playground. That's all wonderful. But when a neighbor truly needs our help, we're there.