NORTH BRUNSWICK — Several local organizations in North Brunswick are holding events and donation collections to benefit the victims of the earthquakes and aftershocks in Haiti over the past couple of weeks.
• Kiddie Academy of North Brunswick, 2239 Route 1 south, is collecting warmweather clothing and nonperishable food items. Call 732-940-9391 for more information.
• The Nrithyanjali Institute of Dance Inc. held an evening of dance and music Jan. 24 at North Brunswick Township High School to benefit the earthquake victims. Ramya Ramnarayan presented Indian dances, Hidden Gems provided music and the high school band performed. Over $15,000 was raised.
Tax-deductible checks can be sent to the Nrithyanjali Institute of Dance, 2 Stallion Way, North Brunswick 08902, made payable to the dance institute, the American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children or Oxfam America, as long as “Haiti Relief Fund” is written in the memo.
• At Parsons Elementary School, secondgrade students will be making posters and talking to other students to generate an interest in “Children Helping Children.” They will be holding a read-a-thon today. Money collected will be sent to Save the Children.
• Linwood Middle School teacher Robert Cauvin is in the beginning stages of a long-term process to help those affected by disaster.
Although Cauvin and his siblings were born in the United Sates, both of his parents are from Jacmel, Haiti. He said he is “lucky” since all of his relatives and family friends have moved to the U.S. and Canada so he does not know of anyone affected in the Caribbean, but that he still feels a need to help his parents’ fellow countrymen.
“It’s still who I am. It’s my culture, my background, my language … it’s my history. It’s how I’ve become me. My culture, religion, arts, food — I guess even the drama and suffering is part of it. … It’s kind of like, when you hear your hometown is going bad, even though you haven’t been there in years,” he said of the responsibility he feels to reach out.
He said his goal is to find a local physician or teacher who would be willing to travel to Haiti, and to raise funds to help sponsor those people. He said he prefers to do something “tangible” versus donating to an organization that may be appropriating funds to its own organization, or possibly not being truthful about where the money is going.
He said some of the fundraisers being brainstormed are putting on a benefit rock concert with local school bands, selling jewelry handmade by a teacher, and programs run through the school’s SLICE (Student Leaders Improving Character Education) Club.
• As for Linwood’s SLICE, the club joined the participation efforts after eighthgrader Shrey Mendiratta approached adviser Marjorie Spangler the morning after the earthquake. He said he was deeply impacted by the news accounts of the number of deaths, and the devastation resulting in one of the poorest countries in the world.
“I know they will need help for a long time, so we need to do something now,” said Mendiratta, who hopes to join the American Red Cross disaster relief station in Princeton.
About 150 members within SLICE will promote the “Hands of Hope for Haiti” committee, and will collect change during a lunch period, create banners with handprints during each lunch period and make a video montage for YouTube.
“Awareness is important for everyone in the world. Peace around the world is important, especially for young kids, because if you’re not exposed to ways to donate at this age, are you going to know what to do when you’re an adult?” he said.
Spangler and Mendiratta agreed that although this is not a large-scale project, the impact of so many helping out could have much larger implications.
“I hope kids will realize that every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference,” the health educator said. “If SLICE does it right, we will graduate lifelong volunteers at the end of the year.”
For more information, contact Principal Pete Clark at 732-289-3600.
Contact Jennifer Amato at