Local Groups Reeling After Haiti Earthquake

By Shelley Walcott

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  • Charity workers were scheduled to go to Haiti on Wednesday. Video by wtmj.com

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HALES CORNERS - Boxes of supplies now sit in the basement of St. Mary Catholic Faith Community in Hales Corners. 
 
Everything from medical equipment to baby necessities that Pam Lownik and six other women planned to take to Haiti. They were due to leave on a flight out of O'Hare at 5:30 Wednesday morning. 
 
But then, shocking news: "One of the women on the trip called me and said, 'Pam there's been a major earthquake in Haiti.' And I thought she was kidding."
 
Member of their group already in Haiti described the destruction by email: Scores of dead and injured, no electric power, hospitals damaged or destroyed.
 

Two people from Southeastern Wisconsin are reported missing in Haiti:
• Melissa Elliott, a college student from Hartland
• Peter Van Horn, a Town of Delafield Supervisor

More: 
• Report: Milwaukee-Area Student Found in Haiti 
• No Word Yet on Child Sponsored by WTMJ Anchor
• Racine Couple Loses Family in Earthquake
• Church Groups Workers OK
• UW Group in Haiti Unhurt
• Local Groups Reeling
• Milwaukee's Eyes on Haiti
• MSNBC Coverage

Audio: 
• Mike Elliott, whose daughter is missing in Haiti, on 620WTMJ's Wisconsin's Morning News
• Dr. Ron and Ronnie Pruhs, who have done service work in Haiti for years, on 620WTMJ's Wisconsin's Morning News

Blog: 
• The Cold-Filtered Ramblings of Gene Mueller: How To Help

TODAY'S TMJ4 HD's "How You Can Help Phone Bank"
• Call in with your pledge from 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 14th to donate money to the Red Cross

Sampling of Haiti-Serving Charities with Milwaukee Connections:
• Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee World Mission Ministries
• Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Haiti Project
• Friends for Health in Haiti 
• Gesu Parish in Milwaukee, twinning with St. Jude's Church in Haiti
• Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Milwaukee, twinning with Norwich Mission House in Haiti
• Our Little Brothers and Sisters
• Salvation Army of Southeastern Wisconsin
• St. Francis Cabrini Parish in West Bend's Haiti Outreach
• St. Mary's of Hales Corners
• Three Angels Children's Relief

Other Efforts: 
• Text HAITI to 90999 and $10 will be donated automatically to the Red Cross, charged to your cell phone bill
• MSNBC's List of Charitable Organizations
"I was gratified and relieved that we were safe and were not there," Lownik said.
 
But many others from Wisconsin are there, including a seven person group from the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee's Haiti Project; a group of engineering students from UW Madison; and Delafield's Town Supervisor Pete Van Horn are on humanitarian projects, and all are thankfully accounted for, thanks to updates posted on Facebook or through email.
 
But Pam says she could just cry for the people who call Haiti home. "The country has had nothing go right in 200 years. I mean one blow after another and it just almost doesn't seem fair."
 
Pam and her group still plan to make their trip to Haiti, as soon as they can.

TODAY'S TMJ 4, Newsradio 620 WTMJ and the Red Cross are hosting a phone bank where you can help people affected bby the disaster in Haiti at (414) 967-5417 and 1-888-363-0023 from now until 7:00 pm.