Sunday, January 17, 2010

Shocked... horrified... helpless...

I think many of us have shared those emotions over the past few days when seeing what has happened to Haiti after the January 12 earthquake.  No country should have to deal with a disaster of this magnitude but Haiti really didn't need this. Haiti is the poorest country in this half of the world, a country where the average family makes less in a year than what the average American family makes in a week. Haiti was poor before, now the country is devastated.

Non-profit, for-profit and government agencies have stepped up to help Haitians and Americans have begun to give in record numbers.  It is important for us at Sketch Maven that we help in this effort (even if the magnitude of a month and a half old startup like Sketch Maven cannot come close to that of a GE).  For 48 hours, Sunday January 17 - Monday January 18, we will be donating 10% of all the sales on Sketch Maven to the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Said another way, for a couple days all the money that Sketch Maven would have brought in for sales fees will go to the people of Haiti. There are also several pages that sellers are donating which you can view in our Homepage Showcase under 100% to Haiti (all that money will go to the charty). Over the next days, weeks and years Haitians will need more than our money and prayers... but this is at least a start.

I'm sure you have already received "asks" for donations from many places already, if you have already given, I commend you. But if you have not, and can find a way to spare it, please donate directly to the Red Cross or another reputable organization helping those in Haiti. And if you would like to buy something from Sketch Maven, please buy within the next 48 hours as we will be donating 10% of the proceeds to the Red Cross this Tuesday.

Regards,


Mike Todasco
General Manager
Sketch Maven, Inc.