After Dartmouth’s President Jim Yong Kim sent out an email last week urging the school community to contribute to the ongoing relief efforts in Haiti, a tremendous outpouring of support has come forth from all corners of the college. I did not realize until I read President Kim’s email that an organization he had co-founded more than 20 years back – Partners In Health – had been on the ground in Haiti for most of the organization’s history and was one of the first responders after the earthquake struck. As we speak, PIH and Dartmouth Medical volunteers are in Haiti and assisting survivors in the aftermath of this disaster.
Tuckies have also come forward with fundraising and donations in the last few days and are contributing to the relief efforts. During Tuck ‘Tails last Thursday, people chipped in with enthusiasm to raise funds in support of PIH. We also heard today that many Haitian families are currently hosting PIH and Dartmouth Medical volunteers and are providing them with meals and a place to sleep. These families have asked for some items to help care for the volunteers so that the volunteers can in turn provide much-needed care for the needy. Response to this request is currently underway.
On Friday, I had the opportunity to chat with a Tuck alum, Dan Richards (T’03), who, after working in private equity decided to become an entrepreneur and founded Global Rescue, a security and rescue firm. The business model for Global Rescue is simple: responding to crisis and providing evacuation services anywhere in the world. To assist with the humanitarian efforts in Haiti, Global Rescue is donating seats and cargo space on its flights to Port au Prince. The Boston Globe has cited this as an example of how a private firm can be a safety net in the event of a calamity such as what we are seeing in Haiti. Currently, there are 25 Global Rescue employees on the ground in Haiti assisting with the relief missions. Dan mentioned Tuck alum, Tom B., also a T’03, as his right hand man in this effort.
I have requested Dan to come and speak to the Tuck community under the auspices of the News Hour program. His talk should give the audience, an on-the-ground and germane perspective of how MBAs can help those in need while helping themselves. Finally, if anyone out there is concerned about their friends / family in Haiti, here’s Global Rescue’s toll free number: (800) 381-9754. If you wish to send in a donation and help with the relief efforts, please do so at the PIH website.
Kudos to the volunteers who are so selflessly giving their time and expertise to help the earthquake victims. Hats off to each and every one of you!
Read the full article: Dartmouth community and the Haitian calamity
Related Articles
- » UCLA Anderson to release Round 3 MBA Decisions later today
- » Preparing for the Recovery
- » Last Information Session, Today 5/20/2011
- » Private Equity Investor and Wildlife Photographer Robert Haas Delivers Leaders Forum Lecture on Navigating Life in Financial Sector
- » What Does Healthcare Reform Mean for Business?