InSights introduces Enthuisiast Victor Banta with a special message this weekend:
CONTACT: Victor Banta, Photographer, 734-417-1930
Victor@VictorJBanta.com, www.VictorJBanta.com
“FROM HELL TO HAITI”
Humanitarian Aid Volunteers to Give Visual Presentation
Hell, MI—A presentation sure to touch the hearts of all who experience it, titled “From Hell to Haiti” and featuring emotional photos and videos taken during an eight-day humanitarian mission just three weeks after the earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation, will be given at 6:30pm, Saturday, March 6, 2010, at InSights Group, 7187 Grand River Road, Brighton, Michigan. The free presentation is open to the public.
When the 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti near the town of Port-Au-Prince on January 12, 2010, the destruction was severe, with an estimated 750,000 Haitian children orphaned, three million Haitians left homeless, and another 200,000 dead. Soon after the earthquake hit, Hands of Light in Action (HOLIA), a local nonprofit grassroots organization established to assist Haitian earthquake survivors, went into action and sent a team to help wherever they were most needed. Five HOLIA volunteers made the week-long trip to Haiti on February 2, 2010, assisting victims in a MASH-like disaster hospital and visually capturing the devastation.
Among the volunteers were physical therapist Nancy Malone of Canton, Michigan, HOLIA’s president and founder; photographer Victor Banta of Hell, Michigan; physical therapists Tiffany Bacon of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Kerstin Benya of St. Louis, Missouri; and Ashley Brewer, also of St. Louis, Missouri.
“Two future HOLIA trips are planned for June and August 2010, during which we will provide medical care and offer any other assistance that becomes a priority,” said Malone. “Beyond going down for that initial week, our team is committed to help for months to come. We’ve learned that when you open your heart and give, you can touch many, many people.”
Malone began assisting in disaster relief following 9/11. A single parent of three and a physical therapist in home health care, she drove to New York City alone, with just construction clothes and boots. Discovering no victims were coming out of the tragedy alive, she stayed and hauled debris with the firemen, performed basic medical care, and served food for four days, working around the clock and resting only for short periods. During her breaks, firefighters sat with her and told their stories, many in tears. When the news of Katrina broke, she again traveled south as a volunteer. Following the earthquake in Haiti, Malone decided to expand her mission and established the nonprofit that would enable others to give generously as well.
Banta joined the first response team of HOLIA volunteers in Haiti to increase awareness through his photography, by sharing captured moments of the relief efforts. His photographs tell the tragic Haitian story in a way words can’t in an effort to encourage ongoing assistance for Haiti’s earthquake victims.
“It’s hard to sum up what it was like to spend time in Haiti after the earthquake,” Banta said. “The trip was intense and rewarding. While it was hard to witness the injuries, it was a positive experience for me to see the HOLIA team spreading joy and happiness throughout the hospital camp.”
Donations will be accepted at the presentation and will go to Hands of Light in Action. One hundred percent of all donations will be used to directly assist Haitians in need. Learn more about the presentation and how to help the people of Haiti at www.HandsofLightinAction.org or email Nancy Malone at Nancy@HandsofLightinAction.org.
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Resources:
http://www.HandsofLightinAction.org
Related story: From Hell to Haiti: “It’s not like anything you’re used to” (with photo gallery)
http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010100218003
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