Recently in Charity Category

The Watauga High DECA Club and Makoto's Japanese Steakhouse's benefit dinner and silent auction for Haiti relief has been rescheduled because of winter weather. The event was scheduled to take place last night, but now it has been rescheduled for next Tuesday evening from 5:00 - 9:00pm. According to WHS's DECA President Katy Cook, this is the first installment of a yearly Watauga Helps Benefit Dinner. Several community leaders including Watauga High principal Michael Wyant, Avery High Principal Mark Garrett, and members of Wine to Water's team will be in attendance.

Registration is now open for Beech Mountain Parks and Recreation Department's Third Annual A Cool 5 Race. This five-mile race isn't your average footrace as the entire course is set above 5,000 feet. If the five-miler is a little too daunting, residents can register for the 1.5-mile fun run/walk. Officials said over the past two years, the race has raised over $60,000 for the Beech Mountain Parks and Rec. Department. This year's race will be held on Saturday, June 12.

You can find more information about registration online at ACool5.com.

Survivors of last week's earthquake in Chile are still living in fear as more than a dozen aftershocks have struck the area in the past few days. Boone based, Samaritan's Purse is continuing their relief efforts in the country. SP spokesperson Melissa Strickland said violence and looting are still serious problems in many areas of Chile, but Chilean troops and police are gradually restoring calm in several places.

Strickland said Chile's president expects it will take up to four years to restore areas damaged by the earthquake and tsunami that followed. SP's team has distributed food, water, and other items to families living in a makeshift displacement camp. And The team distributed three tons of food on Wednesday.

Strickland said one of SP's Christian partners in Santiago is transporting six tons of food, and SP's team is working to distribute it to families living in coastal town who have not yet been helped. SP is also working with a network of 40 churches in the region.

The Appalachian Regional Healthcare System is accepting donations of crutches, canes and walkers to help earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile. According to officials, residents can bring used items to the Blue Ridge Physical Therapy office on Boone Heights Drive or the Cannon Memorial Hospital Outpatient Therapy Office in Linville until March 31.

The Watauga High DECA Club and Makoto's Japanese Steakhouse are teaming up to host a dinner and silent auction to benefit Haitian relief. This is the first installment of a yearly Watauga Helps Benefit Dinner. The event will be held from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. tomorrow at Makotos, and will also feature a silent auction. Several community leaders including Watauga High principal Michael Wyant, Avery High Principal Mark Garrett, and members of Wine to Water's team will be in attendance.

Samaritan's Purse already had a very large percentage of their resources in Haiti when this weekend's massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck just off the coast of Chile. SP spokesperson Melissa Strickland said now it's almost like the ministry is fighting a war on two fronts, but she feels they will be able to efficiently respond to both disasters. Strickland said Chile was better prepared than Haiti for a disaster from a governmental and economical standpoint, but the country is still devastated. The loss of homes, the fear, the trauma, and the need for food and clean water is just as real in both places. If you're in Chile or if you're in Haiti, those needs are very comparable.

Samaritan's Purse is asking residents to continue to pray for victims in both countries and those responding to the disasters. You can find out how to donate by visiting SamaritansPurse.org.

We have an update from Samaritans Purse in Haiti. They currently has 95 team members on the ground in Haiti as the ministry works to respond to help earthquake victims. SP spokesperson Melissa Strickland said those working in Haiti work around 20 hours for two to three weeks straight before they are relieved and replaced with other team members. She explained they average around 90 team members on the ground in Haiti at all times. While around 90 are working on the ground in Haiti, many more are working extremely hard here in the states to make the physical work in Haiti productive. SP has an Incident Management Team at its international headquarters right here in Boone. The Incident Management Team is a group of around a dozen people who work exclusively on responding in disaster situations.

Besides the workers on the ground in Haiti and the Incident Management Team members in Boone, Strickland said every employee at SP is working a lot harder because of the disaster response efforts. All of the hundreds of employees here have taken on an extra load to assist the team on the ground and assist the Haitian people. Samaritan's Purse is still asking for prayers for earthquake victims and those responding to the disaster. You can visit SamartiansPurse.org to find out how to donate.

The Hospitality House of Boone is seeking grant money to help fight hunger, but how much grant money it is able to receive depends on how much money the organization is able to raise on its own. They would receive the grant money from the Alan Feinstein Foundation of Rhode Island. Feinstein's mission is fight hunger in the US and the way he does that is by offering $1 million to participating agencies across the country. That doesn't mean that each agency gets $1million, but it means he has $1 million he's giving away. In order to participate, agencies simply have to report their fundraising income for March and April then let the Feinstein Foundation know how much money was raised during that time period and based on [those numbers], they'll add to that donation by sending a grant. the best way to get involved with donating to the Hospitality House is by visiting their website, HospitalityHouseOfBoone.org.

You can also call the office at 262-3461 for more information.

The Polar Plunge that had been rescheduled for yesterday was canceled once again due to safety concerns. Wind chills expected below zero and wind gusts approaching 40 mph is definitely a safety concern as plungers come out of the water. Ice on the dock was also a factor in the decision to postpone the Plunge. Officials will keep us posted when the new date is scheduled. The 12^th annual Polar Plunge at the Duck Pond will benefit the Watauga County Special Olympics. Anyone interested in taking part or to sponsor a plunger call Karon Poteat, Watauga County Special Olympics Coordinator at 264-9511.

On Friday, February 26 and Saturday, February 27, More than 190 youth groups in the Charlotte area will participate in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine - getting a real taste of hunger to help feed and care for children living in extreme poverty around the world. During the 30 hours, teens fast "on an empty stomach" - the theme for this year's Famine -- by going without food (consuming only liquids) for 30 hours to experience what the poorest children and families face every day. The Charlotte youth will also perform hands-on community service projects during the Famine weekend in order to make a difference in their own community. Teens participate in groups through churches, schools, youth groups and civic organizations.

This year a portion of the proceeds will go to Haiti to help with long-term recovery needs. Additional funds go to projects in 9 other countries with crises that make children vulnerable.