Former Kirtland resident looking for help in Haiti

Published: Thursday, January 21, 2010

By Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

In 2000, Kirtland residents Patricia Grisar, shown above, and her husband, Bob, were inspired by what they saw on a Thanksgiving getaway to the Dominican Republic, and they collected clothing, shoes and other necessities to distribute to folks living there. Patricia has since spent the last decade serving on the island of Hispaniola tending to the people of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. And with the earthquakes this month she said that help is needed even more.

Catastrophic, devastating, desperation, heart- and gut-wrenching.

Those are the words that fly off the tip of Patricia Grisar's tongue when describing the scene in Haiti, a week after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed tens of thousands of people.

Grisar was born in Kirtland, but for the past 10 years has been providing humanitarian aid to the less fortunate in Hispaniola, which is a major island in the Caribbean.

Hispaniola contains the two sovereign states of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

In November 2000 she created Rainbow Families Foundation, a registered not-for-profit foundation, which allows her to continue to assist families in Hispaniola.

While the county was hit with another 6.1-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday, Grisar did not have any immediate information regarding the incident because of electrical blackouts and her distance from where it occurred.

She does remember vividly the moments leading up to the earthquake that hit on Jan. 12.

She was at the home of a diabetes patient when it struck.

"I thought I was dizzy from a recent illness and medication until people ran into the street screaming, 'La tierra esta moviendo, un temblor,' ('The ground is shaking, an earthquake.')" she said. "There were many people screaming in the streets, some hollering to stay inside, others hollering to go outside, many inspecting their own homes."

Since the earthquake, Grisar has been seeking people to donate blood to victims in Haiti and requesting monetary donations for immediate purchase of supplies.

She also has been preparing individual packages of school supplies for 88 students in a small village in the countryside for the second semester of the school year, which is a commitment she made prior to the earthquake.

Although it's been more than a week since the quake, there are still bodies decaying in the streets and bulldozers are removing piles of bodies for cremation without identification, she said.

"It is horrible," Grisar said.

Red Cross has only been able to feed about 50,000 of those affected in the area, where its population is about 4 million, she said.

People from all walks of life around the world have been responding and helping out, she said, but there can never be enough assistance.

"Thank God the American troops have arrived to try and gain order with the rioting, disorder and desperation," she said.

"The authorities in charge are still desperate for medical doctors, surgeons, orthopedic doctors, infectious disease specialists, nurses, technicians and strong bodies to help in the recovery search. Immediate food donations have been slow to arrive."

Grisar is asking for local residents to donate to Rainbow Families Foundation to buy bottled water, juice, canned foods, hand soap, baby wipes, baby milk and crackers.

Medical supplies also are needed, she said.

"I certainly do not want to take away anything that any other organization is doing, as every bit of help is important and necessary," she said.

"However, the support I receive goes 100 percent to those in need and nothing will go toward administrative costs, salary, utilities. These people are desperate and must receive food and water immediately."

All donations are tax deductible in accordance with IRS Tax Code 501(c)(3). Donations can be mailed to Rainbow Families Foundation, 8543 Hemlock Ridge Drive, Kirtland, OH 44094. To get information on a direct deposit, call 440-256-1458.