Donate to Haiti

Haiti may be far from Sun Peaks but you can still help.

Masa’s Bar and Grill is holding a fundraiser on Feb. 6. There’ll be some hip hop and reggae music, door prizes and snowboard giveaways to raise $5,000 for the Canadian Red Cross that will help victims. Doors open at 9 p.m. Masa’s is also issuing a Raise the Bar Challenge for other bars and restaurants at Sun Peaks to join in on their fundraising efforts.

If you are unable to attend the functions, you can also donate through a text message. Telus, Bell Mobility and Virgin Mobile are working with the Mobile Giving Foundation making it easier for customers to donate to their choice of participating charities by simply texting a keyword to the related phone number.

For example, sending the text message HAITI to 45678 will donate $5 while sending ASTRAL to the same number will send $10 to Salvation Army. Texting WORLD to 45678 will send a $5 donation to World Vision while texting HAITI to 30333 will send $5 to Plan Canada.

Rogers or Fido customers can text HELP to 1291 to make a $5 donation. Through Rogers’ partnership with the OneXOne Foundation, mobile donations are sent to Partners in Health, an organization that provides medical care to victims of the earthquake.

After sending the initial text message, customers will receive another text message asking to confirm the donation. Simply replying YES to the text message will ensure your donation is received. Transactions will either show up on your monthly bill or be deducted from your prepaid credit. Individuals can send multiple text messages for multiple donations with a monthly limit of $30.

One hundred per cent of the donations will go towards the cause.

Donors are advised to be cautious in giving money to relief efforts. Check the Canada Revenue Agency’s website to check if the charity is legitimate at www.cra-arc.gc.ca.