The tsunami that tore through communities and killed more than 280,000 people in South Asia and East Africa triggered an outpouring of support from governments, businesses and citizens throughout the world.
“We usually donate to tragedies that affect our community, like the Station fire (of West Warwick in 2003), but when we heard about the massive tsunami, even though it is so far away, we knew there would be people in our back yard affected by it and we had to do something,” said Elizabeth Eckel, senior vice president of marketing for Washington Trust.
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The Westerly-based bank donated $10,000 to the American Red Cross of Rhode Island’s Tsunami Relief Program and set up a fund that is still open to donations to rebuild the communities torn apart by the natural disaster.
The Dec. 26 tsunami swallowed up homes, schools, health facilities, roads and bridges and killed tens of thousands in a few hours. More than 100,000 people are still missing.
The tragedy struck eight countries but reverberated in sympathetic hearts throughout the world as people watched in awe the images on television.
The total U.S. private donations for the tsunami relief effort, reported as of March 28, was more than $1.1 billion in cash; in-kind gifts totaled about $117 million; and the private sector plans to raise about $57 million more, reports The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
Within 30 days of the tsunami disaster, Rhode Island citizens and corporations donated about $2.3 million to help the Red Cross’ tsunami relief effort. About 280 businesses and individuals donated money – $500,000 from individual donations and the rest from business and other organizations.
Within days of the disaster, pledges were offered by Rhode Island philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein and John Hazen White Jr. of Taco Inc. Companies like CVS/pharmacy, Textron and Washington Trust made major contributions.
Woonsocket-based CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust gave its biggest ever donation to the Red Cross with a $1 million gift and a $500,000 matching gift program with customers that brought its total donation amount to $3.8 million.
“There were a lot of donation milestones reached with this disaster, numbers rivaling only Sept. 11. People gave more than they would for local disasters like hurricanes or fires,” said R.I. Red Cross spokesperson Robin Erickson.
Warwick-based Brooks Pharmacy announced April 19 it raised more than $325,000 to aid the rebuilding efforts of UNICEF, a global organization that works to advance the lives of children in distress.
“Not only do the countries devastated by this natural disaster need support now, but continued support to rebuild in the coming months as well,” stated Michel Coutu, president and CEO of Brooks Pharmacy.
Brooks and its Eckerd pharmacies sold $1 disaster relief contribution cards at 336 of its locations. These donations will go directly to UNICEF’s South Asian Tsunami Relief Efforts to “build back better” the communities destroyed.
Another global charity organization, Warwick-based Plan USA, committed more than $11 million in March toward restoring 11 villages that were destroyed by the tsunami. The organization helps children and their families in 45 different depressed countries, including communities hit by the tsunami.
In the 11 villages, 1,167 homes will be rebuilt at a cost of $4,000 each. So far, the organization raised a little more than $2 million – $250,000 from Rhode Island.
Most of the money the organization receives is from private donors, but it does partner with companies like Citizens Bank, which granted a three-month, paid sabbatical to Brook Weisman-Ross, assistant vice president in cash management, who left March 20 to assist in the relief efforts in Indonesia through Plan USA.
The organization anticipates it will take the next two to five years to rebuild the communities, including hospitals, shops and six schools. Stages of the rebuilding will be documented and reported back to Rhode Island.
Plan USA is still actively raising funds throughout the world to meet its goal, and is collaborating with groups like the Red Cross.
“Donations to the tsunami relief efforts go directly to the affected areas to provide them with basic necessities such as clean drinking water, food and shelter. Now, money is still helping to provide for longer-term needs,” Erickson said. “It is a process that will take years.”
