TWO NIGHTS AGO I ATTENDED THE HOPE HELP AND RELIEF HAITI EVENT WITH RUSSELL AT THE URBAN ZEN SPACE IN NEW YORK CITY. THE GOAL WAS TO RAISE MONEY TO GET AS MANY TENTS POSSIBLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HAITI. AMAZING WORK THAT DONNA KARAN, ANDRE HARREL AND ANDRE BALAZS PUT TOGETHER IN ONLY 10 DAYS…IT WAS A SUCH GREAT EVENT. IN DONNA KARAN’S WORDS ‘THIS IS A DREAM. TO PUT TOGETHER AN EVENT LIKE THIS IN ONLY 10 DAYS.’ THIS SHOWS HOW ANYTHING U SET YOUR MIND TO IS POSSIBLE AND THAT THERES’ ALOT OF GOOD PEOPLE THAT ARE WILLING TO LEND A HELPING HAND.
ANNA WINTOUR, CAROLINA HERRERA, ROBERT DENIRO, MARY J BLIGE,WYCLEF JEAN AND MANY MORE WERE THERE TO SUPPORT. ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR SPOKE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY AND PEOPLE OF HAITI. IT WAS AN EVENT WHERE MY EYES TEARED UP AFTER LISTENING TO SOLEDAD O BRIEN, DR. MARK HYMAN AND WYCLEF JEAN SPEAK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN HAITI AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE. LAUGHED WITH WHOOPI GOLDBERG WHEN SHE WAS AUCTIONING (MUST SAY SHE IS NOT ONLY A GREAT ACTRESS BUT SHE CAN SELL…EVERYTHING WAS AUCTIONED BY THE END OF THE NIGHT). AND DANCED TO THE GREAT MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE OF MARY J BLIGE WHICH LEFT HER HEART AND SOUL UP ON THAT STAGE. WOW WOW WOW!!
MOST IMPORTANT THING I SAW IS HOW PEOPLE ARE STILL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM IN HAITI LIKE IF IT HAD HAPPENED TODAY. IT’S NOT A ONE NIGHT STAND LIKE DONNA SAID. THERE IS STILL SO MUCH TO DO AND GIVE.
WHAT’S MOST INCREDIBLE IS HOW THE HAITIAN PEOPLE HAVE A NATURAL INNER BLISS IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS HORRIBLE TRAGEDY. THEY ARE SURROUNDED BY DEATH, BUT CARRY SMILES AND POSITIVE ENERGY BY SINGING. I HAVE FAITH THEY ARE GOING TO RECOVER AND STAND UP STRONGER THAN HOW THEY WERE. LIFE IS LIKE A MIRROR…YOU GET THE BEST RESULTS WHEN YOU SMILE AT IT. SMILE THROUGH LIFE…:) AND LIKE MIGUEL CERVANTES, DON QUIJOTE SAYS, ‘HE WHO SINGS FRIGHTEN AWAY HIS ILLS’
-Heidy Allende
Follow Heidy @HeidyAllende
