WMC Accepting Donations for Haitian Relief

WINDBER, Pa. - Windber Medical Center announced today that it will serve as a donation collection center for the relief efforts in Haiti following the devastation caused by the earthquake the country suffered on Jan. 12.

Donations collected at Windber Medical Center (WMC) will be directly donated to Mission Discovery, a charitable Christian missionary organization with deep ties in Haiti. Organizers of the collection drive are asking that donations be limited to monetary gifts in the form of cash, checks or money orders made payable to “Mission Discovery.” No donation is too small and all are tax deductible.

“In light of Windber Medical Center’s mission to respond to community need, we will initiate a collection, effective immediately, to help the people of Haiti,” said Barbara Cliff, president and CEO of Windber Medical Center. “As one of 10 Planetree designated hospitals in the world, we believe it is our calling to provide assistance to our neighbors in the world community during their time of need.”

Mission Discovery, a 501(c)3 organization, will use the funds to provide essentials such as food, water and temporary shelter to the more than 3 million people affected by the quake. Mission Discovery’s efforts are more focused on the areas outside of Port-au-Prince, the Hatian capital, which are feeling the effects of the disruption to their distribution lines.

“Although they were not directly impacted by the quake, the ability of people in the outlying areas to receive vital food, water and medicine will become more and more challenging as the days go past,” said Rich Rohde, a project coordinator for Mission Discovery who is based in the greater Johnstown region. “Contributions to Mission Discovery will be distributed through churches and pastors in Haiti to make sure all of the affected residents have available to them the necessities of life.”

Donations made through WMC will be accepted through January and can be dropped off at the WMC foundations office on the hospital’s fifth floor.

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