Indiafest raises $215k for Haiti
Feb 16, 2010
by Jim Waymer
MELBOURNE — A raffle at Indiafest raised $215,225 for relief efforts in Haiti, including $100,000 from a local doctor.
“He is an angel,” Nina Gadodia, chairwoman of Indiafest, said of Dr. Silas Charles, who made the donation.
The proceeds raised go to Ruuska Village, an orphanage on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince run by Reach Out to Haiti. The orphanage was damaged during the Jan. 12 earthquake, forcing many of its children to sleep outside. Young mothers dropped newborn infants off at the orphanage after the quake, saying they could no longer care for them.
Charles, long associated with local philanthropic efforts, announced his latest generosity on Feb. 6 at a kickoff for Indiafest. “He said, ‘I did that to excite others,’” Gadodia explained from the Wickham Park pavilion stage as Indiafest came to a close. “Such a great gift for the future of our world.”
Charles, 62, survived a bout with cancer last year. He is working on building a cancer care center for the poor in Ethiopia and helped to build a hospital in one of India’s poorest areas.
His Cancer Care Foundation provides treatment regardless of whether the ill can afford it.
Barbara Walker, who opened Ruuska Village 20 years ago, flew in from Haiti to attend Indiafest. “These kids have a future,” Walker said.
Reprinted from the Florida Today
Notes from Senator Mike
07/07/2010 - Read Sen. Haridopolos’ Letter to US Sen. Bill NelsonWith record unemployment, Floridians have had their problems compounded by the coming bill for health care “reform,” the absence of support for a space program that employs thousands, and the federal government’s slow response to the economic impacts of the oil spill. Florida deserves better.
