Curves founders Diane and Gary Heavin are donating their time, talents and resources to help Haitian earthquake victims.
Gary flew his company jet out of Waco on Wednesday to pick up Whitefield Overseas Evangelical Ministry doctors in Joplin, Mo., and Indianapolis, In. He'll shuttle the doctors into Haiti today and return to Miami to pick up more doctors, medical supplies, food and water. He and his crew will do this trip twice a day for three days. Diane, who flew commercially to meet him in Miami, will accompany him on his initial return trip to Haiti.
"We feel so blessed that we are able to provide help to the Haitians, especially the little ones who have lost everything, including their families," said Diane Heavin. "It's a miracle that we were able to get clearance to land and take off so many times, because there are currently no commercial flights being allowed to land and the airport is backlogged. It's purely by the grace of God that we are able to get in there."
Sunday, the Heavins will return to Haiti one last time to pick up the Whitefield doctors and return them home. Whitefield Overseas Evangelical Ministry maintains 40 churches and two orphanages in Haiti.
To help out even more, Curves has created a Haitian relief T-shirt, which is available for pre-order now at participating Curves locations. The entire purchase price of the T-shirts will be donated to provide food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs.
"We hope to sell 10,000 shirts at $10 apiece and collect $100,000," said Heavin. "The Curves community is very generous and compassionate, and this is a great way for them to help others while showing pride in their association with Curves."
Donations for Haiti disaster relief will go to the Gary and Diane Heavin Community fund, a 501(c)(3) charititable organization, and from there to organizations like the Whitefield Overseas Evangelical Ministries, the Chihuahuan Connection (
www.rcmcc.org), the Timoun Lakay Foundation (
www.timounlakayfoundation.org), and other U.S.-based charities who work directly with organizations in Haiti.
The money raised from the sale of Curves Haiti relief T-shirts will go directly toward purchasing and delivering food, water and medical supplies to the Haitians; assisting in flying teams of doctors in and out of Haiti; and helping with other numerous relief efforts, including the building of water wells.
The Heavins feel very strongly that every dollar donated should go directly to help the Haitians, and so are very careful in choosing organizations to partner with. Donatees can feel sure that their contributions will personally impact the lives of suffering Haitians, and they can be proud to be affiliated with a community of people who care."
People interested in purchasing a T-shirt should check with their local Curves club.
