
Every so often, the world sees a tragedy that captures everyone’s
attention — and everyone’s heart. Like 2004’s Indian Ocean tsunami and
2005’s Hurricane Katrina, January’s devastating earthquake in Haiti has
forced everyone to ask, “How can I help?”
The disaster has
already brought out big international names in entertainment and
politics (it’s not often Obama, Bush, and Clinton are seen singularly
united). But it’s also brought out the best in Boston, which has the
third largest Haitian population in the country. The local beauty,
nightlife, and dining industries are finding ways to make their work
matter. Here’s how to take part.
Get Groomed
You’ll
want to look your most dazzling or dapper for your Valentine’s Day date
anyway, so on Sunday, February 14, primp in the ’burbs at the locally
lauded id Salon (241 Washington Street, Wellesley, 781.237.1233). It’s hosting Have a Heart for Haiti
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with donation-only haircuts ($50 suggested),
$15 manicures for helping hands, and free color consultations.
Appointments are first-come, first-served, and proceeds benefit Partners in Health, an international organization instrumental in helping Haiti.
Hit the Town
Those
nightlife gurus at 6one7 Productions have already raised $7500 for
Haiti with January’s club-hopping “4H Series: Hub Helps Heal Haiti.”
But now that the long-awaited Stoddard’s Fine Food & Ale
(48 Temple Place, Boston, 617.426.0048) has opened, they’re wasting no
time in putting the venue to good use: on Monday, February 22, from 7
to 10 p.m., they’re throwing a Haiti Outreach Mission
fundraiser to send doctors to Haiti. A $50 door donation gets you
complimentary hors d’oeuvres, signature cocktails, and the chance to
rub elbows with pro athletes like former BC footballer and Detroit
Lions’ tackle Gosder Cherilus, a native of Haiti, and New England
Revolution’s Shalrie Joseph.
Drink Up
If you need to schedule a cocktail date this month, choose your drink wisely. Through the end of February at Dante (40 Edwin H. Land Boulevard, Cambridge, 617.497.4200), pour back a Port-au-Prince Sazerac,
made from eight-year-aged Rhum Barbancourt (a Haitian product) and
Peychaud’s Bitters (created by a Haitian immigrant). All sales of the
$10 drink will be donated to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
Eat Right
Well, we can’t vouch for the caloric content. But top off dinner with the Haitian Rum Raisin Bread Pudding ($5.95), added for the month of February at all Legal Sea Foods locations, and sales will support relief efforts through UNICEF and Partners in Health.
While we don’t normally jump for joy over chains, we like that our
homegrown chowder-heads are using their national clout for a good cause.
— Scott Kearnan
PS:
We love ideas that make giving glamorous, but what’s important is
making your donation count in any way you can. Visit stuffboston.com/haiti
for additional information on local and national organizations working
to help.