The Archdiocese of Boston says it expects that its special collections at local Catholic parishes will net Haiti relief efforts in excess of $2 million. In a statement issued today, Cardinal Seán O'Malley said that the church drive has already collected some $1.7 million— and expects that with 50 parishes still uncounted, that sum will exceed the $2 million mark. The money was raised through parishioner donations since the Jan. 12 earthquake and will be channeled to Catholic Relief Services' efforts on the ground in Haiti. O'Malley is scheduled to travel to Haiti himself next week.

Congressman toured Haiti capital with eye on troop levels, relief
U.S. Representative Michael Capuano visited Haiti last Friday and says he is encouraged with the progress he witnessed. Capuano, who represents parts of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville in Massachusetts’ Eighth district, joined several other members of Congress to meet with senior U.S. diplomats and military leaders in and around Port-au-Prince.

Nelson Aquino, a nurse anesthetist from Children’s Hospital Boston, went to Haiti last month with a group of Children’s clinicians as part of a disaster response team. Now, after two weeks back in the United States, he reflects on the life-altering experience in the video above. For many more accounts of the way Children's Hospital Boston has helped respond to the disaster, please check out their blog dedicated to Haiti. Thank you to our friends at Children's Hospital Boston for their ongoing efforts.

“Framing Haiti: A Brown University Teach-In” will be held Friday, Feb. 19, from noon to 3 p.m. in the Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences, 185 Meeting St. All events are free and open to the public. Brown University is in Providence, Rhode Island. Sponsored by the Brown University Haitian Relief Committee, the event will address Haiti’s rich legacy of art and literature, its history and culture, as well as January’s catastrophic earthquake and the medical crises it engendered.

Rich Innocent in Haiti
Many readers have inquired after the BHR's own Richardson Innocent, who provided some of our early reports from Delmas — where he survived the earthquake on Jan. 12. Rich spent the next three-and-a-half weeks helping out friends and neighbors all over the PaP area. On Wednesday, he came home to Boston to regroup. Rich hitched a flight to Florida's Fort Rogers courtesy of Missionary Flight International and then made his way back to Boston via Miami.
Richardson is pictured in this photo (above) as he assisted in a search and rescue operation in Delmas. Innocent says he intends to return to Haiti in the near future.