MercyCorps is a charitable organization I've been following for some time.  They work around the world helping the lives of people struggling with poverty, war, oppression, disaster, disease, etc.  Over the last several years they have consistently received high ratings on CharityNavigator.org (a respected Charity rating site).  I was especially impressed when they were sited by CharityNavigator as having one of most efficient and effective respsponses in helping victims of Hurricane Katrina.

When the earthquake hit Haiti I immediately knew that if Mercy Corps was working there, they were the charity I would like to donate through.  

After giving myself I decided that I wanted to encourage others to give by setting up a First Giving page.  Donations through this page are not allocated specifically for Haiti relief, but go to Mercy Corps to use wherever they need it most.   You can give as much as you want or as little as $1.  All of it goes to charity, except a 7.5% transaction fee (I used to work in gift processing for a major university, and I can tell you this is quite reasonable.).  Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!