OPBSI Provides Relief Support for Victims in Haiti

NEW YORK, New York... January 18, 2010. Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated (OPBSI) has launched the Haiti Relief Campaign in efforts to provide aide to those affected by the massive 7.0 earthquake that struck shortly after 5:00 PM on January 13, 2010. OPBSI will be partnering with the Brooklyn Tabernacle and The American Red Cross to raise funds for the 2010 Haiti Relief Campaign and send a medical team to assist with relief efforts. The casualties continue to rise with women and children at the forefront of the death toll with homes, buildings, and the capital, Port- au-Prince destroyed. Members of OPBSI as well as the National Step Team and the undergraduate and alumnae chapters and colonies will be working tirelessly to raise funds for this much needed cause.

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the nation and will desperately need help from people all over the world to face the worst catastrophe in the last two hundred years. The donations collected by OPBSI will assist with relief and reconstructive efforts such as the purchase of medical supplies, food, water, and rebuilding materials to bring faith to a country that holds on to very little hope and houses the poorest of the poor. In addition to nationwide donations of members, families, and friends, the Soul Steppin' Divas of OPBSI's National Step Team has donated all proceeds made from the ticket sales of the Bringin' It Back Tour performance that took place on January 16, 2010. OPBSI will also be hosting a fundraising event to aide with the efforts on Tuesday, January 19, at 5:30 pm at Red Sky Bar in New York City. Vanessa Santiago, National President of OPBSI states: "During this time we'd like to extend our prayers to sisters, families and the rest of the Haitian and neighboring communities who have been affected by this disaster. This is truly devastating to us all. We need to stand as one people and support Haiti during their time of need". To make a donation to the Haiti Relief Campaign please go to Donate to Haiti . or visit www.OmegaPhiBeta.org ..

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it is a charitable organization and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.RedCross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org .

The Brooklyn Tabernacle has a congregation of nearly 10,000 and the ministry continues to grow under the leadership of Pastor Jim Cymbala. Pastor Cymbala and his wife Carol, who directs the popular Grammy Award winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, have been used by the Lord not only to preach the Gospel in the inner city of New York, but also to see new churches grow out of the congregation across New York, as well as domestically and internationally. The ministry of the Church has from the outset reached out to the cross-cultural melting pot of New York City. It is comprised of men, women, and children of all ethnic and national origins. However, central to the growth and expansion of the Church has been the continual emphasis on prayer, from the Tuesday Night Prayer Meeting that is attended by thousands to the Prayer Band, members of the Church devoted to boldly "calling on the Lord" for needs from all over the globe.

Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, a NALFO organization member, is a Latina-oriented sorority founded on March 15, 1989, at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Seventeen women of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds came together to defy the injustices suffered by women, particularly women of color, in the academic, professional and political arenas. The purpose of OPBSI is to serve and educate people of diverse backgrounds through sisterhood, leadership, and guidance. As positive role models, we promote unity of all cultures, focus on the empowerment of our gender and raise the standards of excellence in our academic, social, and personal endeavors. For further information visit: www.OmegaPhiBeta.org .

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