Join Jocelyn Jean in his efforts to help the people of Haiti
January 15, 2010
FLEXONLINE.COM
In the aftermath of this past week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti the world has joined together in an effort to provide relief for the beleaguered residents of this long-suffering island-nation. People across the globe and from all walks of life have found themselves touched by this tragedy and are extending themselves as never before to help. In fact, so universal is the tragedy that even the bodybuilding community has been directly affected.
IFBB Pro League competitor Jocelyn Jean emigrated from Haiti with his father, stepmother and siblings in 1983, when he was 11, but left a large extended family, many in Haiti’s capitol, Port-au-Prince, which was near the quake’s epicenter.
“I have one uncle, who is a judge, who fortunately just has cuts and bruises,” explains Jean. “But my other uncle had both of his legs broken. We have been getting reports from him that we may have lost 15 family members. No one knows for sure yet though.”
Just as transplanted New Yorkers felt an urge to return to their home city in the days following 9/11, so too are Haitians emigres feeling the tug of their homeland in its time of need, and Jocelyn is no exception.
“I’ve set up a website called worldbodyfit.com,” says Jean, “where I’m accepting donations so that I can personally go to Haiti with food, medical supplies and whatever else I can bring that could be of help to these people. But I will have to fly into the Dominican Republic because it’s almost impossible to fly into Haiti itself right now.”
He continues, “I understand that some people are skeptical about donating money to organizations other than the big, recognized ones, so I’ve posted my phone number on the site so people can call me and find out that I am legitimate. I just want to help my people.”
FLEX would like to extend its deepest concerns to the people of Haiti, both those there and those abroad, and ask that you consider supporting Jocelyn Jean‘s relief efforts or those of any of the organizations so vital to the survival of the hundreds of thousands directly affected by this tragedy.
