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Jan. 29, 2010

The University of Tennessee Athletics Department has teamed with the American Red Cross to raise funds for their Haitian relief efforts.

"As student-athletes at Tennessee, we are so blessed in having all of our needs met. When so many people are affected by a disaster like those in Haiti, we need to realize how fortunate we are and do what we can to help others. We have the greatest fans in the country at Tennessee and they always support us. It is our hope that they will also provide their support in the relief effort," said sophomore Alyssia Brewer. "We can come together and really help make a difference in the lives of those affected by the earthquake."

Members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be on-hand to take donations for the Red Cross before the Vols match-up against the Florida Gators on Sunday at 1 p.m. and the Lady Vols match-up against the Florida Gators on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 2 p.m.

"We at the University of Tennessee are so blessed, especially in the athletic department; it would be simply selfish of us not to step-in and help out wherever we are needed. The student-athletes here have very generous hearts," said SAAC President and Lady Vol rower Mary Beth Dreusike. "I am so grateful to be in a position of leadership and power where I can make a difference for this devastated country."

Fans can also send a donation by texting `HAITI' to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. Donations will appear on customers' monthly bills or be debited from a prepaid account balance, and standard message and data rates may apply.

All donations benefit the American Red Cross' relief efforts in Haiti. To date, East Tennessee has raised and donated to the American Red Cross more than $120,000 in support of Disaster Relief efforts in Haiti. The American Red Cross is working with its partners in the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network, including the Haitian Red Cross, and other partners to assist those affected by this disaster. More than 500 Red Cross and Red Crescent workers from at least 30 countries are in the country supporting thousands of local volunteers. Of them, more than 100 represent the American Red Cross, including a group of Creole interpreters on board the USNS Comfort. The Red Cross has committed $30 million to the World Food Programme, enabling them to feed up to one million people in Haiti for one month. The relief operation in Haiti is already the largest single-country personnel deployment in global Red Cross history. The number of emergency response teams in or en route to Haiti equals those that responded to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami--a disaster that spanned 14 countries.

THE TOLL
150,000: Latest estimate of the death toll, from the Haitian Health Ministry. The European Union and the Pan American Health Organization, which are coordinating the health-sector response, have estimated the quake killed 200,000 people. 194,000: Number of injured 134: Estimated number of people rescued by international search teams since the quake

THE EFFECT
9 million: Population of Haiti 3 million: Estimated number of people affected by the quake 1 million: Estimated number of displaced people 800,000 to 1 million: People who need temporary shelter 235,000: People who have left Port-au-Prince using free transportation provided by the government. The number who left by private means is undetermined. At least 50: Aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or higher that have hit Haiti since the January 12 quake

THE CHILDREN
300,000: Children younger than 2 who need nutritional support 90: Percentage of schools in Port-au-Prince that have been destroyed 363: Haitian orphans who have been evacuated

THE RESPONSE IN DOLLARS
$1.12 billion: International aid pledges $783 million: Funds received as of Tuesday $317 million: U.S. assistance as of Monday

THE RESPONSE IN MANPOWER
17,000: U.S. military personnel in and around Haiti 8 million: Meals the World Food Programme has delivered to nearly 400,000 people 300: Aid distribution sites that are up and running 130 to 150: Flights arriving every day at the single-runway Port-au-Prince airport with aid

*Data found at www.cnn.com.