The Foreign Service Journal, April 2010

A P R I L 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 39 T HERE , E VEN AT 3 A . M . I am an entry-level officer in Washington, D.C., who volunteered for multiple shifts with Task Force 2 and 8 (the Haiti Adoptions Task Force). While working at TF-2 one night, I received a call from a gentleman seeking up- dated information on his unaccompanied American child. I checked our database and updated the man. He responded: “You all are doing a great job. I imag- ine not many folks say that to you. The other night I had insomnia because I was worrying about my son in Haiti. It was 3 a.m. or so, and I wondered whom I could talk to about this, so I decided to call the State Department and get an update. To my surprise, State Department em- ployees were there, answering phones. It felt wonderful to be able to talk with someone about my son and his situa- tion. Thank you for the work you do.’“ Nice work, everyone! Danette Sullivan 147th A-100 Washington, D.C. L IVELINES V OLUNTEERS O FFER L IFELINES TO F AMILY E VACUEES On Jan. 14, just two days after the earthquake hit Haiti, Naomi Ritchie, crisis officer for the Fam- ily Liaison Office, was on the telephone to Faye Barnes, president of the Associates of the Foreign Service Worldwide, asking if AAFSW might help the embassy families being evacuated from Haiti. Perhaps its volunteers couldmeet planes or provide them with warm clothes. I volunteered to coordinate the effort by sending a plea for help out through Livelines, the AAFSW- sponsored Yahoo group for Foreign Service fami- lies and employees. Within 24 hours, 60 people had volunteered — Foreign Service officers and spouses, their parents and their siblings, new re- cruits in the A-100 course, those in language train- ing and those who teach at FSI, specialists and those fromother agencies, Red Cross volunteers and even someone who works at the Pentagon. We had iden- tified members ready to drive to all area airports; arranged donations of warm clothes from infant through adult sizes; and lined up toys, cars, extra rooms to lend, and driving and babysitting services. Soon the calls began to come in. “I ran out of my house in my T-shirt and shorts with my purse and my cat. Can someone help me shop and find a place to live?” “I’m arriving at Reagan [National] Airport tonight with no papers. By the way, do you know how my friend is doing? I helped to dig her out of the rubble.” “I just picked up my adopted Haitian daughter, and she’s sick. Can someone take us to the pediatrician if she’s not better by tomorrow?” Volunteers are actively supporting families with clothes, toys, strollers and car seats, babysitting, rides to the pedi- atrician and playtimes with other Foreign Service kids. One volunteer, Meg, said it best: “Helping is truly the easy part. Each of us was likely moved by the fact that we all know too well in the Foreign Service that life can change in an instant. Having been evacuated from post within 11 hours after a death threat against my husband was substantiated in 2003, I wanted to give to the families in any way I could. I will never forget what it is like to arrive in the United States wondering what in the world had just happened to my life.” Ann La Porta AAFSW Washington, D.C. F O C U S At this “Breakfast for Haiti,” and other events, the American In- stitute in Taiwan community raised more than $8,000 for the re- lief effort.