No Matter Where You Live or Work, You Can Help the Many Survivors and Children of Super Typhoon Haiyan

Since I founded our firm I have been frequently amazed at the WordPress community in which we work. We are a community of liked minded individuals that span the globe. Our community is tight and it is one where time zone is irrelevant.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with or hired people from Canada and Brazil to the UK, Pakistan, and the Philippines. The global nature of our work has allowed me to experience multiple cultures within my workday and I’ve loved every minute of it.

Of all of our international colleagues, the people of the Philippines stole my heart. They are hard working people who are loyal to their family and employers alike. They try hard to please and do everything possible to fit within our American culture.  While they may live on the other side of the world, their work is as important as someone sitting on the other side of my desk.

Some of Our Community is at Risk

When we heard of the typhoon arriving in the Philippians my heart sank. To some Americans it made little impact, but to me it stopped my breath. These people are part of our WordPress community. Their spouses and children and parents are an extended part of our community as well. This was not just a story, but it was part of our story.

As the weekend progressed I watched the news closely. As I spent time with my family Friday night, I quietly worried over the people waking Saturday morning to devastation and loss. I knew our sun was setting, but their sun was rising and chaos and loss was awaiting them.

Today we know this storm was a super typhoon and that thousands have lost their lives and up to four million children are at risk. These are simply estimates, as the Filipino government is still waiting for communication from the hardest hit areas.

Help the Survivors by Making an Online Donation

As you sit in your office today, remember the typhoon and the devastation that was left behind.

Remember the families that are still looking for loved ones. Remember that there are over a million children who are in need of food, shelter, and fresh water.

Our firm made a donation to UNICEF and you can too. It takes only a few minutes to make an online donation via the UNICEF website. If you’d prefer another organization, there are many available:

• Habitat for Humanity
• Samaritan’s Purse
• Save the Children
• The American Red Cross
• The Philippine Red Cross
• UNICEF
• World Vision

Today I received this LinkedIn message from some I had worked with a few years ago:

Good Day, I guess you have heard of what had happened recently in the Philippines. Thousands of Filipinos died and lost their homes because of the Typhoon that struck the country. I have some relatives as well who were greatly much affected with the super typhoon. With this I would like to ask for your kind hearts to help my fellow Filipinos on any help you can big or small. That would be greatly appreciated.

There was no link and no more words. Just a simple plea for aid to his country and help to his people. On many days of the year our world may seem vast, but today it was small.

Remember that you can make a difference regardless of your location or financial situation. Two minutes of your time could help save the life of someone who is in desperate need.