January 17, 2010
The messages have cropped up everywhere this week; on radio, on the Internet, on Saturday's telecasts of the NFL playoffs. If you want to donate $10 to the Red Cross Haiti earthquake relief effort, simply text the word HAITI to 90999.
The $10 charge will show up on your wireless bill and your wireless carrier will transmit the money to the American Red Cross. It may be the fastest form of disaster response yet devised.
Verizon Wireless said Saturday that it transmitted $2,987,560 to the American Red Cross, representing donations made by Verizon Wireless customers for the first two days of the campaign from 12:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 13 through 2 p.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 15.
Though all carriers are participating, Verizon is the only one so far that has reported its individual collections, saying nearly 300,000 of its customers had taken part. Verizon said total collections, including other companies, total $9 million.
So far, the American Red Cross has received $37 million in donations, breaking records for pledges to the Red Cross made within the same time period after a disaster. More than half of the donations have been through online contributions on the Red Cross and other Web sites, with strong support from corporations and record-setting activity in mobile giving.
As the outpouring of support continues from wireless users texting HAITI to 90999, Verizon said it would continue to advance funds pledged by Verizon Wireless customers and provide dollars to the Red Cross outside normal operation procedures.
"President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have challenged the American people to donate to the Red Cross relief effort, and companies like Verizon need to step up to the plate," said Verizon Wireless president and CEO Lowell McAdam. "Time is of the essence, and it makes sense for us to toss aside our normal financial processes to get money where it can do the most good, in the fastest way possible."
