Quad Cities-IA/IL -- Helping Haiti will be the Quad Cities first locally produced hour of high definition news and will be broadcast Wednesday, July 21st at 7:00pm on ABC affiliate WQAD, News 8.
In June, News 8 anchor RaeChelle Davis and photojournalist Jon Reidy accompanied a group of Davenport teachers to the cities of Port au Prince & the mountain village of Grand-Bois, Haiti. The teachers are volunteers for Quad Cities based ServeHAITI, a faith based organization helping Haitians get healthcare, education, clean drinking water & economic opportunities.
The trip marks the first time a Quad Cities journalist has visited the country which was ravished by a January Earthquake. "I thought I'd prepared myself for what to expect," stated News 8's RaeChelle Davis. "I didn't expect to see so little progress in the cleanup, nor the ever present smell of death. In Kafu, the earthquake epicenter, they've just piled rubble into the middle of the street on top of the bodies that had been laid there right after the quake happened. Despite the devastation you see, the time spent by volunteers and the money sent by many of us has not been wasted. There are very good, very positive and very vital stories about what's happening in Haiti and how volunteers from the Quad Cities are helping make those successes happen. This is the story we're here to tell."
The hour long special follows a short series of reports that air on News 8 at 10:00pm beginning Sunday, July 11th and concluding Thursday, July 15th. In the High Definition Hour, airing on the 21st, you will see how much and how little progress has been made in relief efforts at Port au Prince, hear the stories of people dealing with the harshest of living conditions; even before the earthquake hit and meet the volunteers who help make life better one Haitian at a time.
"I had a lot of trouble with what I saw in Haiti the first time I went in 1996," stated nurse volunteer Deb Stockdale. "How could I possibly make a difference? There's no way. This whole country needs an overhaul. But what it comes down to is you can't make a difference in the big picture - but what's really important is that you're able to help at least one person. If I can go help that one person, then it's worth the trip."
Helping Haiti will air at 7:00pm, Wednesday, July 21st on WQAD News 8.
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