 The BNI Foundation, a non-profit program created by BNI in 1998 to support charitable causes, has made a $25,000 (USD) contribution to the Red Cross in order to help relief efforts toward the victims of the earthquake that brought severe devastation to Haiti this year.
BNI has always had a commitment to being a socially responsible corporation which feels it is extremely important to give back to and support the communities in which it operates, as well as the world as a whole. When news of the Haiti earthquake was received, the BNI Foundation immediately created a fund to help victims in Haiti and then announced that they would match the first $10,000 in donations made to the fund.
However, even after matching the first $8,700 in donations, a group of students from Oostburg High School in Wisconsin raised $3,800 and then donated it to the Foundation and asked the Foundation to match it. The BNI Foundation gladly agreed and ended up matching $12,500 in donations to the fund, making it possible to write a check to the Red Cross on March 15th for a total of $25,000—all of which is going directly to relief efforts in Haiti.
Elisabeth Misner, Co-Founder and BNI-Misner Foundation Administrator, states:
“We are so moved by the generosity of our BNI members and directors around the world. You could have donated to many other organizations in response to the disaster in Haiti, but you chose to meet our challenge (and exceed it!) to support the Red Cross’ work there through the BNI Foundation. Ivan and I are truly humbled by the response and were so proud to make this presentation to the Red Cross representatives. 100% of what was donated will go to the relief effort.”
Upon receiving the Foundation’s $25,000 donation and thanking BNI and the Misners, Red Cross Representative Mike Conley stated, “The outpouring of support in response to this disaster has been the largest the Red Cross has received in one hundred years.”
The BNI-Misner Foundation is still accepting donations for the Haiti Fund and will continue to send all monies received directly to the Red Cross. However, at this point, donations are no longer being matched.
For more information on the BNI-Misner Charitable Foundation and/or to donate to the Haiti Relief Fund, please visit www.bnifoundation.org. |