In response to the devastating earthquake that struck the nation of Haiti, students from Chattanooga State Community College and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) are uniting to launch a campaign to collect critical medical supplies.   Known as “Embrace Haiti,” the project reminds the community that the crisis in Haiti continues and focuses primarily on obtaining medical equipment, specifically devices that improve mobility and independence for individuals.  “Embrace Haiti” begins on Saturday, March 20 and concludes on Monday, March 29.  The public is invited to participate.

Recommended donations include walkers, cervical collars, wheelchairs, slings, canes, crutches, splints, braces, therapeutic shoes, and foot boots.  Tents, tarps, bandages, sanitizing sprays and creams, cleaning solutions, laundry detergent, towels, blankets, and tube socks are other requested items.

“Embrace Haiti” has two distinct phases.  Initially students will network within the community to encourage support.  As students gather supplies and equipment, they will also be packing and loading the contributions into an 18-wheel transportation trailer that Chattanooga State uses to train students who are enrolled in the college’s commercial truck driving program.

The second phase of the project begins on Monday, March 29, when Chattanooga State students will drive the commercial training vehicle to Bluffton, Indiana, and deliver the donations to an organization that is working nationally to amass medical supplies and equipment for Haitian earthquake relief.  Ultimately, the donations collected in Chattanooga will travel to a Haiti-based rehabilitation clinic founded by Dr. June Hanks, a local physical therapist and an associate professor at UTC.

Other area businesses assisting Chattanooga State and UTC include Goodwill Industries, Fillauer Inc., Walmart, Benton Oil Service, and 3-H Group Hotels.

The schedule for the “Embrace Haiti” project provides opportunities for community participation.  The Chattanooga State truck will be accepting donations at the locations listed below.

• March 20-21 Walmart on Highway 153

• March 22-23 UTC • March 24-26 Chattanooga State

• March 27-28 Walmart on Gunbarrel Road

• March 29 Chattanooga State

Student body presidents, Tyler Forrest from UTC and Dale Grisso from Chattanooga State, are providing the leadership for “Embrace Haiti.”  Both believe that this campaign can have a significant impact.  “We have heard that at least 110,000 Haitians have had amputations since the earthquake,” said Forrest.  “Medical treatment and rehabilitation services are rare; so I know that our focus on orthotics and prosthetics addresses a serious need.”

Dale Grisso from Chattanooga State sees the project as a learning experience.  “Chattanooga State and UTC are natural partners, and this project combines the strengths of our campus communities,” notes Grisso.  “Together we are becoming culturally aware and globally concerned.”

For more information about “Embrace Haiti,” contact Sandy Kluttz at Chattanooga State by telephone at 423.697.4475 or email at sandy.kluttz@chattanoogastate.edu.

For more information about Chattanooga State Community College and its educational programs, call the Chattanooga State information hotline at 423.697.4404 or toll free at 1.866.547.3733 or visit the college’s Web site at www.chattanoogastate.edu.

Chattanooga State Community College is a comprehensive, regionally accredited community college, operated under the policies and guidelines of the Tennessee Board of Regents College System.  Founded in 1965 and serving a six-county area in Southeast Tennessee, Chattanooga State offers a wide array of programs and services.