Team Rubicon Meets With Ambassador Joseph
Team Rubicon President Jake Wood, along with Team Rubicon West Coast Volunteer Sam Chapetta, attended an event last night put on by the Artists and Athletes Alliance in conjunction with UCLA. Jake and Sam drove in to the Beverly Hills Four Seasons and enjoyed food and drinks while the Haitian Ambassador to the US, Raymond Joseph talked about what his country is doing to rebuild itself following the January 12 earthquake. “Haiti was poised to turn the corner before the earthquake. Now, with the entire world watching, we can ensure that we do this the right way, without the suspicion of corruption.” Ambassador Joseph emphasized that Haiti appreciates the help of the world’s NGOs and governments, but repeatedly stated, “We will not become The Republic of NGOs.” He stated at one point his country’s frustration with the lack of funding being channeled through official government channels, saying that while $2B has been raised for Haiti, the nation has only received $10M. “At one point our hospital needed $200,000 to ensure continuity of operations, but an NGO sitting on $70M in Haiti donations refused to lend us the money.”
Following the talk, Jake Wood and Sam Chapetta approached the Ambassador and thanked him for his crucial help in getting Team Rubicon inside Haiti in an expeditious manner. Ambassador looked at the letter Jake Wood was holding, a letter which he had signed nearly 3 months ago authorizing TR’s passage across the border, and smiled. “Thank you sir for coming to help my country.” He continued, “Your organization did a great service to the Haitian people.”
During the social mingling following the event, actress Kristen Bell (Heroes, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), expressed her admiration for what Team Rubicon accomplished, “What you guys did down there was awesome.” Kristen had just returned a few days prior from a brief trip to Port au Prince. She seemed to be quite knowledgeable about the situation there and expressed a genuine interest in helping the people of Haiti. She said goodbye with a solid, “Team Rubicon Rocks!”
Of course TR rocks! You guys did – and are still – doing it the right way.