The Cherokee Christian Ministerial Association has raised $8,000 in offerings taken up from local churches on Sunday, said President the Rev. Larry Baker.
A music benefit for college-age students conducted on Saturday at Prayer & Praise Christian Fellowship in Woodstock, the church he pastors, brought in $516.
"It went really well," he said of the benefit.
The association is expecting more money to come in through church donations and another upcoming fundraiser.
The association will present a New Orleans-style dinner at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the church at 6409 Bells Ferry Road. Admission is a $10 donation.
Funds raised by the association are helping Reformation Hope International rebuild its sanctuary and school near Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince. A well will also be dug there.
Pastor Jean Paul, a Haitian minister who operates the organization's congregation, school and orphanage, estimates $200,000 is needed for the projects.
The Rotary Club of Canton is also continuing to raise money for it ShelterBox project, which is sending kits with tents, water purification supplies and other relief items to Haiti.
So far, club members and friends have donated $4,515 toward ShelterBox and $1,085 to other Haitian relief efforts, President Peter Gleichman said. The club also donated $1,000 for medical supplies through MedShare.
Cherokee County schools are continuing their efforts to raise money and collect donations of nonperishable food and medical supplies.
Various schools have undertaken projects such as paying $1 to wear hats to school or sponsoring canned food drives to help Haitians recover from the earthquake.
Avery Elementary School's Junior Beta Club has set up a Medical Assistance Supporting Haiti relief fund. Along with raising money for the fund, the club is asking students to donate basic medical items such as Band-Aids, gauze pads and cotton balls and toiletries.
The school is partnering with First Baptist Woodstock and will turn over its collection to the church on Friday.
"We feel very fortunate to have such a wonderful partner who is willing to help deliver these items to the people of Haiti," Assistant Principal Christian Kirby said.
Freedom Middle School students, who are paying $1 a day to wear hats to school this week, has raised about $700 in two days.
At Carmel Elementary in Woodstock, a volunteer collection among teachers brought in more than $1,200 just days after the earthquake happened.
Principal Dr. Sharron Hunt said the funds will be given to the American Red Cross.
Teachers, she added, also are coming up with ways students can give to the relief efforts.
"We are committed to providing such an opportunity for our students to respond at their respective levels of understanding and abilities so that they can feel connected to this disaster in a positive way," she said.
A student from Etowah High School and a student from Woodstock High School have started a countywide effort.
Etowah's National Honors Society President Laura Stewart and Woodstock's class President Rajpal Sagoo are teaming up to collect money, shoes, medical supplies and nonperishable food to give to Haitians.
Rajpal, 18, son of Jaspal and Meena Sagoo of Woodstock, said collection boxes will be set up in each school.
The students also will be selling T-shirts for $15, and all the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross. The T-shirts can be purchased on Woodstock High's Web site at www.cherokee.k12.ga.us/schools/Woodstock-HS.
Donations will be collected at all schools through Feb. 26. Each school will deliver their collections to Woodstock High between 3:45 and 6:30 p.m. on March 1 and 2.
Financial donations that are mailed to schools should be postmarked no later than Feb. 26. Checks should be made payable to the American Red Cross.
Rajpal said the Georgia National Guard has agreed to ship the majority of donated items to Haiti from Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
Also, a portion of the donations will be sent with a relative of Etowah High student Garcia Jean-Bert who is departing on a mission trip to Haiti.
Donations also will be sent with Kevin Smith, director of Cherokee County-based Create-A-Miracle Foundation, to take with him on his upcoming mission trip to Haiti.
Rajpal said the response so far has been phenomenal.
The students also have set up boxes in local business along the Towne Lake Parkway and Eagle Drive corridors. Rajpal said he's hoping to add boxes to other business throughout the county.
Rajpal said students, as well as everyone in the county, should realize how fortunate they are to be able to share their resources with people impacted by the earthquake.
"Why let someone go through that pain if we have the power to help them out?" he said.
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