Our partners in health: Leah Bogen, Bride-to-be

We've been incredibly touched and inspired by the outpouring of support we've received over the past 6 days. From to celebrities to sports teams to activists--we are so thankful to all our partners in health. Below is a message from one of the thousands of supporters standing in solidarity with PIH, and with the people of Haiti.

Leah Bogen and her fiance Will.

Today I donated the food budget for my wedding to relief efforts in Haiti. Getting married and planning the perfect wedding is something most women, including me, dream about for a very long time. The perfect dress, decorations, catering, flowers, cakes, the list goes on and on. It is my chance to be "queen for a day" and it feels great. My fiancé and I have been planning our wedding for a few months now, meeting with vendors, setting our budget and having many long conversations about creating the perfect wedding.

Running in tandem with our wedding planning conversations over the past few days has been the horror and human tragedy in Haiti. I woke up Sunday morning and sat down with a cup of coffee and the newspaper and read about people with no food or water, having limbs amputated in makeshift hospitals in a last chance effort to save their lives. I suggested to my fiancé right then that we should donate part of our wedding budget to disaster relief in Haiti. Anyone who has planned a wedding knows how tight the budget can get, but without a moment's pause he said "YES! I love you SO much!"

We have decided to donate our food budget - 25% of our wedding funds - to aid victims of the Haiti earthquake. Our friends and family can go without a fancy wedding dinner, especially if it means helping provide food, medical care and shelter for those desperately in need.

The tragedy in Haiti is so huge I hope that other brides- to-be will take this message to heart and find a way to donate to a relief organization. Find something in your wedding budget that you don't need and just cut it out. Assess what is most important to you on your wedding day, harness your bride-power, and take action to do something that will make your wedding unbelievably meaningful! Your wedding will be spectacular, and the money you donate will make a huge difference to someone in dire need.

Sincerely,
Leah Bogen
Duluth, MN

P.S. My fiance suggested your organization as the group we should donate too, you have done amazing work already and we know you will still be in Haiti long after the hype dies down and other groups leave. We hope others will do the same, and find money in their budget that they can do without.