While musicians are doing their part to try to raise money for the victims of last week's Haiti earthquake, the NBA is too.
Last week, the league donated $1 million, but one player, specifically, trying to make a difference is Haiti-born Samuel Dalembert, of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 6-foot-11 baller touched down in his home country on Tuesday (January 19) with retired NBA player Alonzo Mourning, as part of Project MediShare, reports ESPN.
Both players said they witnessed some horrific things. Dalembert said he saw a leg amputation and people having operations on flimsy kitchen tables, while flies and filth covered everything. But, the one thing he remembers most is all the orphaned children, which made him cry.
"I tried to be strong," the Sixers center told ESPN. "But that was enough for me. There are a lot of homeless children looking for families, and the situation is so critical there. So many people lost everything. I know people are doing their best to help, but it's crazy over there."
Dalembert had a brother, sister, father and grandmother, stuck in Haiti, not knowing where they were until this week. While his bro, sis and grandma left the island and are currently in Miami, his father stayed behind.
"He's going to do whatever he can to help down there," Dalembert said. "We need to work together to make this thing happen. I do my best. I can try and raise as much money as possible and make sure it's going to the right place."
Like his father, Dalembert told the sports network that he won't stop helping Haiti until he feels there's nothing more he can do. So far, he's donated more than $130,000, and said he plans to donate $250,000.
He urged others to donate.
"I know I'm not going to save the whole country, but I know deep inside that we need to do more," he said. "Maybe we can save some lives, and make others just a little bit better.
"There's no recovery room [after surgery], forget about that. You hear screaming. They're numbing people down. There's not enough alcohol. There's glass [from broken windows] everywhere. People haven't had water for days. The people there are so strong. I salute them all. God is watching over us, and will help us get through this."
If you'd like to help, or donate, you can do so by visiting Yele Haiti, Wyclef Jean's organization, at Yele.org.
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