Our partner in health: Tatiana Chermayeff, change maker

Tatiana and one of the cans she used to collect change.

Tatiana Chermayeff is making change in a big way. After the earthquake, she placed collection cans for PIH at local store counters in Rowayton, CT and nearby towns. One month later, the loose change dropped into her 10 cans totaled nearly $1,000.  "[The cans were] easy to put out there,” said the 11-year-old. “I've seen it before, and that gave me the idea."

Tatiana decided to organize her own fundraiser after hearing about the misery caused by the earthquake in Haiti. In an essay about her campaign, she writes: "I was scared and sad to learn about how much the Haitian people were suffering." Read the full text of her essay below.

Tatiana partnered with eateries, a hardware store, and a salon in Rowayton, Darien, and New Canaan to raise funds for PIH. "[PIH] has many hospitals and doctors in Haiti...to help Haitians immediately," she writes.

In addition to the collection cans, Tatiana set up a PIH fundraising page to raise money online. Throughout the month, friends, family, and classmates pitched in over $4,000, making her total contribution to PIH $5,277.58.

Read Tatiana's own reflections in her essay below.

Change for Haiti

By Tatiana Chermayeff

I am an 11 year old fifth grader who lives in Rowayton, CT.  On January 12, 2010, a huge earthquake struck Haiti.  I was scared and sad to learn about how much the Haitian people were suffering.  I helped with bake sales at my school and church to raise money for Haiti, which inspired me to organize a fundraiser myself.   On Sunday January 24, I searched the Internet for ideas and decided to collect change at stores in my community and give the money to Partners in Health (PIH).  I selected PIH because I heard through my dad that they have many hospitals and doctors in Haiti that would be able to help Haitians immediately.  

I made ten collection cans and placed them in stores in Rowayton, Darien and New Canaan.   I went from store to store asking the owners or managers if they would allow me to put a can next to the cash register.  The first day I placed cans at Rowayton Market, Rowayton Pizza, Brendan’s 101 and Rowayton Hardware.  A few days later I put cans in Robek’s and Fredric & Co. in Darien, and Rosie’s, McKenzie’s and Chocolate Shoppe in New Canaan.  In addition to the cans, I decided to raise money from friends, family and classmates through the PIH website, which allowed me to create a personal fundraising page as part of PIH’s “Stand With Haiti” campaign.  I set a goal to raise $2,500.

After one week, I went to all the stores to collect the money in the cans.  I counted the change and bills at home and was amazed to find almost $300.  My on-line fundraiser went extremely well too and I raised $2,295 in that first week.  When my fundraising effort concluded after one month, the donations totaled $5,277.58!  Of that amount, almost $1,000 came from the cans.  Someone told me that every dollar goes a long way in Haiti so no contribution is too small.  I feel really happy that through my efforts and the generosity of many people the fundraiser was a huge success and that Haitians are getting the help they need.