problems and solutions.

An Uncle Crappy Problem: I forgot to bring headphones when I went to Seven Springs today, so I had to ski without my usual soundtrack.*

An Actual Problem: One hundred and fifty Haitian orphans, many of whom are this close having their adoptions finalized, who need to get out of the country. Their orphanage collapsed in this week’s earthquake, and what little food and water they have is under constant threat from looters. There are countless stories like this one going on in Haiti at the moment, but we know about this one because the two women who work at the Brebis de Saint-Michel de L’Attalaye orphanage, Jamie and Ali McMutrie, live right up the road from me in Ben Avon.

Since we first heard of the earthquake, our friend Ginny has been working to get the sisters and their charges safely out of Haiti. And Ginny has already moved mountains to make it happen, enlisting the help of political folks — from the locals to our senators to Pittsburgh’s U.S. attorney and even, apparently, the White House — to slash through the usually nightmarish federal bureaucracy and get permission to get the kids into the country. And although she’s been mostly silent this afternoon, I’m assuming she’s working on finding transportation for all those kids.

Ginny hasn’t done this alone, and she — along with the McMutrie sisters — still needs additional help. We need to keep up the pressure — re-Tweets exposed Ginny’s plans to literally millions of people in the last couple of days, and that needs to continue. The McMutries also are asking for supplies — bottled water, diapers, powdered baby formula, snacks suitable for little kids — and we can help with that as well.

There are lots more details about how this came together and what still needs to be done. I’d link you to several posts at Ginny’s blog, but she’s taken it down for the time being, saying only this: “Things are progressing. “Time to let them work.”

But for a decent look at the background, you can read CNN’s report on the BRESMA orphanage. And to get started with giving them a hand, check the Let’s Get Them Out of Haiti Facebook page for details.

We’ve done some pretty cool stuff recently. This one would be the biggest yet. Watch Ginny’s site and her Twitter account, and be ready, y’all…

*I did, however, win a silver NASTAR medal, so I should probably shut the hell up.