Rosen Hotels 'Little Haiti House'

[Simon Veness]

As some people will remember, we went along to the Florida Homes & Gardens Show here in Orlando this weekend, and bought tickets for a special charity event organised by the Rosen Hotels group. All the funds raised went to Harris Rosen's Little Haiti House project, which is an incredibly visionary drive to provide cheap, sustainable prefab housing for victims of the earthquake disaster.

We enjoyed a terrific evening of wining and dining (amazing value at just $25 a ticket), including samples of the Rosen's group's four signature restaurants - Cala Bella and A Land Remembered (at the Shingle Creek Resort), Jack's Place (at the Rosen Plaza) and the excellent Everglades (at the Rosen Centre). But that was really only the icing on the cake of a superb story that is Rosen's Haiti charity drive.

We got to see his innovative 'Little House,' which he has pioneered with several local building experts, and it is a truly amazing idea - an easily-built (in a matter of hours) prefab home that is totally sustainable in that it has built-in solar power and wind-power attributes, is both hurricane and earthquake-proof, and is made from highly eco-friendly materials. Each one costs just $5,000 (and last night raised enough for one-and-a-bit!), and Harris Rosen (an amazingly driven and philanthropic individual) is determined to not only raise enough money for hundreds of these homes, but turn them into mini self-sustainable 'villages', with the resources to grow their own food and be self-sufficient.

It is a hugely admirable project and, after talking to Harris Rosen himself (a self-made millionaire who created the Rosen hotel group almost single-handed), we were immensely impressed by his genuine desire to help out in this disaster (especially now, with so many homeless Haitians in dire need as the rainy season approaches), not only in the short-term but in providing genuine, long-term solutions and hope for the people there.

We think this is one of the most worthwhile charities we have come across in a long time and have committed to helping out in any way we can. They are currently planning another trip to Haiti next month to take more aid and supplies, but they also need more publicity and support for their efforts, so please pass on these details and tell more people about the 'Little House for Haiti' appeal: http://www.rosenhotels.com/haiti/

[Simon Veness]

Here's a quick update from the Little House project, which is always good to see:

ORLANDO (April 2, 2010) - Two months after announcing his Relief-Rebuild-Sustain effort to provide assistance to those devastated by the earthquake in Haiti, Orlando hotelier and philanthropist Harris Rosen, founder of the Harris Rosen Foundation, continues to make substantial strides to provide short- and long-term solutions to the impoverished country.

Since it was first announced that Rosen's Little Haiti House would make its public debut at the Central Florida Home & Garden Show at the Orange County Convention Center, March 19-21, the philanthropist has made much progress toward making the low-cost, eco-friendly, earthquake- and hurricane-resistant homes a reality for the citizens of Haiti. Meanwhile, the Harris Rosen Foundation continues to fund relief efforts, announcing its second food and supplies drive called "Family Kits for Haiti," to gather urgently needed food, tents, baby items and other supplies. The drive continues through Friday, April 9.

Little Haiti House

Expert groups are working simultaneously to implement the Little Haiti House concept. While Home Show attendees were able to see the 24' x 12' model of the Little Haiti House, Rosen's team of architects and builders are currently working to determine the optimum size-or sizes-for the homes, ranging from 288 to 700 square feet, as well as investigating exact materials to be used in the homes, which would be manufactured in the U.S. and shipped in crates to be assembled in Haiti by Haitian construction teams. Meanwhile, offers of potential land donations are being evaluated and surveying teams will be determining ideal location and layout for the small villages of Little Haiti Houses. Agricultural experts are determining the feasibility of growing plant-based fuels in these areas.

Every feature of the homes is being scrutinized for maximum efficiency, safety and sustainability. For instance:
· Awnings, although useful for shade, were omitted because they produce lift in high-wind conditions such as hurricanes and tropical storms.
· Solar panels and a wind turbines are being evaluated to be used in the homes to provide a renewable energy source.
· A panel system which is made from metal sheeting covering a foam core is capable of withstanding up to 150 mph winds and is earthquake resistant.
· Zinc sheets are placed over porches to provide shade as families enjoy their outdoor living.
· A rain barrel and collection device will be standard with every home to provide a fresh water source.
· A team of Rosen associates who are emigrants from Haiti have decided on interior and exterior palette of paint colors featuring Caribbean-inspired blue and yellows.

Fundraising Efforts

Fundraising efforts for the Little Haiti House and the Relief-Rebuild-Sustain program also continue to move forward. On Saturday, March 20 from 6-9 p.m., during the Central Florida Home & Garden Show, the Harris Rosen Foundation presented a special after-hours dining event called "Rosen Hotels' Homeowners for Haiti." For just $25, which included free admission to the show, approximately 200 guests sampled a mix of sweet and savory dishes such as Focaccia Crusted Lamb and Tropical Crab Cakes from the award-winning Rosen Hotels' restaurants, including Jack's Place at Rosen Plaza, Everglades at Rosen Centre and A Land Remembered and Cala Bella Italian Bistro at Rosen Shingle Creek. The tapas-style offerings were accompanied by wine courtesy of Southern Wine & Spirits and Opici Wine Company as well as non-alcoholic beverages. Guests also got the opportunity to mingle with the acclaimed chefs as well with the event host, Scott Joseph, renowned Central Florida food critic and creator of the online Orlando Restaurant Guide, www.scottjosephorlando.com.

**** Harkey, from Rep. John Mica's office, tours the Little Haiti House with Harris Rosen.
This first-of-its-kind event was created specifically to benefit the victims of the Haiti earthquake through the Rosen Haiti Relief Fund and marked the first time that Rosen Hotels & Resorts had partnered with the Central Florida Home Show. "I couldn't think of a better place to unveil the Little Haiti House to the public than to homeowners attending the Central Florida Home Show," said Harris Rosen, President and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts and founder of the Harris Rosen Foundation. "Home ownership is a milestone that people all over the world aspire to and the Haitian people need our help more than ever to make that dream come true. We not only collected donations for the Little Haiti House at the Home Show, but also conducted an extremely successful dining fundraiser featuring our talented chefs, so we are extremely grateful for the strong support and partnership of the Central Florida Home Show in making these fundraising opportunities available to us."

Food and Supplies Drive

Through April 9, the Harris Rosen Foundation will conduct a food and supplies drive to create "Family Kits" for Haitian families. All materials gathered are hand delivered to the needy in Haiti by Rosen Hotels & Resorts own task force of associates, who recently returned from Haiti with this list of urgently needed items, which includes: 18-22 gallon plastic storage bins; new and used tents that sleep two or more people; canned foods such as vegetables, meats and fish; manual can openers; powdered milk; peanut butter; cooking oil in small to medium bottles; sugar; rice and dry beans in 10 lb. bags or less; pasta; baby food; baby cereal; baby formula; baby diapers; non-disposable plastic bowls and plates; and utensils. No clothing or shoes are being accepted at this time. All items may be dropped off at the bell stand at Rosen Centre, located at 9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819. Monetary donations are also accepted; checks may be made payable to the Harris Rosen Foundation. Credit card contributions may be made online via PayPal at: www.RosenHotels.com/Haiti.

The Little Haiti House and the Relief-Rebuild-Sustain program are funded through the Harris Rosen Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. At least one third of Rosen Hotels & Resorts' associates are of Haitian descent, and the hotelier has funded various Haitian relief efforts throughout the last decade. Shortly after the Jan. 12 earthquake, Rosen set out to raise at least $1 million and collect urgently needed medical supplies. Within weeks, Rosen sent a team of associates to Haiti to deliver 20,000 pounds of medical supplies such as antibiotics, palettes of batteries and flashlights, towels, hygiene items including 50,000 bars of soap, first-aid kits and other emergency items. Rosen also sent three fixed-wing aircraft to Haiti to facilitate delivery of urgently needed medical supplies.

[Catlady]

A very worthy cause...

[Seth1970]

Those houses sound amazing.

[Simon Veness]

They really are. Some incredibly clever thought and design and, at just $5,000 each, you'd like to think the authorities should be very, very interested.