Founded | 2010 (J/P HRO) 2019 (CORE) |
---|---|
Founders | Sean Penn, Sanela Diana Jenkins, Ann Lee (honorary) |
Type | Non-profit organization |
Focus | COVID-19 testing/contact tracing, wrap-around services, displaced persons camp and relocations management, health, education, community development and livelihoods, engineering and construction, including rubble removal |
Location |
|
Area served | Haiti, Bahamas, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, USA |
Website | coreresponse.org/ |
Community Organized Relief Effort, also known as CORE Response and formerly as J/P Haitian Relief Organization is a non-profit organization founded by actor Sean Penn and Ann Lee in response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The organization was founded in 2010 and changed its name in 2019 to receive contracts and donations to work globally. [1] In March 2020, CORE began administering free COVID-19 tests in the U.S. amid the COVID-19 pandemic. [2]
The organization was founded by actor Sean Penn in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. J/P stood for Jenkins-Penn, a reference to Sanela Diana Jenkins, whose foundation supported initial relief efforts with Penn. [3] Before starting the organization, Penn had never visited Haiti and did not speak French or Creole. When asked for his comment on his critics, he said he hopes they "die screaming of rectal cancer". [4]
In 2011, Penn said that he had a lifelong commitment to Haiti, and that when he was not working he would be in the country. [5]
J/P HRO changed its name to CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) in 2019 as it expanded its relief efforts beyond Haiti. [6] The organization added Ann Lee as an honorary co-founder. [7] [8] [9]
As of June 2020, CORE employs nearly 1,000 people working on COVID-19 response at 45 testing sites, including 10 mobile sites, across the United States. [10]
In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, J/P HRO employed nearly 350 people, 95 percent of whom were Haitian, to provide health, education and community development, and housing and economic opportunities. [11]
As of 2020, CORE employs a team of over 100 people in Haiti working to rebuild communities. [11]
CORE treated 500,000 patients at two community clinics following the earthquake, providing free emergency and primary medical care for a nominal sum. The clinics also led broad public education campaigns on good health and hygiene practice. [12]
CORE has frequent turnover of its financial management staff, who have reported that the organization lacks the necessary accounting processes to handle the funds it receives. A 2020 independent audit identified seven areas of concern. At least one previous staff was received a salary after leaving the organization, even after reporting that he was still receiving payment. [9]
In 2023, CORE announced that all issues identified in the 2020 audit had been resolved and published a clean independent 2022 audit in their annual impact report. [13]
In response to the testing shortage in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, CORE set up and operated testing sites across the country, working in collaboration with local and state governments to open new sites as well as take over existing sites. [14]
As of August 2020, CORE has administered more than 1.3 million free COVID-19 tests. [8] The organization has implemented guidelines called "The Core 8" to combat the virus, which includes "delivering test results within 48 hours, a government-supported contact tracing system, food and hygiene kits along with financial aid for households with positive case results." [8] [15]
Site locations included Los Angeles, Oakland, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, North Carolina, Navajo Nation, Napa, Bakersfield, and a "super-site" at Dodger Stadium, where up to 6,000 people are tested daily. [16] [10]
Tests are administered using a nasopharyngeal or oral swab via drive-through or walk-up testing. The organization is currently developing a contact tracing program as well. [17]
CORE held a fundraiser for its work fighting COVID in Brazil after CORE had closed operations in the country. Funds raised from its efforts were held by the organization, used to pay staff salaries, and not directed to the region for six months. [9]
CORE staff complained that they were forced to work 18-hour days, six days a week, without the opportunity to take breaks. Responding to the staff concerns, Penn excoriated the employees, writing in an email that "in every cell of my body is a vitriol for the way your actions reflect so harmfully upon your brothers and sisters in arms". Penn suggested that employees leave their work instead of complaining about conditions. [18] In October 2021, the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint that Penn and CORE violated federal labor law. According to the charge, Penn "impliedly threatened" his employees with reprisals. [19] A 2021 California lawsuit sought civil damages, claiming that CORE failed o pay overtime and minimum wges, provide rest periods, reimburse for business expenses, provide detailed wage statements, and timely pay employees. [20] CORE repeatedly delayed court deadlines in the matter. [9] In April 2023 Administrative Law Judge Lisa D. Ross, who presided over the matter, dismissed the NLRB case stating that Penn's message to CORE disaster response staff was a rallying cry in the wake of the organizations's efforts during their work battling COVID, not a threat. [21]
Multiple reports of sexual misconduct by Los Angeles Fire Department personnel at CORE response sites were raised. The sole mechanism for reporting complaints was a Google Docs spreadsheets and an email address. One victim alleged that leadership said they were friends with one of the perpetrators and did not take action. Sites were run in conjunction with LAFD, whose administration was separate from CORE's. A lawsuit filed by one of the victims against Lee and another staffer was ordered to arbitration. [9] [22]
In 2022, a former CORE worker who provided support during COVID relief efforts in Georgia sued CORE for unpaid wages. According to the complaint, CORE deliberately misclassified staff as contractors to avoid paying overtime. CORE's contracts require binding arbitration, which prevents a collective action by multiple employees and keeps the proceedings private. [23]
In the years following Hurricane Matthew, CORE has participated in hurricane relief efforts in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and the United States. [24] [6]
Following reports of migrant abuse in Del Rio, Texas, CORE sent staff and COVID relief supplies. CORE lacked the necessary approvals and registration to provide medical care, and pivoted to distributing hygiene kits, warm meals, and baby formula. [9] [25]
In response to Hurrican Fiona, CORE raised over $200,000 in donations. When relief supplies arrived on the island, its sole employee had already departed for another assignment and materials were left sitting unclaimed in storage. [9] However within days CORE was distributing tarps, generators, and supplies for diabetics.In the longer-run, CORE assisted with roofing repairs and provided staff to help residents fill out applications for Federal Emergency Management Agency funds. [13]
The Travel Channel's food show No Reservations , hosted by Anthony Bourdain, featured Haiti as the 2011 season opener which first aired on February 28, 2011. Penn and J/P HRO were featured prominently in the show including a tour of one of the IDP camps. [26] [27]
On January 10, 2015, Penn held his fourth annual Sean Penn & Friends Help Haiti Home fundraiser in Beverly Hills, California, which raised over $6 million for the organization. The event featured many celebrities including former United States president Bill Clinton and performances by Coldplay's Chris Martin and Red Hot Chili Peppers, who closed the event with a 30-minute set. [28]
The proceeds from downloading and streaming of "Saved My Life", a song by Sia, co-written by Dua Lipa and performed during the online COVID Is No Joke live comedy fest hosted by Americares during the COVID-19 pandemic, benefits AmeriCares and CORE. [29] [30]
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. Over his career he has earned numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, a Cannes Film Festival Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Volpi Cup Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards. Penn received the Honorary César in 2015.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 1942 after amalgamating with the similar Emergency Rescue Committee, the IRC provides emergency aid and long-term assistance to refugees and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster. The IRC is currently working in about 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities where it resettles refugees and helps them become self-sufficient. It focuses mainly on health, education, economic wellbeing, power, and safety.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the global humanitarian aid and development organization of the United Methodist Church (UMC). UMCOR is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization operated under the auspices of the General Board of Global Ministries. Administrative expenses are funded by an annual offering collected by United Methodist churches on UMCOR Sunday.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the Bishops of the United States, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 110 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Project HOPE is an international global health and humanitarian aid non-governmental organization founded in the United States in 1958. Project HOPE works in five main areas: disasters and health crises; infectious diseases; noncommunicable diseases; maternal, neonatal and child health; and health policy. The organization has been led by President and CEO Rabih Torbay since 2019.
Direct Relief is a nonprofit humanitarian organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people in poverty or emergency situations by providing the appropriate medical resources. The charity provides emergency medical assistance and disaster relief in the United States and internationally. The organization is headed by an independent board of directors and its president and CEO, Thomas Tighe.
Americares is a global non-profit organization focused on health and development that responds to individuals affected by poverty, disaster, or crisis. The organization addresses poverty, disasters, or crises with medicine, medical supplies and health programs.
The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) is a non-governmental and non-political organization created in 1962 by the Organization of American States (OAS), the public sector and the private sector to focus on issues of pressing concern in the Western Hemisphere. PADF, a non-profit organization, has worked in every country in the region. PADF aims to bring together stakeholders to create sustainable economic development, strengthen civil society and respond to natural disasters for the most disadvantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
IsraAID is an Israel-based non-governmental organization that responds to emergencies all over the world with targeted humanitarian help. This includes disaster relief, from search and rescue to rebuilding communities and schools, to providing aid packages, medical assistance, and post-psychotrauma care. IsraAID has also been involved in an increasing number of international development projects with focuses on agriculture, medicine, and mental health.
The response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake included national governments, charitable and for-profit organizations from around the world which began coordinating humanitarian aid designed to help the Haitian people. Some countries arranged to send relief and rescue workers and humanitarian supplies directly to the earthquake damage zones, while others sought to organize national fund raising to provide monetary support for the nonprofit groups working directly in Haiti. OCHA coordinates and tracks this on a daily basis. The information is disseminated through the UN news and information portal, ReliefWeb. As of September 5, 2013, ReliefWeb have reported a total relief funding of $3.5 billion given.
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.
The humanitarian responses by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake included many organisations, such as international, religious, and regionally based NGOs, which immediately pledged support in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Besides a large multi-contingency contribution by national governments, NGOs contributed significantly to both on-the-ground rescue efforts and external solicitation of aid for the rescue efforts.
This article describes humanitarian responses from "for-profit" organizations, such as business corporations, following the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.
The Disaster Accountability Project (DAP) is a non-partisan watchdog organization dedicated to improving disaster management systems. DAP was founded in 2007 by Ben Smilowitz as a reaction to the responses to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. DAP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is a 2008 Echoing Green fellowship organization.
BAPS Charities is an international, religious, charitable organization that originates from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) with a focus on serving society. This focus on service to society is stated in the organization's vision, that "every individual deserves the right to a peaceful, dignified, and healthy way of life. And by improving the quality of life of the individual, we are bettering families, communities, our world, and our future." BAPS Charities carries out this vision through a range of programs addressing health, education, the environment, and natural disaster recovery. The organization's worldwide activities are funded through donations and are led by a community of over 55,000 volunteers who are mostly members of BAPS. The volunteers work with local communities and other charities and the organization's activities are mainly based out of their mandirs.
All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The organization's current structure formed in late 2017, when two existing nonprofits, All Hands Volunteers and Happy Hearts Fund merged to become All Hands and Hearts. All Hands Volunteers was founded in September 2005 by philanthropist and businessman David Campbell to provide relief to residents in areas affected by natural disasters worldwide. Happy Hearts Fund, founded by philanthropist and supermodel, Petra Němcová, sought a similar goal, to help communities recover after a disaster event. All Hands and Hearts is based in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts.
All Partners Access Network (APAN), formerly called Asia-Pacific Area Network, is a United States Department of Defense (USDOD) social networking website used for information sharing and collaboration. APAN is the premier collaboration enterprise for the USDOD. The APAN network of communities fosters multinational interaction and multilateral cooperation by allowing users to post multimedia and other content in blogs, wikis, forums, document libraries and media galleries. APAN is used for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, exercise planning, conferences and work groups. APAN provides non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and U.S. partner nations who do not have access to traditional, closed USDOD networks with an unclassified tool to communicate.
Fernando Sulichin is an Argentine film and documentary maker. He has produced over 25 films and documentaries.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the international and domestic economies. Thus, many organizations, private individuals, religious institutions and governments have created different charitable drives, concerts and other events to lessen the economic impact felt.
International Medical Relief (IMR) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) headquartered in Colorado, United States. Its primary objective is to offer healthcare services to marginalized and underserved populations worldwide. IMR achieves this by enlisting healthcare professionals and volunteer doctors who donates their time and expertise.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)