Those dedicated to Haiti fundraising at the peak of the earth-quake crises were concerned that, as time went on, the public would forget Haiti’s need for aid.

Richard Sorenson at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts helped organize a Haiti fundraiser on Lopez. He expressed his fear that, with the decline in media attention, the inspiration to donate would also decline.

Now, some students from Friday Harbor High School are trying to remedy that with their “Give Let Live” initiative. This charity is designed to perpetuate small but effective sums of money for those still in need.

“This all happened really fast,” says Lydia Daniels, one of the founders. Together with her sister Biz, Lita Gislason, Kim Mapstead and Ryan Cole, Daniels came up with the idea to braid unisex bracelets to be sold at $5 a piece. Since most of the members are expert braiders (Daniels says it takes her approximately two minutes per bracelet) in under two weeks they had bought materials, set up a blog and started making their stock. “We have a ton of pre-orders,” says Daniels.

The over-arching theme of the initiative is “what can you do.” The group is concerned that the magnitude of the disaster has left people thinking that nothing but huge donations will make any difference. “Give Let Live” is proof this is not true.

After research through Chris Johnston at the charity Samaritan’s Purse, the figure of $5 was established as enough to buy certain products. “The reason I like Samaritan’s Purse is because it’s not just about food for now,” says Daniels, explaining how the products they want to supply are for the longer term.

“Five dollars buys three trees,” she says as an example.

The idea was spurred after some of the group visited a youth retreat in Port Orchard, where facts about the continuing hardship in Haiti was accompanied by a motivational speech about taking action.

Back in Friday Harbor this message was passed on in their Tuesday night youth meeting. The idea that they could help inspired them to put further energy into making the project comprehensive. On top of the website, www.giveletlive.blogspot.com, the group is also using the social networking site FaceBook and is planning to make some promotional videos.

They are accepting orders on-line or via e-mail with all money being distributed through Samaritan’s Purse. The group likes to think that by wearing a bracelet, people are “visually supporting” and thinking of those whose lives are still in turmoil. For information contact giveletlive@gmail.com, or see giveletlive.blogspot.com