Jaunted

Here's the low down on how your pounding the pavement translates into help for the kids of Haiti: As we all know, plenty of people rallied to donate in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that rocked Haiti. More than two years on, though, attention has waned even though many are still in need. Hand in Hand for Haiti's cause—the beneficiary of your participating in this event—is all about the future.

With support drawn largely from the travel industry (more on that later this week), Hand in Hand for Haiti raised funds to build a world-class school in the area of Saint-Marc. The school, Lycée Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable opened on October 3, 2011, and for the 2012/13 calendar year ahead, the population will grow to over 200 students.

These kids from local families, where almost no one has received an education, receive two meals a day and lessons in English, French and Creole. Hand in Hand for Haiti continues to add facilities to the school and has plans to work with local farmers, helping them with fresh water supply for their crops.

We could go on and on about how truly awesome this project is but the most important thing you need to know is that you can help simply by getting up on Saturday morning, lacing up your sneakers and heading to the zoo.

Sign up and get your complimentary admission to Zoo Miami here. No excuses for you folks in the rest of the country, either; even if you're not in town to hit the pavement, you can register as a satellite participant and know that you're giving the best thing you can possibly give: hope.

[Photos courtesy Hand in Hand for Haiti]