Students' Song Benefits Haiti Relief

In commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, a group of Harvard students recently released a song and music video to raise funds for those affected by the disaster and spur continued awareness.

The song, titled "Going Up," can be downloaded for $1. All proceeds benefit the Harvard for Haiti Relief Fund.

Scott J. Yim '13 wrote the song soon after the earthquake occurred and performed it with Jennifer L. Martin '13 last February at the Hillel for Haiti benefit concert.

After the show, Yim applied for funding from the Undergraduate Council to record the song but was denied. He applied again in November and received a grant to record at The Bridge Sound and Stage in Cambridge during OWAW.

Yim recruited Paul Glootz '13 to play the piano for the recording and held try-outs (all auditioners were accepted) to recruit additional vocalists.

"I was familiar with the 'We Are the World' single and how they did a revival for it. I thought it would be amazing that there would be a song of Harvard singers. It's great to have musicians collaborate together for a really good cause," said Lester C. Kim '11, who was a vocalist.

Rebecca Booth-Fox, Jordan A. Bryant '11, and Emily B. Hecht '11 also sang in the video.

Yim is now promoting the song by sending it to newspapers, websites, and even The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Yim said he hopes the song will help bring Haiti's needs back into the spotlight. "Terrible events happen a lot and people support it immediately, but it kind of dies down. People forget and say we did our part, so now we can kind of stop," Yim said.

"The reason why it was so exciting and it came out as well as it did is because there was meaning behind it," Hecht said. "There was a real goal in mind and a real passion behind the project."

Photo courtesy of Harvard for Haiti