Haiti

A week after a devastating earthquake in Haiti killed countless people, aid from local Orange County groups, including churches in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, is starting to make its way to the island, organizers said. Working with the larger organization Hope Force International, doctors working with OperationOC, a local disaster recovery group, are preparing to head to Haiti, said Ric Olsen, a member of OperationOC. Olsen said local churches, including St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach and Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, are sending money to OperationOC that will go toward the group’s long-term plans to help rebuild the Caribbean nation.

Kerry Getz, an acclaimed singer-songwriter who lives in Newport Beach, will be among the artists headlining an emergency benefit concert Sunday at the Found Theatre in Long Beach for earthquake victims in Haiti. Getz and about a dozen other singers, actors and comedians will take the stage at 7 p.m. at the theater, 599 Long Beach Blvd. The show’s organizers have no set ticket price, but are asking attendees to pay what they can. All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders, which is working to help earthquake survivors in Haiti.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and teachings are bringing people from all walks of life together to help those in need. On Monday’s national holiday commemorating what would have been the slain civil rights leader’s 81st birthday, which was Friday, many in Orange County were spending the day doing service work to honor King’s spirit. Through the leadership of Volunteer Center Orange County, at least 1,000 volunteers throughout the county took part in activities to help survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.