Traders at the brokerage Jefferies & Company are stepping up to help the country of Haiti, which was devastated by a massive earthquake that rocked the country’s capital city Tuesday evening.
Tomorrow, Jefferies employees will be donating all net commissions and volunteering salaries from the trading day. In addition, the firm will donate $1 million to assist in the aid effort, the firm announced today.
The contribution will be split evenly between The American Red Cross, Save the Children, UNICEF and the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund for relief efforts directly involved with the aftermath of the earthquake, a Jefferies spokesperson said.
"All of us at Jefferies have been deeply affected by the tragic losses caused by this devastating earthquake in Haiti," said Richard B. Handler, Jefferies’ chairman and chief executive. "Our firm will work together with our trading clients tomorrow to contribute to those in need. One hundred percent of the firm’s net commission revenues globally, as well as voluntary salaries for the day, plus an additional $1 million from the firm will be donated to assist in rescue and relief efforts."
The earthquake, which occurred Tuesday evening, has been called the worst the country has experienced in the last 200 years. It measured 7.0 on the Richter scale and destroyed Port-au-Prince, the capital city. Estimates of those killed range from 50,000 to 500,000. Port-au-Prince, a city of two million, was the quake’s epicenter. Haiti is desperate for aid. It is the poorest country in the Americas, as measured by gross domestic product.
