The reality of tragedy in Haiti has finally hit home for a lot of us. Death tolls are in and the media coverage is unavoidable. While our hearts pour out for the people of Haiti and their families, its not always easy to lend a hand or to know how you can help, especially if you don’t have the means to travel or the resources to make proper donations. In this internet age of networking and communication, its become easier than ever to make a difference. Here are a few ways city kids and urban dwellers can make a difference and impact the lives of a devastated people.

5. Pay for play podcasts and radio shows. Put that UStream membership to work. Those of you who have loyal followings, whether it be podcast or local radio show, do a pay for play telethon and announce to your listeners that the proceeds will go to relief efforts in Haiti. I’d be willing to pay a couple bucks for you to play Luchini if I knew that my dollars go to a good cause. Its a win-win. Set a donation goal and get your Lou Rawls/Jerry Lewis on.

4. Ebay auctions. Donate all or a portion of the proceeds of an eBay auction to relief efforts in Haiti. Thinking of flipping those Space Jams? Consider others and send some of that cash down south. Again, your buyer also gets the added bonus of knowing that their dough is going to a good cause (and they just may be willing to fork over a little extra). Here is an example of using eBay to raise money.

3. Sneakerheads for Haiti. Got kicks laying around the house that haven’t seen pavement in months, maybe even years? Ship them over to people who are in desperate need of clothing and shoes. Lets face it, all those sneaks don’t hold sentimental value and they aren’t all collector’s items. Box them up and ship them to someone who has lost everything. Who knows, they might actually reach another sneakerhead and bring a silver lining to their cloud of doubt. The guys over at Nice Kicks.com and few other notable collectors have started a movement with Soles 4 Souls, Inc. Text a donation or send kicks to the address provided here.

2. Text a donation¹ . $5 is lunch. $5 is a couple scratch-off lottery tickets. $5 is less than you paid for going over your text message limit last month. Frankly, many of us would not even notice an extra $5 charge on our phone bills (especially if AT&T beats you over the head every month for your iPhone like me). There are ton of places that accept donations. Some of the most notable at this point are Wyclef’s Yele Foundation (Text “Yele” to 501 501) and the Red Cross ($10 donation; text “Haiti” to 90999). Check your favorite website for others. Lend a hand without even missing a tweet.

1. Get the word out! Talk about what it is you’re doing and encourage others to do the same. Even if you put up just $5, your decision to do so make affect 5 others to do the same and magnify the impact. Retweet relief efforts. Make blog posts and status updates. Let the people in your circle know that doing something is important to you, and that every little bit helps. Spread the word and make caring cool!

Update: This just in. Donte Stallworth of the Cleveland Browns will make a $1 donation for every follower he has on Twitter by midnight. Follow @D_Stallworth18 to make a $1 donation!

1. Its rumored that text donations don’t reach orgs until you have actually paid your bill. That said, pay your bill early if at possible. [↩]