Students walk the Labyrinth for Haiti

Michelle Bigard spent Friday afternoon reflecting on the horror in Haiti.

She did so by strolling around a dimly-lit room on the fourth floor of the Charles V. Park Library.

Soft meditative music played in the background and a huge circular mat with a maze-like walking path covered the floor.

“Labyrinth is a walking meditation path,” said Bigard, an associate professor at the counseling center. “It’s a representation of the path of life, a reflective kind of peaceful walk.”

Bigard was one of several people who participated in the Labyrinth Walk for Haitian Earthquake Recovery on Friday on the fourth floor of the Charles V. Park Library.

The event allowed members of the CMU community a chance to reflect on the devastation of the Jan. 12 disaster. Some say the 7.0-magnitude quake killed as many as 200,000 people and left more than a million homeless.

Labyrinth walks are international fundraisers initiated by the Veriditas Global Healing Response during times of recovery for cities and nations in desperate turmoil. Similar events were held in the catastrophic aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Bigard said the walks are set up all over the world and take place on the same day. She walked at CMU’s event, but also served as a trained Labyrinth facilitator and helped with organization.

Bigard heard about the event on Martin Luther King Day and instantly wanted to get involved.

“I felt moved to do something,” she said.

A way to contribute

Washington junior Rachel Thomas walked in honor of Haiti.

“This event gives people an opportunity to reflect on the situation,” Thomas said. “Being an advocate of social justice lets people see how they can contribute here in the U.S.”

Thomas works in the Volunteer Center on campus and said what happened in Haiti was unexpected and tragic.

“I care about people as a whole, and to see an entire nation in despair hurts my heart,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it, it seemed so unreal.”

Participating students and faculty donated money through a collection box and also online. All donations will go directly to Haitian Relief at clintonfoundation.org.

“100 percent of the money is going directly there instead of to administrative costs,” Bigard said.