“At first when it happened, I never thought there would be an earthquake in Haiti,” Vital said. “When I saw the aftermath, I was just devastated.”

Although it has been a year since the earthquake hit, Vital said Haitians still need aid.

“People still live in tent cites,” Vital said. “(Haitians) need clothes and food.”

Vital felt she needed to remind students that Haiti still needs help reconstructing, and for that reason she coordinated a fundraising event — “Haiti: 1 Year Later” — Wednesday at the Grotto of Brody Square. The event raised money for two Michigan-based organizations, Education for Prosperity and BUCOSEH, that work to build schools in Haiti to help educate young children.

“We asked the (Haitian) people what they wanted,” said David Smith, president of Education for Prosperity. “They wanted a school. It was their idea, not our idea.”

Smith has worked to provide schooling for Haitians since 2000. The rural school run by Education for Prosperity worked to educate about 200 students before the disaster, but since the earthquake, enrollment has been rising, Smith said. Currently, the student population has spiked to more than 300, he said.

Students should have an interest in and concern for Haiti, said medical technology senior Brittany Major, who works as the president of the MSU Caribbean Student Association.

“Interest has (gone) down,” Smith said. “I feel students still want to help.”

Vital said she agrees with Major about decreased attention, but wants people to understand Haiti is a beautiful country. She said she thinks if people continue to learn more about Haiti, a change will happen.

“There is a lot of good out of Haiti and that seems to be overshadowed constantly,” Vital said. “I definitely want people to learn more about Haiti and hopefully that will remain in their conscious.”

The event raised about $58 dollars. Although it did not raise a lot of funding, many people stopped to ask questions, which will help raise awareness, Vital said.