The Raising Haiti fundraiser had a problem the organizers were only too happy to see: it attracted enough people to Chaplin's that the restaurant was packed to the gills.

The organization, which holds weekend health clinics in Haiti, held the event to collect donations for a planned January trip to the country. The venue had a $25 admission for food and live music, as well as several prize baskets to be raffled off. Proceeds will go toward several services needed to run the clinics, such as medicine, translators, and security.

"We do hold our clinic, but we do a lot of relief work," said Jessica Patti, a nurse at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital and president of Raising Haiti.

Haiti was been hard-hit in the past year, but Patti started the organization in October of 2009 after taking part in a clinic in Soleil. Five months later, the country was ravaged by a devastating earthquake. It is currently suffering from an outbreak of cholera, which Patti experienced firsthand when she and five other people recently went to the country to assist in relief efforts.

"We literally flew into a tent with 130 patients, and not one nurse or one doctor," she said.

Dr. Brenda Balch, a pediatrician and Raising Haiti participant, said cholera is marked by vomiting and diarrhea, leading to a threat of fatal dehydration. Though the disease is preventable by precautions such as clean water, these are often not readily available in Haiti and the outbreak could become more severe by the planned Jan. 28 weekend clinic if it spreads to the capital city of Port au Prince. She said treatment includes IVs of saline solution and antibiotics.

"My reason for doing it is to give back," said Balch. "Their kids didn't choose to be born in that environment."

The weekend clinics use existing buildings and offer both care and networking to find treatment for more serious ailments, either in the country or elsewhere. Laura Scarpa, a nurse and director of public relations with Raising Haiti, said the organization brought a woman named Lina Supris to get care for cervical cancer in New York City. Unfortunately, Supris died of the disease this summer.

"People have cervical cancer, which is a very treatable cancer, and they can't get treatment in Haiti," said Scarpa.

Robin Guiney, who works in the emergency room at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital and has volunteered on two clinics with Raising Haiti, said the organization has received strong support within the hospital. Guiney recalled one incident in which a woman tried to get her to take her daughter away from Haiti, but said she has also seen high spirits in the country.

"The people in Haiti are unbelievable," she said. "Even though they've been devastated, they're happy."

Patti said 10 to 16 people usually take part in the trips, and that no medical experience is needed for volunteers.

"We have anywhere from waitresses to doctors," she said.

Volunteers pay for their own airfare. Other expenses for a weekend trip usually add up to $5,000 to $7,000, which Patti said is currently raised through fundraising. The organization is looking to establish a permanent clinic in Soleil, and is trying to raise $100,000 to get it started. Once in place, the clinic will be supported by grants and continued fundraising.