This past Saturday, I sat down in my seat on SWISS on my way to Geneva. I turned my phone off and stopped communication with the world for seven hours. I landed and turned on my BlackBerry again. The news I read just seven hours before had quickly become yesterday’s news. New headlines and new emails started my day.

When a headline catches my attention, I stop and take note for a moment. Frankly, unless the headline affects me directly, it is very easy not to pay further attention beyond that moment and to simply move on. I’m willing to bet most people operate in this manner. However, when tragedy hits in your own backyard, you cannot simply turn the page of the newspaper or flick an off switch and move on. The tragedy, its problems and its aftermath lives for days, months and even years.

Some tragedy in the news is harder to get away from than others. Over the last few weeks, Haiti has been on the news around the world. I have seen the coverage in Dubai, New York and now France. I also know there are new headlines in the papers every day pushing the news and people of Haiti further and further away from the minds of people around the world, including mine.

However, just before my flight to Switzerland on Saturday, my Haitian friend contacted me. I asked how he was doing, how his family was doing. I knew before he even responded that I probably did not want to know the answer. My trepidation was confirmed when he responded, “Not good. Some are okay, some are dead, and some are still missing.”

For my friend, this tragedy, which has had its day in the headlines, will stay with him for life. Perhaps the next person you sit next to on a flight, train or subway will personally know the impacts of a tragedy, but you, hopefully, will not. We have all been asked recently to dig a little deeper into our pockets for charitable donations. Please continue to donate and help the people of Haiti or those who were once in the headlines but are now yesterday’s news.

There are wonderful charities all around, for all types of causes. In addition to charities dedicated to Haitian earthquake relief efforts, there are established charities that need your help as well, including the Mentor Foundation, GT‘s charity in 2010. Please continue to research how you can help.

— Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher