Haitian relief effort hits home for Rays' Pena

Carlos Pena just finished a workout at a gym in his hometown of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on the afternoon of Jan. 12. He was waiting for his mother-in-law to finish her workout. He ordered a protein shake and talked with a friend.

They were four floors above the street, which made it a bit unnerving when the windows began to shake. And the weights began to rattle.

Is the building moving?

Pena wondered what caused the eerie sensation. Foot traffic was his first thought.

"You don't know what's happening for the first 10 seconds," Pena said. "Then you realize it's not people walking by. It's the earth shaking."

Santo Domingo is located about 80 miles east of the epicenter of the earthquake that leveled the small country of Haiti on Jan. 12. The death toll is in the hundreds of thousands. Scores more are injured.

The streets are filled with people left homeless.

"I felt upset because I know how horrible it was in Haiti, and I know how horrible it could have been (in the Dominican Republic)," said Pena, the Rays' first baseman.

That same night, Pena, wife Pamela, and members of their church bought medical supplies and food and found a plane to fly the goods to Haiti.

From 5 to 8 tonight, Pena will participate in a telethon on WFTS, Channel 28, to raise money for the Haitian relief effort.

Pena also will donate $15,000 of his own money.

The Rays will follow, adding the difference to bring the total to $50,000 that will be split between the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund and Save the Children.

The team also will offer fans the opportunity to donate during Fan Fest on Feb. 20 at Tropicana Field.

"The tragedy in Haiti has impacted us all," Rays president Matt Silverman said. "As an organization we wanted to help, and we encourage our fans to join in the global effort as well. Together we can make a difference."

Pena and his family traveled to Santo Domingo for the Christmas holidays. They were scheduled to leave the day before the earthquake struck, but Pena, pleased with the way his offseason rehab from finger surgery was going, decided to stay another week so he could continue to work out at the gym.

Pena's 4-year-old daughter, Isabella, was at a birthday party for her cousin that afternoon. Pamela was in another part of the city visiting her aunt.

Pena was waiting on that shake when the building began to sway.

The quake shook Santo Domingo for more than a minute.

Pena found Pamela's mother and ran for the stairwell.

He tried to call Pamela but couldn't get a signal. Same with his daughter. He started texting. That worked.

He received this text from Pamela: "CNN Tsunami warning 15 minutes."

Pena steered his car toward higher ground, ready to hit the brakes and race up the stairs of the nearest building if he saw water pouring through the streets.

"You're prepared for the worst scenario," Pena said. "You're thinking about Sri Lanka."

He's thankful it never came to that. He's thankful he was able to find his wife and daughter.

"It was very chaotic," he said. "It's something I can't even describe how horrible it feels."

Imagine if the quake was centered in the Dominican Republic? Santo Domingo?

"What stopped it from hitting a few miles east? That's what I don't understand," Pena said.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic occupy the same small island yet are not friendly nations. That's why Pena is proud of the way his country responded, proud of the way the rest of the world has rushed to help.

"This is a great opportunity to show we are one race - the human race," Pena said.

The Penas returned to their Orlando home Sunday wondering if they did enough, wanting to do more.

So tonight Pena will go on TV and once again reach for his checkbook.

"They need our help right now," Pena said. "It's rough over there. It's bad."