We’re Back!
While there was no September newsletter, Medical Missionaries has been busier than ever. This month’s edition will be a bit longer as we catch you up on all the happenings. So, get comfortable, dive in, and let us know your thoughts!
We’ll start with updates from Haiti, share highlights and photos from the Friends of Medical Missionaries Fall Festival, and recap our hurricane relief efforts in North Carolina. You’ll also find stories about our recent trips to Grundy to deliver food and supplies, support from UVA Health, and a special Happy Hour with a Purpose. And that’s just a glimpse of all that’s been going on!
Looking ahead, we have several fundraisers coming up and will be collecting food and toys for the Rocklick Food Pantry in Grundy, VA. We invite you to join us and give generously!
Finally, we’re thrilled to announce that Medical Missionaries has been recognized as a 2024 Top-Rated Nonprofit by GreatNonprofits. Thank you for your continued support—together, we make a difference!
St. Joseph Clinic
As we’ve shared before, the past few years have been incredibly difficult for Haiti. The country continues to battle against gang violence, especially in Port-Au-Prince. Despite the presence of UN peacekeepers since early this year, the news remains disheartening, with frequent reports of violence in and around the capital.
In Thomassique, however, St. Joseph Clinic continues its mission, providing healthcare to a community of over 150,000 people. Thanks to Medical Missionaries’ efforts, the clinic has received essential medications, now actively being used to treat patients. Additionally, the clinic has secured lab tests to aid in diagnostics.
The clinic staff includes two doctors and recently welcomed two Social Service doctors—newly graduated physicians who complete residencies across various hospitals. In a spirit of collaboration, the doctors at St. Joseph Clinic regularly share patient dossiers with Dr. Kornetsky, Medical Missionaries’ liaison, for review and consultation.
The clinic also recently acquired boxes of Medika Mamba, a supplementary food crucial for the health of newborns and young children.
Fundraising News
Medical Missionaries hosted its Friends of Medical Missionaries Fall Festival at Windy Knoll Farm in Nokesville, VA, on October 19th! We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended, donated, and supported this special event. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the talented musicians who donated their time to keep the crowd entertained, as well as to the committee who organized the event and saw it through to completion. Your generous contributions helped us raise essential funds to keep our projects going strong. Thank you!
North Carolina Hurricane Relief
Medical Missionaries recently partnered with the Durham Rescue Mission, a dedicated organization involved in hurricane relief efforts across Western NC. They had put out a call for essential supplies—cleaning items, baby food, diapers, paper goods, and non-perishable food, among others. On October 7th, the Medical Missionaries team answered that call, driving a truck packed to the rafters with emergency supplies straight to Durham.
This effort was made possible by the incredible support of our community. Many generous individuals dropped off donations at our Manassas office, including Carolyn Little, who went above and beyond. Special thanks also go to Sharon and Bud Gaylord for their carload of supplies, made possible through the help of Karen Taylor and the Bunco girls from Silver Lake and St. Luke’s Church.
Dr. Irwin shared that the team was warmly welcomed by a large group of residents who quickly transferred the supplies into a box truck, ready to head to distribution centers in Western NC’s mountain areas the very next day.
The Durham Rescue Mission shared that this was their largest single donation yet! We even received a heartfelt thank-you letter addressed to “Dr. Gilbert Irwin and the Medical Missionaries Team”—a nod to everyone who donates, volunteers, and supports our mission tirelessly. Thank you for making such a powerful impact!
Grundy Holiday Drive
Medical Missionaries is now collecting food donations for the Rocklick Community’s Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday Drive! In addition to non-perishable food, we’re also accepting new toys to help brighten the holiday season. Volunteer Michelle has generously donated boxes of new gifts for the event—thank you, Michelle! A huge thank you to everyone who steps up daily to make this work possible.
“Abundance is best enjoyed when it is shared with those in need.”
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota
Medical Missionaries recently attended a presentation on the Manassas Rotary’s trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation. In support of their efforts, we donated essential items requested by the community, including tents, educational supplies, uniforms, sports equipment, and hygiene products. Altogether, seven pallets of donations were packed by Wind River Chimes in Manassas Park, VA, and shipped to two locations on the reservation.
Dr. Irwin, who has visited Pine Ridge Reservation many times, was thrilled to see Pine Ridge as the recipient of Medical Missionaries’ donations this year
Grundy VA, Food Delivery
Medical Missionaries volunteers recently made two trips to Grundy, VA, a journey of about six hours each way. On October 21st, JD drove his truck with our food trailer in tow, delivering essential items to the Rocklick Food Pantry. The trailer was packed with food, baby supplies, water, and holiday gifts for the community.
Earlier, on September 13-14, Dr. George Bazaco and his neighbor Greg Phillips took the Medical Missionaries trailer to the Rocklick Food Pantry, loaded with food, baby diapers, and other essentials that the pantry urgently needed. When they returned, they reported that this shipment arrived just in time, as the pantry’s supplies were running dangerously low.
We are incredibly grateful to all our steadfast partners who make these critical deliveries possible and help support our work in Grundy.
Happy Hour with a Purpose
On September 11, 2024, the Prince William Senior Resource Group honored Medical Missionaries at their annual Happy Hour. Over 70 people gathered to celebrate our mission and the impactful work their group does in Prince William County. The evening was filled with joy, raffles, delicious food, and a refreshing drink for all!
We are truly grateful to have been chosen as their “purpose” this year. Special thanks go to Sophia Cameron, Nicole Clark, and their incredible team of volunteers who made this event so meaningful. Thanks to everyone’s generosity, the event raised over $3,000 to support Medical Missionaries projects!
Donations
Virginia Run, Centerville, Va. A huge shoutout to the Virginia Run Children’s Consignment Sale! Once again, they chose Medical Missionaries as the recipient of their unsold items. Dr. Irwin and our team picked up baby and children’s clothing, toys, and other essentials that will benefit the communities we serve. We’re so grateful to this fantastic partner, Virginia Run, and a special thank you to Patti Tutalo for coordinating our pick-up visit.
St. Veronica’s Knights of Columbus, Chantilly, VA: Medical Missionaries extends heartfelt gratitude to St. Veronica’s Knights of Columbus, along with Dr. Francis Brickfield and his colleagues, for organizing a donation drive in our honor. Over the course of a weekend, they collected durable medical supplies and equipment, including a wide array of orthopedic items. Truly, “it takes a village,” and we’re honored to partner with such a generous organization
Medical Missionaries recently received a visit from Project Mend a House. They brought a large variety of medical equipment, some still packed in boxes. We are very grateful for their donation and we assured them that every item will be put to good use!
Traveling Colonels: Over the last few months we have had several stories about how Medical Missionaries has supported the Traveling Colonels on their vital humanitarian mission. Check out the videos and pictures from the Traveling Colonels on our website.
In the Community
UVA Health invited the recipients of the 2024 UVA Health Grant awards to their “Big Check Presentation!” UVA received 90 applications and awarded 42 grants totaling $265,000 this year. Medical Missionaries was honored and grateful to be amongst the 2024 grantees. The $5000 grant will greatly help us with our local community projects. Our SUPER volunteer Christine is the third from the left.
Diocesan Haiti Gathering: Over 60 people committed to helping Haiti gathered at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlottesville Va. for the Richmond Diocesan Haiti Gathering. Together they discussed initiatives such as banking, healthcare, covenant agreements, sustainability and solidarity for Haiti. Medical Missionaries was honored to be part of this important event for Haiti.
US Global Leadership Coalition Medical Missionaries was invited to be a local partner at the USGLC conference, held at the Marriott Hotel in Richmond, Va. on September 12, 2024. Virginia Senator Mark Warner was the keynote speaker and his remarks resonated with the goals of Medical Missionaries to “Live our values,” “Be in the room” and “Economic security is national security.” The panel shared that over 300,000 million people around the globe are in current need of humanitarian aid. Medical Missionaries works hard to be a part of that effort every day, thanks to our many supporters and donors.
Kindness
Every day we are part of miracles that happen at our office in Manassas.
We recently received a call from a woman whose sister was in a hospice program in hurricane-affected Western NC. She urgently needed a portable oxygen machine to transport her sister to Manassas, where Heartland Hospice could provide care. Shortly after assuring her we would help, another call came in from a family who had recently lost a loved one and wanted to donate his oxygen machine to Medical Missionaries. Thanks to Nicole Clark, Hospice Care Consultant with Heartland Hospice and Empatia Palliative Care, who helped facilitate this beautiful connection. There wasn’t a dry eye in our office that afternoon.
Sharon Gaylord also shared a story of kindness: while shopping at Lidl in Stafford, she was asked why she had such a large cart of items. Sharon explained that Medical Missionaries was gathering supplies for hurricane relief in NC. A gentleman with only flowers in his hands was behind her, so she encouraged him to go ahead. But when she reached the cashier, she learned that the man had already paid for her $110 purchase!
One of our team members was in Food Lion buying canned goods when a woman overheard her talking about the trip to NC. The woman handed her $25 for gas and even took a case of water from her cart to donate.
Each of these acts of kindness fuels our mission—thank you to everyone who brings light to our journey!
Local Donations: Our doors are open to collect or distribute in-person donations Monday thru Saturday, 8am to noon. After hours donations can be left or picked up in the white truck in front of the office. Every donation goes to someone in need.
Please consult our updated Fall ’24 list of items we can accept. Any questions, call the office at 703-335-1800. It is helpful if we know you are coming!
This year we are tracking the number of donors and clients. In September, we had 115 donors and 40 clients that we supported, while in October we had 91 donors and 36 clients.
“How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time”
Morgan Freeman
