This month’s Newsletter spotlights the 15th Anniversary of St. Joseph Clinic in Thomassique, Haiti! We are so proud of the work they do there in spite of so many challenges.
Medical Missionaries is running a back to school drive in support of Grundy’s Rocklick Food Pantry. We also highlight several partner organizations: Arizona Impact One, Northern Virginia Food Rescue, Stafford Lions Club and the Civitans of Fairfax. We could not have the impact we have without these critical relationships.
Finally, we invite you to save the date (October 16) to join us for our 25th Anniversary event at Doukénie Winery!
St. Joseph Clinic – 15th Anniversary
This June, St. Joseph Clinic, located in Thomassique, Haiti celebrated its 15th anniversary. The Clinic was opened for the 125,000 people who live there and in the six surrounding villages. It was the first and only healthcare center in the area providing quality healthcare.
The Clinic has been especially crucial for pregnant women through the Maternal Infant Care program and the Medika Mamba program, which provides nutritional food for infants and young children at risk for malnutrition. The Clinic has become a focal point in the area for people with health concerns to be seen, advised, treated or transported when needed to a hospital setting in Hinche, Haiti.
St. Joseph Clinic took Medical Missionaries staff 10 years to envision and build, has achieved great success for its patients and clients. The Haitian staff has diligently provided consistent and quality care. Medical Missionaries is especially proud of the staff who carried on during the pandemic, both in the Clinic and in the community. Working with our Community Health Workers allows the Clinic to keep track of problems occurring in the outlying villages. Clinic staff continues to demonstrate resourcefulness and ingenuity in keeping the Clinic open and active.
There have been so many challenges that the Clinic staff and people have had to face in recent years besides the pandemic: unstable conditions in the country, shortages of everything from medicines to gasoline and also a tragic fire in 2019 that destroyed the solar panels providing electricity for the Clinic.
We are thankful for the partnership of Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) of Haiti for replacing some of the solar panels that were destroyed. The Clinic is now able to run some of the equipment overnight.
25 years of helping the poor locally and globally and 15 years of managing St. Joseph Clinic: Medical Missionaries is ready for the next challenges that come to our doorstep! None of our work would be possible without the help, support and partnership of our donors and supporters. From the bottom of our collective hearts: Mèsi!
Request – School Supplies – through Aug 18th
We are collecting school supplies through Aug 18th, to be distributed by the Rocklick Food Pantry in Grundy, Appalachia. Any items you can donate are greatly appreciated. Items should be dropped off at the Manassas office or can be purchased online through our Amazon Smile list. If you do send items to the office, please give the office a heads up so they can be on the lookout for the packages. The office can be reached at 703-335-1800. The Grundy community thanks you!
School Supplies List
- #2 Pencils.
- Notebooks.
- Crayons.
- Erasers.
- Pencil Sharpeners.
- Highlighters.
- Rulers.
- Backpacks
- Markers
- Pencil Cases
- Watercolors
- Glue Sticks
- Folders
Thank You From Arizona Impact One Breast Cancer Foundation!
We recently shipped mastectomy supplies that had been dropped off to our office to the Arizona Impact One Breast Cancer Foundation. They were very grateful and sent the following note:
Hello! We got your donation! We are so grateful! We have women who are Spanish speaking who need these supplies! What a blessing! We will be packing them tomorrow and taking them to a clinic!
So so happy for your support!
Xo
Elizabeth Ayers Cluff
Northern Virginia Food Rescue
Northern Virginia Food Rescue published the below article highlighting the work that Medical Missionaries does. We are grateful for partnership with Northern Virginia Food Rescue and specifically the Prince William Food Rescue Program. Together, we are tackling food insecurity for so many in need.
Civitan Club of Fairfax
Medical Missionaries is always looking for partners to help us in our mission of helping the poorest of the poor. This month, we met with the Civitans of Fairfax. We showcased the work Medical Missionaries does on a regular basis. We also had the opportunity to learn about the Civitans.
The Civitans focus on helping people with developmental disabilities and funding research into illnesses of the human brain at the Civitan International Research Center (CIRC–at the University of Alabama).
The Chesapeake District is a major financial contributor to CIRC. Fairfax Club provides significant monies, raised through our various fund-raising projects (e.g. selling White House Christmas Ornaments). The Fairfax Club also contributes monies and/or volunteer support to small group homes and to special schools and projects.
The Fairfax Club has helped start two “special” Civitan Clubs in the Northern Virginia area, clubs that are mainly comprised of developmentally disabled persons (the “Proud Hearts Club” at ServiceSource/Central Fairfax Services and the “Broadway Stars” associated with the MVLE organization).
Fundraising News
Save the Date – 25th Anniversary Celebration at Doukénie Winery – Join us as we celebrate Medical Missionaries 25th Anniversary with wine, food and entertainment at Doukénie Winery on Sunday, October 16, 2022. It will be a fun day to meet up with old friends, make new ones and share stories about your time with Medical Missionaries over the years, or meet everyone for the first time!
Supplies and Equipment On the Move
Mother of Mercy Medical Clinic/Catholic Charities donated four brand new play pens and a car seat. We are thankful for their collaboration.
ECHO Delivery: The ECHO team delivered a load of medical supplies and items. Tom, one of their volunteers, has been driving the donations to Medical Missionaries for years and is moving on. We appreciate all his work and look forward to continuing the collaboration with his team at ECHO. We wish Tom all the best!
Stafford Lions Club: Sharon and Karen from the Stafford Lions Club stopped by on a rainy Saturday in July. Instead of giving each other birthday gifts they bought a jeep load of food and toys for our pantry program. They also brought a bag of sports balls that will be bound for Dr. Irwin’s trip to the Choctaw Nation in TN later this summer. We salute these treasured friends and the Stafford Lions Club for your never ending support!
