Fall is finally here! We are looking forward to our 25th Anniversary Celebration at Doukénie Winery on October 16th! Tickets are now on sale! If you can’t join in the festivities in person you can support this event by purchasing raffle tickets online – check out the exciting raffles we have!
September is always a busy time for starting school and new projects but our work continues to grow as you will see from all the stories of people who have received our donations and of the places we have traveled to and visited. This newsletter provides update on many projects including the St. Joseph Clinic, supplies coming and going and some new connections we’ve made in the community.
25th Anniversary Celebration at Doukénie Winery!
Tickets on Sale now!
Sunday, October 16th 1 – 5 pm Hillsboro, Va.
Thank you to all those that have purchased tickets and raffles. We also greatly appreciate those who have made generous donations to Medical Missionaries in honor of this event.
We hope you can join us as we celebrate Medical Missionaries 25th Anniversary with wine, food and entertainment at Doukénie Winery. It promises to 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!
If you can’t join us be with us in spirit! Purchase exciting dining, entertainment and shopping raffle prizes online so that you can support our event. Donations are always appreciated.
St. Joseph Clinic, Haiti Update
Dr. Mike Morch, Dentist traveled to the Dominican Republic on September 24th. He was unsure if he would be able to cross the border to Haiti at this time. He stopped by the office to pick up a suitcase full of the toothbrushes and toothpaste donated by our supporters to use hand out while on his trip. We will post about his trip next month.
It continues to be a very challenging and dangerous climate for the Haitian people due to political instability. Inflation is very high and that, along with severe shortages of food, essentials and gasoline, present formidable challenges for the Haitians. It remains very difficult for people to travel around the country, even in their own communities.
The countdown has started! 102 boxes were delivered to Burke Va. on September 19th as the first stop on their journey to Cap Haitien, Haiti. We partnered with Food for the Poor via the Nativity Parish to send urgently needed supplies to St. Joseph Clinic. We will track and share their progress as they make their way to Cap Haitien and then distributed to St. Joseph Clinic for communities in and around Thomassique.
Supplies and Equipment In and Out
Trip to Choctaw Nation in Tennessee. School uniforms and supplies, sports equipment and hygiene products were delivered to Choctaw Nation women for distribution on the reservation in Western Tennessee. Our truck driven by Dr. Irwin, made yet another successful delivery to people in need.
Herndon Women’s Group donated a carload of toys, food and hygiene products. The photo below is of Sharon and her husband, Bud showing a sample of the toys they have started to collect for the Rocklick Annual Holiday Drive. We thank these steadfast and wonderful partners! The Drive is on!
Grundy, Va: Our volunteer, JD Dominicis, pulled a trailer on September 21st loaded with food to meet up with our partners in Roanoke Va. They transferred the food to their trucks for the trip back to Grundy.
Ivory Coast: A container was loaded on September 8th bound for the Ivory Coast. Known as Cote d’Ivoire in West Africa, this country has the 27th highest maternal mortality rate and the 19th highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world. The equipment and supplies that were donated to Medical Missionaries that are on the way to Ivory Coast will be used primarily by medical facilities.
Virginia Run Community, Centreville VA.: Thank you to the Virginia Run Community! They held a Children’s Consignment Sale on September 19th and donated unsold items to Medical Missionaries! We received baby and children’s clothes, toys, strollers, a crib, sporting goods, backpacks and shoes. We appreciate our partnership with this generous community! These items will be distributed to those in need in Virginia, West Virginia and other parts of the US, Africa and Haiti. A special shout out to all the volunteers from the community who helped load it onto the truck!
Community Outreach
Parish Twinning Conference
At the Parish Twinning Conference, held in Nashville, Tenn. in late August, Dr. Irwin met the new Director of Parish Twinning Program, David Siler. Theresa Patterson, who was the Director for the past 44 years, received an emotional farewell in celebration of her well deserved retirement. Dr. Irwin reported that Medical Missionaries worked with Theresa and her organization over the past 25 years in building and maintaining St. Joseph Clinic and other projects. Medical Missionaries looks forward to continued collaboration with this important organization for the people of Haiti.
Volunteer Day with Yahoo Employees
September 16th proved to be a very productive morning for Medical Missionaries with the help of several motivated Yahoo colleagues of Medical Missionary volunteer, Pete Silva. They all gathered at the Medical Missionary warehouse on Balls Ford Road in Manassas with Dr. Irwin and volunteered several hours of their time to reorganize, clean and move boxes in our warehouse. We are so grateful for their efforts and their impact. A big shout out to Pete for organizing this event!
Community Needs
Dr. Irwin reported that we are seeing an increased number of local people needing equipment and medical supplies. Thanks to our increased networking in the community, we are able to reach more people in need who are underinsured or uninsured. We are grateful to all the organizations and individuals that partner with us in this effort.
Unity in the Community
Thank you to Illana Naylor, fellow healthcare colleague, for inviting Medical Missionaries to participate in the Unity in the Community Event of Prince William County, City of Manassas and Manassas Park: 16th Annual Interfaith International Day of Prayer for Peace. The theme for 2022 was “Healing Racism, Building Peace” and was held at the A.J. Ferlazzo Building in Woodbridge, Va. It was an honor to be invited to this important event and to work as partners for this community.
Great NonProfits – Tell Your Story!
If you like us write about us!
First hand stories, written by our volunteers, clients or donors, are the most authentic way of showing the human impact of our work. Every year we collect stories about our work. Please click on this link and write yours! And take a moment to see what others say about Medical Missionaries, for example:
“Medical Missionaries is a great non-profit. It’s always there to help anyone that has a need no matter where the need may be. They are very dependable. Volunteers are knowledgeable and truly love to help those in need. If you’re looking for a great organization to make a donation, Medical Missionaries is definitely it!! Keep up the great work Medical Missionaries!!”
We are trying to secure our 2022 Top-Rated Nonprofit Badge. With your help we can do it!
