What a busy month! We are very grateful for all your support and efforts, especially during this pandemic. Your donations and time spent volunteering have made a big impact for so many. We’re excited to share these stories in this newsletter.
To continue our ability to support our many projects, we are in need of monetary donations. We continue to rely on your support as donations are down this year. To jumpstart the new year, we are selling Super Bowl Squares. Please join us!
Volunteer Spotlight: Diane Stanley
Diane Stanley learned about Medical Missionaries in 2006 from a Hospice nurse who was caring for her son. Since then she has collected many truckloads of durable medical equipment and supplies, food, clothing and other items. She finds this work very rewarding. Diane dedicates all her efforts to the memory of her son Chuck. She has also been instrumental in networking and getting many people involved in community service. It is through community service that she finds purpose and healing.
Diane is very active in the Herndon Woman’s Club. She has also led several community initiatives such as serving on the Holiday Homes Tour, Garden Tour, Dress-Up Herndon and Labor Day Festival Committees for the Town of Herndon’s Cultivating Community Initiative. She is also a member of the Chestnut Grove Cemetery Board.
Diane is a true native of Northern Virginia. She grew up in Manassas and later moved to Herndon where she and her husband Dave raised their three sons. They now share a house with their spoiled rotten Shih Tzu, Delila. Diane enjoys spending time with her adult grandchildren and especially her great granddaughter Mia. Diane retired from the Circuit Court of Fairfax in 2000 after 26 years of service. After retirement, she became a Marriage Celebrant and has officiated for over 3500 couples. She loves crossword puzzles and looks forward to working the Washington Post puzzle every morning with her coffee. Diane has a passion for gardening. She always looks forward to Springtime to get started in her flower beds.
Super Bowl Squares
Win big and have fun while supporting a great cause – Medical Missionaries!
Squares cost $25.
Payouts are: End of 1st and 3rd Quarter – $225, End of Half – $300, End of Game $500.
50% of the proceeds will go to Medical Missionaries to support programming in 2021. The other 50% will be distributed among the winners. See our website for how to get your squares!
Food Delivery for the Rocklick Pantry Program
On January 10th, a small group of Medical Missionaries’ volunteers gathered on a cold sunny Sunday morning to pack up our truck that makes the trip to Appalachia for food deliveries. The truck was packed tightly to the max. For this delivery our nurse and her daughter were able to secure many food boxes from the local Food Lion supermarket. The generous manager there gave them all the boxes he had in the store.
There have been many generous drop-offs of food from local people also. Very early the next morning Dr. Irwin and our nurse made the 5-hour trip to meet up with the representatives of the pantry, Dave and Jerry. They worked together to offload the MM food boxes into their truck which can handle the trip to Rocklick on the mountain roads. Thank you to all the donors who gave so generously to this shipment.
Holiday Toys and Food Delivery
A big thank you shoutout!
Thank you to all those who came by and donated food and toys for the Rocklick Holiday Drive. We are also very thankful to all those who donated through Amazon Smile. Our postal delivery folks were very busy dropping off almost $2000 in gifts! We had a record number of toys donated that were delivered by three trucks starting in September.
St. Joseph Clinic, Haiti Update
The incredibly good news from the Clinic has been the delivery of “Manna Packs” which provides food for school lunches in six schools in the Thomassique area. This was a much-appreciated delivery for the students.
The Matwons (Midwives) are busy making birth “clean delivery” kits. This helps them in delivering healthy babies at home, where many Haitian women give birth. Medications are in short supply at the Clinic and everyone is working hard both in Haiti and the U.S. to secure vital medications needed for the Clinic clients.
We received an update on water for use in the Clinic. The staff receives water from town twice a week which is stored in tanks. Water can also be bought in town which is “made” by reverse osmosis and stored in bags. According to a recent study conducted by The Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, Haiti is the most underserved country in the Western Hemisphere in terms of water; only 55.2% of the population has access to an improved water source while 70% does not have direct access to potable water. The importance of providing clean water for use at the Clinic cannot be overstated.
Medical Equipment and Supplies Donation
On the recommendation of a Social Worker from Prince William County (PWC) Hospital, a father and his son contacted Medical Missionaries on behalf of their grandfather from The Plains, Va who had just been released from the hospital. They picked up a hospital bed, wheelchair, shower chair, and a supply of diapers and pads for his recovery at home. They will keep the items for as long as needed and if possible, return them to Medical Missionaries for others to use. The work that is carried out at Medical Missionaries is being shared throughout the community by health care workers such as the Social Worker at PWC. We are proud to be part of this caring network.
Shipment to Ivory Coast Rehab Center
On Sunday, January 17th, Medical Missionaries’ volunteers helped load a truck for A.J., a partner from the Ivory Coast to send critical items needed for a rehab facility in that country. A.J. has been instrumental in helping with container shipments to Ivory Coast in the past. He had recently gone to his country to visit and saw a critical need for equipment needed at the facility for patients requiring rehab services. He contacted Dr. Irwin who put a plan in place to load a truck with wheelchairs, crutches, walkers and canes. These will be put to critical use at the facility in need in a country where about a quarter of the Ivorian population live below the international poverty line of US $1.25 day.
“Girls That Give of Northern Virginia” Strikes Again!
This very active and committed group of girls and their moms and dads have embarked on another project for Medical Missionaries. If you recall they helped in the Rocklick Holiday Toy Drive last fall. This time they collected clothing and shoes for people in need through Medical Missionaries. It was also greatly beneficial in educating the community about the work of Medical Missionaries. Our wonderful volunteer, Patti Tutalo, has been instrumental in guiding the group towards projects that support Medical Missionaries and was the host for this event.
Donation of Medical Equipment
On January 21st, a request came into Medical Missionaries to donate medical equipment for a family in Mexico who is ill. The request was made from someone who will travel to Mexico and personally deliver it. The family understands that once it is no longer needed they will pass it on to a health clinic or provider to use in their practice.
Fundraising Committee
The Fundraising Committee has been actively meeting to promote fun and exciting fundraising ideas for Medical Missionaries’ projects. As we are still in the midst of the pandemic, we have been exploring events that can be done virtually. If you have any ideas for pandemic-friendly fundraising events, please let us know!
It takes a village” truly to do the work that Medical Missionaries does. Every donation, financial or material, makes a difference, with 99 cents of every dollar donated going directly to helping the poor throughout the world. This totally volunteer organization has less than 0.5% overhead. Donors and volunteers are the backbone of the work that is done by this organization and every donation goes a long way to support the domestic and international programs of Medical Missionaries. We will keep you all posted on future projects. Ideas are always welcome!
Van Needed!
We are presently seeking to secure a donated commercial van for our partners Bud and Alice. They come to our office in Manassas at least once a month to load up their trusty van with donated clothing, household items and diapers for the local nursing homes in the hamlet villages in West Virginia. Sadly, the van is no longer able to make the trip back and forth and so, for now, those deliveries are on hold. If any of our readers know of a van for donation please call Dr. Irwin at 703-335-1800. The owner will receive a tax receipt for their records.
DONATING THROUGH AMAZON SMILE – Update!
In 2020, Medical Missionaries received $247.72 from Amazon Smile donations. By simply using Amazon Smile when making purchases, collectively we can work to double this in 2021.
There are two easy ways to make your donations go further if you shop at Amazon. The first is to use https://smile.amazon.com/ch/54-1990595 and select Medical Missionaries as the charity you would like to support. Amazon will donate .5% of the purchase price of eligible products to Medical Missionaries.
The second way is by using the Medical Missionaries Donation List on Amazon. We have created a list of items that are needed by food pantries and other groups that we serve. Once purchased, Amazon will ship the items directly to the Medical Missionaries office in Manassas, VA.
We appreciate your consideration of these convenient ways to donate to our efforts.
