More Special Insights

As promised this blog is about ALL OF US. It is a place for us to share our opinions and insights. Yesterday we posted Lisa's thoughts and today Fred H and Gary T. First Fred:

"I share many of the thoughts posted lately about the difficulties and frustrations in seeing so much suffering, desiring to do what we can, and watching what appears to be limited responses from groups and individuals with the means and/or power to act positively. Disasters such as the recent earthquake bring these issues to our attention, and also remind us of some of the chronic conditions, as there are in Haiti, which so many innocents around the world have to endure as their lot in life. I thought some readers may be encouraged to hear one story (of millions) of someone who has devoted much time and effort to help improve the conditions of those much less fortunate, coincidentally in this case Haitians. I can't help but be proud to say this person is my daughter Mae, who 5 years ago bravely joined me as a 12 year old on a medical mission to the Dominican Republic organized by the UMDNJ School of Public Health to provide care for Haitian immigrants who work there in sugar cane fields under what most all human rights groups agree are slavery conditions. I won't go into many details of how deplorable the situation is there (nothing quite like seeing people scour a garbage dump for food), but offer the link to the Dominican Republic Outreach Program in case anyone is interested. The orphanage that the school sponsors is an especially heart-warming effort.

http://sphweb02.umdnj.edu/sphweb/outreach/

Anyhow, Mae brought along backpacks full of simple art supplies and taught scores of children drawing over the course of the week, and has urged me since that we return again to help more, which we will do in April. In Public Health we consider Health to be a combination of physical, emotional and spiritual aspects, and for me there's nothing better at addressing the health of the spirit than the practice of art. My kudos to all those like Mae who routinely go far from their comfort zone to directly assist those much less fortunate.

Lastly, my suggestion for donations to help in Haiti:
Partners in Health, the group started by a fellow named Paul Farmer who was the subject of a Tracey Kidder biography, Mountains beyond Mountains, a few years ago (great book if interested) http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti

Peace.

fred h"



And here is Gary T:

"Lisa's got it right!!!!

Gary Tomei"

Thanks folks for paying attention and helping to energize not only thought; but I hope action.