Walk-a-thon to help Haiti
My friend, the pediatrician. Dr. Susanne Matthys Ollodart recently went to Haiti with the Tacoma-based group Northwest Physicians Network, to help in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. What she found there outside of Port-au-Prince in Plein du Norde, was frankly depressing. There is such a need for medical supplies, and aid of just about any kind. She was treating people in an area strongly influenced by voodoo. Susanne said that if a mother came to her with a sick child, the mother might say, “My child is being taken over by bad spirits.” Susanne would then have to diagnose the illness, and tell the mother to give her child a pill, and the ‘bad spirit’ would go away. The group of local doctors helped nearly 900 people!
New clinics and a school are much needed. NPN’s point of contact in Haiti is a physician missionary named Dr. Leo. Dr. Leo really helped pave the way for the team to make the best use of their time, skills and service while they were in Haiti. Dr. Leo is now coming here to try and raise money to build and run a desperately needed medical clinic and school in Pleine du Nord. Work on both buildings has begun, but there aren’t any resources to finish the projects.
A Walk-A-Thon to raise money. On Saturday, March 27th, NPN is sponsoring a Walk-A-Thon at Ft. Steilacoom park in Lakewood. Doctors with Northwest Physician’s Network are contacting family and friends to come out and support this fundraising effort, meet Dr. Leo, and enjoy a beautiful walk around Lake Wahop, but certainly we can spread the effort a little farther. Donations of any amount are welcome to help this group help the people in Haiti. If you can’t make the walk-a-thon, the NPN Foundation is accepting donations. Here’s the address: Northwest Physicians Network, 708 Broadway, Suite 400, c/o Dr. Stan Flemming, Tacoma, WA 98402. Any donations are tax deductible. Thanks for considering it!
