Worthy Causes: Meeting Needs in Uganda and Haiti

The Unisphere. My friend's father was a welder on this icon of the Fair.

It was a privilege to visit the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair more than a dozen times during its two year interlude in the Big Apple. Every nation, state and corporation put their best face forward in their various ways, striving to make a memorable impression, teach us something about themselves and ourselves while providing visions of a hopeful tomorrow.

The theme inside the Disney Pavilion was reinforced in the song "It's a Small World After All" reinforced in the memorable refrain, "It's a small, small, small, small world."

Over the course of my lifetime it's become apparent how very small this third rock from the sun,  Spaceship Earth, really is. One of my co-workers has travelled abroad at least 40 times during her lifetime. I myself have lived a year each in two countries outside the U.S. and my daughter has been to Europe three or four times, has lived in China 18 months and travelled in Southeast Asia.

With the advent of the Internet in the 90s, three of my short stories were translated into other languages, and through social media the degree of cross-cultural relationship building has become remarkable.

One result of all these communications advances is an increased awareness of the challenges our fellow brothers and sisters abroad have been struggling with. The "news" is no longer mediated by ABC, CBS and NBC. We have direct access to people whose homes are burning in Australia and whose parents have perished from AIDS.

This blog post is about a pair of needs, one in Uganda and one in Haiti.

PEACE*LOVE*HAITI Spring 2020

A barrio in Haiti

Two weeks ago Gaelynn Lea sent me a note about an upcoming fundraiser concert for a Goodwill mission to Haiti. It was my intent to post something about the February 29 concert featuring
The Murder of Crows (NPR Music's 2016 Tiny Desk Contest Winnner Gaelynn Lea & Alan Sparhawk of Low), Katy Vernon, Kyle Ollah, Jerree Small & Four Mile Portage. The concert at Duluth Cider included a silent auction.

Peace*Love*Haiti is a small but mighty group of Duluthians who go to Haiti and provide free/ultra low-cost medical care at least twice a year. Their next trip has been planned for April, and the money raised at this fundraiser will be used for purchasing medications, renting a truck to take them to the rural areas they serve, and hiring an interpreter to assist with communication. This volunteer medical relief team was formed by nurses Tricia Mattson and Julie Zimmerman when they embarked on their first trip to Haiti in 2010 to help after the earthquake. They have been back over 20 times since, providing crisis relief for cholera and after hurricanes, and providing general medical care for people who rarely have seen a doctor in their entire lives.

When I lived in Minneapolis 35 years ago I knew a doctor who was part of a group who went for one month a year to serve needs there. It's actually quite remarkable how many professionals do this kind of work abroad without fanfare.

The concert is now past but you can still contribute here on their Go Fund Me page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/lacoma-spring-2020-let039s-go


Letter from Uganda

I became aware of Samaritan's Way through a young artist from Uganda who had himself grown up in an orphanage, Steveboyyi Songman. Steve had a way with children and in Uganda frequently helped out at this orphanage. Having worked at an orphanage for a year in Mexico, I understood the challenges and the rewards of this kind of work.

Idah Mehangye did not set out to start a home for orphans, but when her sister and brother-in-law died from AIDS Idah and her husband Henry agreed to take in the two orphaned children. As others learned of their benevolence, more children were brought to be cared for. Today they have more than 40 children to house, feed and nurture.

I sent a small stipend recently and received this kind letter from Idah.

Dear Ed

We would like to thank you for your love and prayers. We truly know that you never forget about us. May God bless you abundantly.

The repairs and refurbishment of our premises are close to the finish. But we are still working in a very clumsy environment.

1. The building is roofed and finished but not yet painted.

2. There are not yet any drawings on the walls, which would be good for the kids while making the place look cool and bright.

3. Some of the swings and playing equipment have not yet been installed again. They are still lying on the ground. They are still waiting for the place to be firm enough in order to have them fixed.

4. The grass has not yet been replanted. The compound is still dirty and dangerous for the kids.

But in all this we are very thankful to God for His Grace and favor. At least we have a roof over their heads. We are very thankful to you for often putting food on their plates. We pray that very soon by and by all things will be in place. We give all the Glory to God.

Once again thank you very much and God bless you.

Hon. Idah

Some of the children at Samaritan's Way in Uganda.

Related Links
Orphanage In Uganda Celebrates Christmas with Our Help
Would You Like to Help Paint an Orphanage? Help Feed Children In Uganda?
A Baby Ripped His Heart Out (A Haiti story)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE 

Send me an email: ennyman3@gmail.com

I will put you in touch with Idah. 

100% of what you send will go to Uganda

for the orphanage and children.

You can even contribute via PayPal.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP IN SOME OTHER WAYS

besides sending money... Maybe you have ideas

or skills that would help bring awareness, solve a problem.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/attachments/summaries/UG-summary.pdf

Innovation Institute: Empowering a Deserving but Underserved Community

They are people just like you and me. They have dreams. They strive to find meaning and make a difference. They're smart, industrious, experience joy and disappointments, and want to make a difference. I'm referring to people with disabilities, though the same could be said of many marginalized groups.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

According to recent HUD statistics,  2.2 million people in the United States depend on a wheelchair for day-to-day tasks and mobility. 6.5 million people use a cane, a walker, or crutches to assist with their mobility.

The needs of handicapped people are greater than merely medical/physiological. They include empowerment to pursue intellectual and entrepreneurial quests. They also have social and romantic needs. Disabled persons experience the same internal drives that all people experience. According to Abraham Maslow this includes the need to feel safe, the desire for love and belonging, a sense of self-esteem and ultimately the fulfillment that comes from realizing/utilizing one's talents.

There are many institutions helping provide basic needs like food and shelter for this subset of our population. There are still too few committed to move people beyond the bottom rungs of human need. One of these that I've been following these past 15+ years, however,  has made it a mission to help disabled men and women dream bigger dreams while empowering them as well.

The mission of Innovation Institute is stated as follows: Empowering people--regardless of their disability--by including them in the process of creating practical assistive devices that increase mobility, self-esteem, and independence; providing opportunities for them to give back to the community; and engaging them in the service of others.

What's impressive is that they are actually doing it.

For years I have watched Harrold Andresen’s career. It was easy to do, since he’s my brother-in-law, having married my wife’s sister. In 1980, the four of us went to Mexico to work at an orphanage, a significant experience in all of our lives. Susie and I returned to the States in late fall 1981, Harrold and Nancy in 1982.

People donated broken pedal cars to the orphanage and Harrold would
turn them into a fleet of supercars. He was much loved by these kids.

Harrold has been an entrepreneurial  auto mechanic before going to Mexico. While South-o’-the-Border he was dedicated to mechanical tasks not only for the orphanage, but also for the vehicles of many missionaries who brought their cars and pickups to him.

When the Andresens left Mexico he set up shop in the Rio Grande Valley, where he continued to work on cars, but also continued to service missionaries’ vehicles. (On one occasion he serviced one of Prince Charles' vehicles.) Eventually the family moved to Duncanville, a suburb of Dallas, where he established his business, Mechanical Excellence. In addition to taking care of cars, Harrold was continuously inventing. He invented tools, he invented what he called the Cozy Heater, a product they sold to customers in nearly every state. He conceived a vehicle which combined the best engine with the best body, and built a number of them for customers. He also ran a rental car business and pursued other miscellaneous endeavors. But underneath it all was a desire to help handicapped people, especially the wheelchair bound.

Eventually Andresen began taking steps toward building what has come to be known as Innovation Institute. “The mission of the school is to get products into the hands of the disabled that they couldn’t get anywhere else or they couldn’t afford. Also, to give them some skills so they can earn some money for the first time in their lives.”

Andresen’s auto shop at one time had 20 bays for working on cars. Following his vision for the space three-fourths are now set apart for the school.

There were many hurdles to overcome, not the least of which has been learning about some of the special challenges the disabled must face with regards to finances. For example, if they make too much money (and we're not talking a lot) there is the danger of losing their Social Security benefits. It's a Catch-22.

* * * *
There's much more that can be said, but the best way to tell it is to show you some of the projects Harrold and his students have worked on over the years. It's quite remarkable.

Innovation Institute is located in Duncanville, Texas, a Southern suburb of Dallas. They say everything's big in Texas. What I've seen here are big hearts.

* * * *
Related Links
Innovation Institute Home Page
Facts about Americans with Disabilities (Pew Research)

Meantime life goes on. Be engaged.

Benefit Concert Next Saturday to Raise Funds for Zoo Flood Damage Restoration

We live in an era of instant everything.  So it comes as no surprise when the floods, earthquakes and tornadoes that do so much damage in various locales become instantly everywhere, transmitting stories of grief and anguish around the world via modern technology. The first thing we see are the images. Then come the stories. 

Those of us here in the Twin Ports all have stories of that June 20 storm that struck us with such surprising force. Six to nine inches of rain fell that night and four inches in one hour. Many of us were online early that morning trying to see how serious this rainfall was. We were shocked by the level of devastation as Facebook friends posted photos of what they were seeing outside their own doorsteps.

Duluth geography contributed to the problems as so much of the city snakes along the beautiful hills of Duluth that hug the lake, bay and St. Louis River. When the rains fell gravity carried it down the hills, washing out roads and wreaking havoc.

One of the most heartbreaking stories of that dark night was the drowning of animals in our newly renovated Duluth Superior Zoo.

John Heino of Centerville

Something that impresses me about communities like this one is that despite the hard times, people rally to support and help one another. I am somewhat amazed at the quantity of benefit concerts and dinners for people enduring medical hardships and other kinds of life setbacks. It's evidence that the Golden Rule is still alive and well, and that community is still important to us.

All this to say there's a benefit concert this coming Saturday to raise money for the Duluth Zoo. The musical lineup includes The Centerville All Stars, Virgil Caine, Don't Panic and other special guests from the Twin Ports music scene. They're hoping to get the word out through as many channels as possible. The theme will be a  celebration of the rockin' party music of the 70's. It's a family event with food and non-alcoholic beverages available at the concession area. They've suggested $5 donation with all proceeds going to flood damage restoration.

A friend of mine told me Mike Olson, a marketing associate for Sysco Foods, is the guy organizing the event and footing the tab for event expenses so that 100% of the donations can go to the zoo. I called to ask his motivations and he said they were two-fold. First, he wanted to bring together current and older musicians who love 70's rock and roll so the original local "stars" could be seen and heard in one place. His major interest, the ultimate purpose of the event, is to raise awareness for the zoos dire financial needs.

This answered my major question when I heard that the admission price for the concert was only $5.00. This did not seem like it could raise that much money. The reality is, even if it was thirty or forty dollars, the day's proceeds would barely make a dent, and the greater need is for awareness of the needs.

"For example," Olson said, "it will take three million dollars to rebuild the polar bear exhibit alone. People are not aware of how much need there is. The seal exhibit, too, needs extensive renovation."

Olson noted that PAC TV will be there this Saturday to record and produce a TV documentary featuring the concert and everything surrounding the zoo restoration needs.

Kyle Inforzato, bass and vocals with Centerville All Stars.

The concert stretches from noon till 8 p.m. this Saturday, August 11 at the Duluth Heights Community Club. For more information visit the Duluth Zoo Flood Damage Benefit page on Facebook, and join.

Photo credits: B&W images courtesy Andrew Perfetti.