In October 2017 we committed to a $100 donation to COMMIT(Canadian Outreach Medical and Mission Team) for every set of hearing aids sold in the month of October. Thank you for helping us support COMMIT.
Remember to drop off your old hearing aids!
Dr. Douglas Thompson
COMMIT stands for Canadian Outreach Medical and Mission Team. We are a group of individuals who have been doing Medical and Humanitarian outreach in one of the poorest parts of Nicaragua for the past 7 years. In those years we have run many medical clinics in poor villages, supplied the Nandaime hospital with new beds and equipment, drilled 2 wells, built 30 outhouses, taught first aid courses, started a sewing co-op , started raising bees for honey and bought goats to milk and raise. We have supplied schools with work books, library books, shipped dehydrated food for a lunch program for the school children and started a music (recorder) program. We have also renovated a rundown building into a vibrant new Community Center. We have sent down 3 containers of supplies and are presently working on sending our fourth. Many teams and individuals have travelled down and experienced a once in a lifetime adventure. But most importantly we also have a lot of fun and it is a bonding experience that also lasts a lifetime.
Our web site is “commitwithnphnicaragua.simplesite.com” if you want further information.
This year our group was adopted as a program under the International Committee of the Rotary Club of Stratford and under the umbrella of the Rotary Club of Stratford Charitable Foundation for tax receipts. We are very grateful to the Rotary Club for doing so and helping us in our charitable work. We are also very appreciative to all the individuals who have helped us in our fund raising and donations to allow us to do the work we do and of course to the Team members that are going.
This year we are running our Nicaragua Mission trip from January 15 to Feb 3, 2018. A preliminary group of four is going down on October 15 to prepare the way. We pay all our own expenses for both trips and all money raised goes to the charitable work we do. We presently have about 12 going including 2 doctors but we welcome more members including a dental hygienist, physiotherapist, optometrist someone with musical talent to run our school music program and someone with sewing experience to run our sewing program. But I stress YOU DO NOT NEED ANY SPECIAL TALENT TO GO ON THE TEAM and anyone can provide a valuable service and help. We stay in a very upscale house at the NPH orphanage, interact with the children there and employ our own cook who provides delicious Nicaraguan meals. The cost per individual is $2000 and it is totally tax deductible and much of that money goes to support the NPH orphanage where we stay. In addition each person pays 250 dollars which is for a two day all inclusive resort to unwind. We have so many seats set aside for the plane trip but they will be released after Oct 10 so if you are seriously considering going paperwork, forms and passport info have to be in to us by Oct 1.
Our mission work this year includes continuing to support all the projects mentioned, running six Medical Mission trips into poor remote villages but also looking at an E library for the schools and buying or building some cooking stoves to replace smoky unsafe units they presently have.
Needless to say how much we do depends on how much we raise and we work hard throughout the year raising money. We have done a Golf Tournament in June, and plan a Fashion show on November 1st at the Mitchel Community Center (tickets $25 for women’s night of wine, beer and spirit tasting, all you can eat desserts and fashion show plus a silent auction and door prizes)and two Boston Pizza nights the first of which is Nov 13 ( all you can eat pizza, salad, chips pasta and drink for $20) I have tickets for both of the latter events so email me to help. We also plan to do some chick counting at local chicken farm.
The Hearing Center in Stratford is accepting all hearing aids for donation and donating $100 in month of October for all hearing aids sold. Of course all donations money or otherwise are always gratefully accepted.
We take or send down lots of supplies. We are looking for all manner of items including cloth material, clothes , shoes, children’s underwear and shoes, school supplies, hand tools (garden and woodworking) , power tools that work, all manner of sports equipment games, toys, dental supplies like tooth brushes and toothpaste, soap, mountain bikes in good condition, hearing aids etc.
HOW CAN YOU HELP! Come to our fund raising events, volunteer, spread the word or this newsletter to friends and donate. Our Team members are also asked to do the same. We thank everyone for present or future help and for helping us make a difference. We also want to acknowledge the other great program Es Artes run by Rotarians Arlene Pol and Mark Smith and the great work they are doing getting kids away from gangs and involved in Theater in El Salvador
Gracias Amigos Amigas
COMMIT COMMITTEE
Janice Rauser, Douglas Thompson, Bill Lemon, Pam Murray, Laura Hawkins