If you're like me, you probably
receive hundreds of requests over the course of a
year - all asking for your time, your donations,
and your money.
And, like me, you'd like to help,
but you want to make sure you select a legitimate
cause - one that will truly make a difference -
and not one that's own self-interest is at the
top of its priority list.
"Anytime you have an opportunity
to make things better and you don't, then you are
wasting your time on this Earth"
Roberto Clemente
I'm Julia Guth. You may know me
as the Executive Director of The Oxford Club.
At The Oxford Club, we search
out and identify the best, most profitable opportunities
for our members. We work quietly and deliberately to
acquire wealth and provide for our families.
Quite simply, it's our mission.
A Sense of Mission and Purpose
It is with the same sense of
mission that we became involved in the establishment
of The Roberto Clemente - Rancho Santana Clinic. If
"Rancho Santana" sounds familiar - it's that little
piece of paradise in Nicaragua that we've been telling
our members about. This is a part of the world where
the words serene, peaceful, and pristine are simply
inadequate.
Unfortunately, what we also found
to be inadequate was health care services for the
2,000 residents of the nearest town, Limón.
Many of these townspeople are
employed at Rancho Santana. They love it as we do,
in fact, they've become our extended family.
Taking Care of Family
With our characteristic Oxford
Club sense of purpose, we joined with International
Living Properties and built and staffed a clinic to
serve the community of Limón.
Since opening its doors this past
summer, the Clinic is now an average of 20 patients a
day. Plans are in place to expand staff and Clinic hours
from six days a week to 24/7 care in the near future.
And Already... Lives are Changing!
Our mission... health education
and preventing disease, as well as treating injuries,
viruses and chronic health conditions. Quite a challenge
in a part of the world where running water and flushing
toilets are still a rarity. We're the primary source of
medical care for nearly 2,000 people, from
newborn to elderly.
One patient I've come to know is
José Bonilla. José has Type II Diabetes. After ten
years of sporadic treatment, José can now receive
regular care and guidance for living with Diabetes.
As I said, health education is part of our mission,
just as important as treatment.
Another, very new patient is
Bertha Juliana - the very first baby to be born
at Clinica Rancho Santana. Clinic Assistant Manager
Gloria Cuarezma summed up everyone's feelings, "To
see how a little baby can bring so much happiness
was simply an incredible experience..."
Prenatal care, by the way,
is a special area of need - Nicaragua's infant
mortality rate is 30.15 deaths per 1,000 live births,
over quadruple the U.S. rate of 6.63.
Staffed by People Who Care
Dr. Julio Flores Rivas and Nurse
Martha Cerda Miranda are experienced medical
professionals who are working at Clinica Rancho
Santana because they want to. As Assistant Clinic
Manager Gloria Cuarezma puts it, "They thought that
they would be more useful in this town than they
would be in big cities." And are we ever lucky to
have them! Despite minimal tools and materials during
the Clinic's infancy, the Clinica team is committed
and enthusiastic about the patients they serve.
Add our part-time Clinic Assistant
Managers, Graciela Zavala and Gloria Cuarezma, Mayela
de los Angeles Martinez Torres (our head of maintenance),
and volunteer U.S. Clinic Project Manager Laura Kerney -
and we have a team second to none! I'm so proud of
them and all they've accomplished in an amazingly short
period of time. As we're able to invest more resources
in the Clinic, I'm confident even more
miracles will occur!
The Global Community Comes
Together to Help Limón
This has truly been a global
effort. In Pittsburgh, home of Roberto Clemente's
beloved Pirates baseball team, the Rotary Club
stepped forward with a substantial donation to help
make our dream a reality. The Grenados family donated
the land where the Clinic now stands. Agora Publishing,
through International Living and The Oxford Club
contributed as well.
I am now contacting friends like
you to ask you to join in our efforts. If you're a
medical professional, for example, you may want to
volunteer some time at the Clinic. We'd be happy to
arrange this for you as well as your stay as a guest
at Rancho Santana (November-February and June-July
feature the best weather, by the way).
You may also choose to donate
specific items of need for the Clinic... we are
constantly updating our "Wish List" (available for
viewing at http://www.nicaclinic.org/wishlist.html).
Many of these items are by nature consumables, and
will always be in need. Other items are long-term
goals, such as the establishment of an on-site
Pharmacy, a dental room and an ambulance. Contact
our Clinic Project Manager, Laura Kerney (410-223-2646),
for information on coordinating such donations.
Increase Your Donation by 100% - At
No Extra Cost to You!
Agora Publishing has agreed to
match - dollar for dollar - every donation we
receive during 2004. This is a unique opportunity
to make an even greater impact. Not only will you
benefit from a U.S. tax deduction, but your
donation - doubled by Agora - will benefit
generations of Limón residents.
It's that easy... and we'll
be there watching to verify that things are done
right, and make sure the health care needs of the
people of Limón continue to be the top priority.
Join Me Now... as a Charter
Donor of The Roberto Clemente -
Rancho Santana Clinic
As a Charter Donor, you will
receive a first edition copy of "Coastal Living
on the Nicaragua Riveria" - a beautiful 100+ page
coffee table book with stunning photos of this area.
(available late January 2005)
Further, donors who respond
before the end of 2004 with a donation of $250 or
more will be recognized as CHARTER DONORS - those
who have supported the establishment and growth of
the Clinic from its inception.
Please join me in this global
effort to make a difference in the lives of the
people of Limón. Your donation will have an immediate
impact... an act of generosity that will continue to
touch generations to come. How often do we have a chance
to reach into the future and leave a bit
of goodness behind?
