One Child at a Time

Today, an unprecedented fervor of attention over our small charity has “erupted” across the Northeast. It’s something I never could have imagined.

 

As many of you may have already read in The Boston Herald yesterday, and The Boston Globe today, Children Without Borders has become entangled in the net of a larger organization (see our official statement on the CWB home page). Doctors Without Borders has alleged infringement on their trade name. We were notified some time ago through a cease-and-desist letter that they would pursue legal action unless we changed our name, a move that would undermine all of our hard work and jeopardize not only our successful operations, but the health of the children we care for. We tried to resolve the situation through compromise, even offering to include a disclaimer on all our materials and Web site, but to no avail.

 

We made the decision to file a preemptive declaratory judgment in Boston to stand up for ourselves and our patients. I’d like to thank Gerald Phelps for his wise counsel and enduring support through this process. He generously donated his time and legal expertise to help us wade through this quagmire.

 

But most importantly, I want to thank all of you for your out pouring of loyalty and support. It has truly touched me. I am continuously amazed and uplifted by all the positive support that our members put into this small but fantastic little organization that has done so much good for the poor children of Costa Rica. I love you all and thank you for rising to the occasion again.

 

Despite this complication, we will continue to dedicate all of our time, efforts and donations towards the Children Without Borders’ mission of helping one child at a time. Thank you!

 

Many thanks,

George

This special edition newsletter follows a successful
Children Without Borders event, Barefoot for Borders, in which we raised more
than $30,000! That is an amazing accomplishment and will help support our work
for close to six months. Thank you all!

We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did! The
late-summer afternoon and evening hours were filled with revelry the likes of
which will be remembered for many months, just in time for what we hope will
become a follow-up inaugural event next summer! Stay tuned for another special
event in the spring from our group as well…

Dear Members,


Despite this year’s delayed onset of “the dog days of summer,” Children Without Borders has barely noticed the inclement weather for two reasons: One because we’ve been in sunny Costa Rica so much, and two, because we’ve been so busy! There are many developments at Children Without Borders that this edition of our newsletter brings to you.


Sadly, we bring news of a loss for the barrio community and for all of us at Children Without Borders. One of our first patients, Tito, suffered from a rare brain tumor for the past three years. He was receiving advanced treatment for his ailment through the coordinated efforts of Children Without Borders and the local hospital. Although we were able to arrange for world class care, we weren’t able to get to Tito soon enough. On July 24, 2009, we received word that Tito had passed away. We were devastated. His tenacious will to overcome insurmountable odds and his undampened spirit was admirable, endearing and we will never forget him.


This loss greatly saddens us and in some ways it may make our cause seem all that more daunting. However, this is an important reminder that what we do is meaningful, and we must persevere in his memory and for the sake of all those children who are in just as perilous a position. We must be renewed in our mission and reaffirm our belief that we can save one child at a time.


We see great promise in that we are persevering in the ongoing efforts to provide life saving medical care to children in the poorest communities in Costa Rica. Our new clinic in Anonos is thriving as well as our original clinic in Tibas with possibly a third clinic on the way! We are establishing new connections and relationships within these communities as well as developing a support network with other charity organizations and individuals with similar values in the area.


In June, we enjoyed a fantastic fundraising event in Duxbury and would like to thank you for attending. Special thanks to Fred and Barbara Clifford for opening up their house to Children Without Borders and hosting this wonderful event! Be sure to join our email list and check-in with the website regularly so that you don’t miss any of the upcoming Children Without Borders events! Come join us at the beach party
(details below) to show your support and enjoy what bit of summer we’ve been able to salvage!


Many thanks,

George Whitelaw, MD

Dear Members,

Spring holds the promise of rejuvenation and renewal and we hope that with this season Children Without Borders will see a revival of its own, both in Boston and in Costa Rica. It’s been a long and difficult winter, with the impact of the economy taking a toll on the funds we so desperately depend on. Recently, the lack of events and contributions have put us in a tight spot. We’ve been forced to cut back in order to continue our work in Costa Rica. One of these adjustments was to relocate our Central American headquarters and redirect funds and energy to other areas. Although this is somewhat of an inconvenience, we recognize that we have learned important lessons along the way. Our operations have become more streamlined, efficient and lean so that we can do more with each dollar that has been donated. For example, we are offering medical services and care five days a week and at half the cost! We are continually evaluating our operations and looking for other ways to improve efficiency and save money while maintaining the quality of our work. However, in order to continue doing this we need your help. Without your generosity the children of the barrio will suffer and our mission will be unable to sustain itself. Please consider donating even just a few dollars – every little bit helps! You’d be amazed at what just a few dollars can bring in the barrio. For many, it can be the difference between health, sickness and even death. So please, help us to continue providing much needed medical care in these at risk communities.

Looking ahead, I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to gain whatever momentum we’ve lost and gather steam towards our goal! We have a fundraising event scheduled this April at my home in Weston, Massachusetts, and I hope to see you all there! Additionally, we have several medical student interns coming to Costa Rica to work with us and two professors from the University of West Virginia. We enthusiastically welcome them to Children Without Borders and look forward to immersing them in our mission and celebrating their contributions. We are also being joined by two new doctors at the clinic. Our medical student intern and volunteer opportunities are burgeoning with opportunity, adventure and philanthropic fulfillment. Encourage a student or civically oriented citizen you know to inquire about our program. We are very flexible and capable of tailoring an experience to meet individual needs. To hear more about these exciting developments at the clinic and other news read on!
And finally, I wanted to thank you all for your generosity and implore your ongoing assistance. We rely entirely on personal donations from our approximately one hundred friends and supporters. Without you, we would not be able to help the children and families of the barrio. Please come visit us at our event at my home and spread the word about Children Without Borders.

Many thanks,

George Whitelaw, M.D.

Dear Members,

Happy Holidays!  There has been much progress in Costa Rica since our inaugural newsletter in September.  Some highlights include meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica and strong developments in our student intern and volunteer program.  To hear more about this and other news, read on!

But more importantly, we need to focus on sustaining these efforts into 2009.  Much still needs to be done and the barrio community is depending on us.  Many of the barrio children and families will start 2009 with little health care and poor chances in the fight against illness. So many are hoping to see a new year without sickness. 

Help us continue our mission in providing life saving medical care to children in some of the most under served communities.  Hundreds of generous individual like you have made a donation and helped us provide care and services that people would have had to go without if it wasn't for Children Without Borders.  We eagerly hope you will contribute to Children Without Borders by offering a financial contribution and by telling your friends.  We need your help!

Many thanks,

George Whitelaw, M.D.

Children Without Borders recently mailed and e-mailed its Inaugural Newsletter.

The newsletter includes a note from the founder, Dr. George Whitelaw. The letter also includes News from the Barrio, dealing with the goings on in and around our campus in San Jose, Costa Rica, as well as two success stories, which Children Without Borders helped to facilitate.

Please read more for the letter and these amazing stories.

On my recent trip to the precario in Costa Rica, I was again amazed at the tremendous progress our CWB team of Dra. Jennifer Fallas, Maria Rosa Velasco, and Fran continues to make.

We had our 1st student Shu Ling from the BU school of Public Health who has worked very hard for 6 weeks and has done 5 projects involving the hygiene and mental health of those in the precario. She organized a day where she got many in the precario to work together on a clean up. She also started several youth groups who discuss the many problems that teenagers have including sex and drugs .Needless to say she has set the bar very high for future students.

My Daughter and her friend Sally Plank spent 10 days working with the children. They read them stories and also drew a beautiful mural of a rainbow that will be on one of the walls in the clinic. This was all done with the help and guidance of Jennifer and Shu Ling.

We had a wonderful meeting with Dr. Roberto Mclean who is a dean at a local Med school[ Unibe] and is also one of the leaders of the Shriners in Costa Rica.

Our first medical student, Shu Ling, has arrived in Costa Rica. She recently wrote a note to Children Without Borders' founder, Dr. George Whitelaw.

Read what she has to say.

All continues to move on at a very rapid pace. 2 other USA based charities [Mission Impossible and Boy with a ball] have been a great help in refurbishing the clinic in the Barrio. This work has all been done with the help of the people in the barrio. Over the last month the walls have been painted , a sink and toilet put in [Water soon to come],the floor finished, a new ceiling, and a new room in the back is in the process being made.

Friends

A few more updates from Costa Rica.

There is a wealthy Costa Rican who is talking with us about donating some land to our foundation in downtown San Jose. At this point we do not know all the specifics but it might be a good location for a project we are working on with the U of Costa Rica and Hospital De Ninos. This is a project to help some of the indigenous people, but we need to get more established financially before we move on to another project.

Many positive changes continue to happen in our clinic in Costa Rica.

The parents of our Patients have made a new very colorful tile floor which helps to brighten it up. Soon they will do the same with the walls too. They have taken discarded tiles and put them together in a lovely design. It is amazing what can be done with very little resources when people put their minds and hearts into it.Arlen the local mayor or chief of the barrio has been very helpful in coordinating projects for us.

In San Jose we have been working with the church both in Leon 13 and the Solidarity Triangle . These are both very poor barrios made up mostly of Nicaraguan immigrants. We feel that it is important to have the clinics directly inside the barrios so that we can gain the trust of the people. With the help of the church and other Non Government Organizations, we have been given the appropriate space to get these clinics underway.