Saratoga Springs is taking flight in the effort to raise money for Medical Missions for Children (MMFC), a not-for-profit organization that provides free medical services and procedures for underprivileged children and young adults in developing countries.
Local business owners Beth Alexander of Hattie's Restaurant and Natalie
Sillery of Saratoga Trunk are the chairpersons for the event that takes
place Saturday, June 12 at North American Flight Services located at
Saratoga County Airport.
The gala will honor Palio Communications for their marketing of the gala and MMFC as well as Michael and Margie Rotchford, who were the first people to bring MMFC to the Saratoga Springs region.
Due to the lack of medical professionals in developing countries, the occurrence of congenital deformities such as a cleft lip or palate is increasingly common, which can lead to shunning of countless children, Alexander said.
"It's amazing what doctors do on their missions and how many children they help," she added. "The fact is that most of these children would never get the medical attention they desperately need. It's shameful and sometimes these children are ostracized in their community because of a deformity."
Local retired doctor John Streit has visited Rwanda seven times with MMFC, most recently this past March. Streit has worked to build a medical school in Rwanda to help alleviate the critical shortage of medical professionals in that area. According to Streit, there are 300 for 10 million people. In other words, there is one doctor for every 36,000 people, he said.
"After you go on a medical mission, you come back a changed person. Either you are dead inside or you become emotionally involved and continue to go back, as I have," he said. "These people literally have nothing. Children are excited to receive an empty plastic jug because they can use it as a toy. But no one complains. The Rwandans are happy, hardworking and joyous people to be around, and I'm at the point where I have a second family in Rwanda."
During his first mission in December 2005, Streit witnessed 70 thyroid operations and 60 cleft lip repairs in 10 days.
"In Rwanda, if you are born with a cleft lip, you'll probably die with a cleft lip. There just isn't enough money or help over there to fix all of the health issues, and that's why MMFC is so important," Streit said.
Olivier Urayeneza, a native Rwandan, will be present at the Saratoga Springs Gala on Saturday evening. Urayeneza's family was targeted in 1994 during the Rwandan war and genocide and was forced to flee the country to the United States because of his father's importance in the medical community. When they fled, Olivier had one year of medical school under his belt, but had to fulfill extra requirements to get into medical school in the United States. He received his medical degree from Western Michigan College and will be starting his residency in Cooperstown, NY in the fall and will finish in five years. His ultimate goal is to take his skills back to Rwanda to be a general surgeon in the hospital that his father founded.
"Right now there is one medical school that is run by the government. Since the end of the war, the population has grown very quickly, and the country needs help with education. It needs medical professors," Urayeneza said. "The Gala will be an opportunity to meet people who want to help us and our goals."
One of the most important things that Urayeneza hopes to see in his country is to see his people become empowered.
"I'd like to see things change, and the only way that will happen is if the people are empowered themselves. They can only do that through education, and that is what my father has been trying to do for 30 years. Anything we can do to give people the tools to help better themselves is worth doing," he said.
While a focus for the gala is Rwanda, MMFC is a world-wide mission. For almost twenty years, MMFC has launched humanitarian trips to underdeveloped areas of Central America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. Currently MMFC is made up of over 375 volunteers and launches an average of 12 to 13 missions per year.
Tickets for the gala are still available and are priced at $85. To purchase tickets, call (518) 435-5334.
The gala will honor Palio Communications for their marketing of the gala and MMFC as well as Michael and Margie Rotchford, who were the first people to bring MMFC to the Saratoga Springs region.
Due to the lack of medical professionals in developing countries, the occurrence of congenital deformities such as a cleft lip or palate is increasingly common, which can lead to shunning of countless children, Alexander said.
"It's amazing what doctors do on their missions and how many children they help," she added. "The fact is that most of these children would never get the medical attention they desperately need. It's shameful and sometimes these children are ostracized in their community because of a deformity."
Local retired doctor John Streit has visited Rwanda seven times with MMFC, most recently this past March. Streit has worked to build a medical school in Rwanda to help alleviate the critical shortage of medical professionals in that area. According to Streit, there are 300 for 10 million people. In other words, there is one doctor for every 36,000 people, he said.
"After you go on a medical mission, you come back a changed person. Either you are dead inside or you become emotionally involved and continue to go back, as I have," he said. "These people literally have nothing. Children are excited to receive an empty plastic jug because they can use it as a toy. But no one complains. The Rwandans are happy, hardworking and joyous people to be around, and I'm at the point where I have a second family in Rwanda."
During his first mission in December 2005, Streit witnessed 70 thyroid operations and 60 cleft lip repairs in 10 days.
"In Rwanda, if you are born with a cleft lip, you'll probably die with a cleft lip. There just isn't enough money or help over there to fix all of the health issues, and that's why MMFC is so important," Streit said.
Olivier Urayeneza, a native Rwandan, will be present at the Saratoga Springs Gala on Saturday evening. Urayeneza's family was targeted in 1994 during the Rwandan war and genocide and was forced to flee the country to the United States because of his father's importance in the medical community. When they fled, Olivier had one year of medical school under his belt, but had to fulfill extra requirements to get into medical school in the United States. He received his medical degree from Western Michigan College and will be starting his residency in Cooperstown, NY in the fall and will finish in five years. His ultimate goal is to take his skills back to Rwanda to be a general surgeon in the hospital that his father founded.
"Right now there is one medical school that is run by the government. Since the end of the war, the population has grown very quickly, and the country needs help with education. It needs medical professors," Urayeneza said. "The Gala will be an opportunity to meet people who want to help us and our goals."
One of the most important things that Urayeneza hopes to see in his country is to see his people become empowered.
"I'd like to see things change, and the only way that will happen is if the people are empowered themselves. They can only do that through education, and that is what my father has been trying to do for 30 years. Anything we can do to give people the tools to help better themselves is worth doing," he said.
While a focus for the gala is Rwanda, MMFC is a world-wide mission. For almost twenty years, MMFC has launched humanitarian trips to underdeveloped areas of Central America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. Currently MMFC is made up of over 375 volunteers and launches an average of 12 to 13 missions per year.
Tickets for the gala are still available and are priced at $85. To purchase tickets, call (518) 435-5334.
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