HBI Andina Fundraiser: I Don't Like Asking For Money

I really do not like asking for money. In fact, it is one of the hardest things I "must" do in my role as the Executive Director for HBI. And, the reality of the situation is this - without money to help run our programs, projects, and people - we are nothing more than a website and a bunch of well intentioned volunteers. Money is the tool that allows all of us to ease suffering, build sustainable communities, and empower the next generation.

The "must" part of the work I feel called to do is based on the tremendous needs that I am fortunate to witness in the world. I know that HBI is working against seemingly insurmountable odds to "level the playing field;" but I also know that there really is no other choice. We must build bridges, sustainable bridges between need and resource to make a difference.

For Ines life was all about suffering. She was in almost constant pain from early in her life, She has a blistering skin disease that causes her life to be very fragile. Through very generous donations from a number of contributors and a Carmelite Faith Group in Panama City, Florida - Ines has been able to receive the medication and assistance she needs to begin the long process of development. Working in collaboration with the Anglican Church of Peru, HBI has been called to provide Ines and her family with the care and advocacy she needs to really take control of her disease. This has only been possible through your help.

Andres is a wonderful young man. Andres wants to be a surgeon. He is in his 3rd year of Medical School. Last year Andres came to the United States with an HBI placement program and spent 6-weeks traveling around the U.S. working with clinics and physicians who care for some of the some marginalized communities in North America. He worked with a homeless clinic in Portland, a University run free clinic in Houston, a Health Care for the Homeless clinic in Boston and a hospital that dedicates their services to the poor in Pittsburgh. At the end of this once in a lifetime trip, Andres returned to Peru . . . changed. He told me that he felt different. He told me that he felt like he needed to make a difference. Together, Andres and HBI started a "Providers for the Underserved" student club at his medical university. The club brings together health professions students who are dedicated to careers working with the underserved.

These are just two examples of how your donations have made a difference. Our work, your work, is all about making connections.

With this in mind, I want to invite everyone who feels so called to join HBI at our Andina Fundraiser Event on May 3 and 4. I really don't like asking for money . . . and, this event will be fantastic. For $150 per person (I know that is a lot of money) you will be treated to a 5-course meal with paired wines put together by one of the best restaurants in North America.

What a Week

This week has been very full. I got back to Portland very late last night after a 4-day business trip to the east coast for my "day job" with the Center for Social Innovation. Our team helped to facilitate a 2-day training conference for the Homelessness Resource Center and a 1-day"Plan to End Homelessness" summit for York County South Carolina. A full week with an amazing range of experiences and learnings.

HBI is about to "jump" (into the deep end of the pool) into our busy season. In a couple of weeks our first team of 2010 will be joining HBI staff in Arequipa. Quickly on the tails of the Affinity Outreach Trip, we will have our Third Annual Arequipa Healthcare Conference and Training Symposium. The first week of May is our Andina Fundraiser event with a silent auction. In mid-June we will be taking a large "Team Peru" group for a 3-week campaign.

This is going to be a very busy and productive year for HBI. We, the staff, volunteers and supporters of our great organization, are really excited for a new set of challenges and a tremendous amount of learning.

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING us for one of these fantastic opportunities. As always, thank you for supporting HBI and the work we are doing to build "bridges" for change.

Thank you Katerina

Last night "super volunteer" for HBI Katerina de Metz hosted a "Connect Event" to raise money for our organization. The event was fantastic. With an interesting, engaging and very compassionate group of people in attendance.

A HUGE thank you goes out to Katerina and to everyone who attended. We had a great selection of beer from Belgium, wine from the Pacific Northwest, and food from Peru. Talk about an international evening. Music was provided by the local phenomenon and mega-talented musician Jonathan Brinkley - thank you Jonathan.

A special thank you goes out to Deb who alerted me to a poem by Mother Teresa. So with that, I will end this Blog post with Mother Teresa's "Anyway" poem:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God; It was never between you and them anyway.

May Fundraiser

Join us for a fantastic night of food, fun and entertainment at the highly regarded Andina Restaurant in downtown Portland. HBI will be holding a two-night spring fundraiser on

May 3 and 4 from 6 - 9 p.m.

For more details about this exciting event - please see the invitation below.

Please join us to "Build a Bridge and Make a Difference!"

HBI: A full Spring and Summer

I will be the first to admit it - the "park" has been closed for too long. Meaning - I have been very remiss in updating the HBI BlogSpot. Well - the park is open again!

We have a huge spring (yes, spring has sprung) in store, and a fantastic summer planned. A few of our upcoming events include:

• The Third Annual Arequipa Medical Conference and Healthcare Training Symposium (April 23 and 24 in Arequipa, Peru; we have a great group of speakers from around the United States and a team of Peruvian physicians and nurses who are true experts in their fields)
• The First Annual HBI and Andina Fundraiser Dinner and Auction (May 3 and 4 are the dates set for our first collaborative fundraiser event with the famous Portland premiere eatery Andina; we are looking to fill the event with stakeholders and new friends of HBI; stay tuned to the HBI website and BlogSpot for updates)
• The International Medical Volunteerism Conference at Emory University (April 16-18, Dr. Bob Gehringer and I will be presenting at this prestigious conference; the conference is designed to bring together medical and healthcare professionals from around the world to talk about international volunteerism and ways to collaborate services and talents; updates will follow on our BlogSpot)
• The 15th Annual Team Peru Outreach Trip (June 19 - July 03 marks our continued partnership with Union Biblica del Peru and the Mission of Alto Cayma to bring desperately needed services to some of the poorest communities in Latin America; we will be posting updates and pictures throughout the campaign)

These are just a few of the activities we have planned for 2010. I will be posting updates regularly to keep you "in the know" about HBI and our mission to "build bridges" around the globe. As always - thank you so much for your support!

Leveling the Playing Field

The other day was a pretty typical day for me when I am on the road. I stayed in a nice hotel (nice to the tune of $200+ per night). I went to dinner at a “fine dining” restaurant (here you can “read” into the message – not cheap; let’s just say a meal for one that comes in at around $85-100). I took a car to the airport - $65 from hotel to terminal transport. I fly so often that I almost always get “up-graded” to first class. I have elite status with a couple of airlines. This allows me the privilege of going to the “Board Rooms” of the airlines. By in large, I lead a very charmed life; a life that can feel a bit surreal at times. All of this is to say that I have a gnawing feeling about my “luxuries.”

Hold that thought for just a moment and let’s talk about an HBI project. We did a study early in 2009 in which we surveyed a large peri-urban community outside of Arequipa, Peru. The average income for a ”household” living in the area was 587.52 Soles per month - or about $205 per month. This is household income that is the sole support for an entire family (including extended members of the family). Imagine trying to support a family of 5 of a real income of $205 per month.

When I compare one-day of my life “spending” to the “household” income of an entire family – I feel shame. I feel like I have been given so much. I feel a sense of obligation to make the most of my opportunities.

Perhaps this is where I find myself. I do not pretend to know why I have been given so much opportunity in my life – but I do know one thing emphatically . . . my challenge is to ensure that every thing I do in my life is about creating opportunities for others.

The other night when I returned to my hotel room from my “fine dining” experience, I was greeted in the hall by one of the hotel staff. He was pushing a large cart of laundry. As we passed one another in the hall, he carefully and purposefully moved to the opposite side of the hall and profusely apologized for “being in my way.”

I walked back to my room with a sense of “uneasiness” – why am I so “important” that I should be provided such reverence. Then, it suddenly dawned on me . . . we ALL deserve such reverence and courtesy. The true measure of one’s life is not the experiences that we amass, but the opportunities that we help to generate so that others can have experiences that empower and celebrate who they are.

Our work is a great challenge. We are seeking to ensure that everyone knows how important he or she are and that everyone has the opportunity to feel special. We are “building bridges” for change – one day at a time.

Stuck in Washington, DC

What I thought was going to be a quick trip to the east-coast for a day-long meeting at the SAMHSA Campus in Rockville, MD has turned into a 5-day adventure in the unpredictable "nor'easter" weather of the Atlantic seaboard.

To say that the District is having a snowstorm is a substantial understatement. The amount of snowfall is record in its volume. I am "stuck" (literally - as there are no flights out until Monday) in the DuPont Circle area and have a two-day hiatus from my normal schedule.

It is interesting to break one's "normal" life-cycle and take a forced break. I feel caught between two emotions - one, I miss my family and want to be with them; two - I am provided a real luxury of totally resting, catching up on work, and having unstructured free-time.

The temptation is to get totally caught up on my work (let's just be totally honest, I will never truly "catch-up" on my work); this is a bit of a false door, as I would end up getting back home just as tired as ever. Rather, I can take advantage of this time to rest, relax and really focus my energies.

There is much work to be done in our goal to transform the world by building bridges of collaboration and cooperation - and I am excited by this great opportunity to really re-charge my batteries.