APRIL 5, 2007
Dear Friends,
"There is a bridge between time and Eternity...
This is the bridge of the human spirit." – From the Upanishads
What would you do as a 14-year-old boy from Malawi who immigrated to live with relatives in America after both parents died of AIDS? Fourteen-year-old Saul did that and soon after his fear-laden arrival, he learned that he had been infected with the virus during his birth. I try to count his losses: family, homeland, and finally a child's sense of a boundless future.
Afraid and alone, Saul and his Uncle gained confidence and trust in Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center of Seattle that then referred them to REACH for mentoring, counseling, education, hope and love.
Saul and other children of REACH have immigrated here from the beauty of homelands such as Zambia, Uganda, Romania, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guam and Malawi. They struggle with the social complexities of our western nation and they struggle with the complexities of their illness and its treatment. They may not understand it technically but they know all too well what Thomas Friedman said in his book, The World is Flat, that by a mere finger’s tap on a computer’s keyboard their health status can be found, even exploited, anywhere in the world.
The potential of harmful exposure is ever on their minds, causing their lives to be affected negatively in myriad of ways. Pandemic disease and pervasive technology have created a shift in how and why children grieve around the world.
Many in our international cadre of infected children, boys and girls like Saul, face the dangers of disclosure in native cultures, still apt to shun those suffering from HIV/AIDS. The good news in this very flat world is that REACH operates with integrity and offers them opportunities to breathe easy, to speak freely without resulting criticism, to be mentored, educated, counseled; to play, and with the aid of community efforts, to heal.
We stand amazed – we in a small Tacoma office – to find ourselves "the bridge of human spirit" stretching between local and global needs, offering children and their families relief from the suffering of their hearts and bodies.
Blessings my friend,
Susan K. Slonaker
I am going to brag - this is an organization worthy your investment. REACH is probably the biggest bang you can get anywhere for your invested dollar. That's why I am asking you to give generously! Please support Saul and other boys and girls suffering from HIV/AIDS by today sending your gift of $10, $25, $50 or the amount you feel led to give.