|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vietnam
Veteran and Board
Member, John Abbey,
atttended the
rededication of the
Vietnam Memorial Wall on
Veterans Day, November
11, 2012. John was
honored to be chosen to
read some of the names
of the lost.
|
|
|
|
Vietnam's Lepers
Need Our Help
Below is an article
featured in
MonroeNews.com written
by D.O.V.E. Fund member
Tom Treece |
|
“Leprosy?” she asked.
“You’re kidding; is that
still a problem in our
world?”
It was a common question
we hear each time we
make a presentation.
As most of you know, for
the past 12 years Renee
and I have been involved
with a humanitarian
group called the DOVE
Fund — Development of
Vietnam Endeavors. It
was founded by a
coalition of Toledo area
Vietnam veterans and
Rotarians. Our goal is
to make a difference in
the lives of the
children and people of
the land we fought in.
We have built more than
40 schools, eight
medical centers and
numerous water
purification plants; dug
hundreds of fresh water
wells, and created
micro-finance and
sanitation projects
among others.
One of those others is
our Bandage Brigade that
deals with the plight of
the poverty-stricken,
ostracized people of
Vietnam’s leper
colonies.
These suffering souls
live mostly in the cold
mountain regions of
Vietnam and are banished
from the rest of the
population. Their only
care comes from nearby
Catholic nuns who do
what they can to help
meet their needs.
We began our attempts to
help by stringing
together a worldwide
brigade of volunteers
who knit and crochet
clean, fresh bandages
with which to wrap their
open sores. Then, once a
year, volunteers mail
their bandages to our
brigade leader who
packages them to be
delivered by our DOVE
delegation. To date
we’ve sent more than
12,000 bandages to these
lepers; in January we’ll
send more.
Unfortunately, dealing
with dreaded leprosy is
only one of the issues
they face. #During our
last trip, we discovered
that these people were
starving. We were
humbled when after
providing them bags of
dried fish that neither
you nor I would even
allow in our homes, they
would bow so emotionally
you’d have thought we
had given them a bag of
gold instead.
So our DOVE Fund is
trying to help feed
them. Accordingly, Renee
and I have been raising
funds and have partnered
with fellow Vietnam
veteran Gary Vancena,
and Monroe Post 1138,
Veterans of Foreign Wars
to hold a fundraising
event for this purpose.
“Tom & Gary’s Holiday
Charity Bash, Part II”
will be held from 5 pm
to midnight Dec. 22 at
VFW Post 1138, 400 Jones
Ave. Entertainment will
be provided by my band,
Tom Treece & Cross
Point, along with Gary’s
alter-ego, Daddy G.
Knight, as well as
appearances by special
guest stars.
Tickets are $10 and
available at the VFW or
by calling Renee at
777-0850.
If you would like to
make a donation, make
your check to “DOVE
Fund” with “Feed the
Lepers” on the memo line
and mail it to Tom
Treece at 546 Kaye Lani
Ave., Monroe 48161.
How strange it seems to
obviously more than just
me that in our age of
medical advancements,
leprosy is still a
threat to humans in our
world. And yet, perhaps
sadder still is the fact
that they must struggle
so just to find
something to eat!
But, what do I know? |
|
Smallest
gestures can be grand
Below is an article
featured in San Antonio
Express-News |
|
At
first glance, the group
of women sitting in the
coffee bar of the Barnes
& Noble at Bandera
and 1604 were another
manifestation of the
Information Age.
Sitting in a cluster and
talking, each was too
busy with something in
their hands to even look
at each other as they
spoke.
They weren't, however,
updating their Facebook
status, sharing a
picture of their coffee
on Instagram or texting
another person far away.
Quite the opposite. The
six women, looking up
occasionally to sip
their coffee, were doing
something completely
selfless - knitting (or
crocheting) cotton
bandages for patients in
Vietnamese leprosy
colonies.
In a time when people
are focused on
themselves, grand
gestures and making sure
that everyone knows
about them, the women of
the San Antonio Bandage
Brigade were spending
yet another Saturday
morning toiling away in
anonymity, doing
something relatively
mundane, for people they
don't know and who will
never know them.
Everything about this
blew my mind. I thought
leprosy was a thing of
the past, like the Black
Plague in medieval
Europe. I was wrong.
While leprosy has been
beaten by medicine in
the developed nations,
it's still a problem in
the undeveloped world,
according to the
D.O.V.E. (Development of
Vietnam Endeavors) Fund,
a Toledo-based charity
that organizes relief
efforts for that
impoverished nation. The
World Health
Organization reported
244,796 new cases of the
ancient bacterial
infection, also known as
Hansen's disease,
worldwide in 2009. You
can thank bad sanitation
and a lack of medicine
for leprosy's
resilience.
Nor was I aware of the
San Antonio Bandage
Brigade, women who are
among thousands of
volunteers nationally
working - alone, in
groups, or both - on
bandages.
These specialized
bandages are made with
mercerized cotton yarn,
which doesn't shrink and
is resistant to mildew.
Bandages require
plain-jane, naturally
colored cotton. Dyed
cotton can't be used
because it can irritate
leprosy wounds.
Like all knitting
projects, bandage making
is painstakingly slow
work. It takes 20 hours
to crank out a
single-inch by-foot long
bandage.
"There are machines that
can literally knock
these out in a few
minutes," says Lizzie
Smiley, who founded the
local group in May 2011.
"But that defeats the
purpose. This is a labor
of love."
I like that. Lots of us
do charitable acts, but
very few of us go about
it selflessly. We tell
our friends, or take
pictures, or drop our
acts of kindness into
conversations or post
them online.
I'm not impressed when
you spend thousands of
dollars to make an
overseas trip and come
back with hundreds of
photos of your charity
work. But I am humbled
to be in the presence of
a person who hands a
cheeseburger and a
coffee to a homeless guy
under a bridge on his
way to work or to the
store.
The Bandage Brigade is
like the cheeseburger
person.
Smiley heard about the
program from an aunt who
was involved with a
Chicago group.
"I was captivated by the
idea," she says. "I
loved how humbling it
was."
She started talking
about it with friends in
her weekly knitting
group, such as Amanda
Bayless and Betsy Grimm.
As sewing junkies (I
like the metaphor
because they can't quit
it and it involves
needles) they jumped at
the chance to help.
They don't make a big
deal out of this. They
talk about it in front
of others and, slowly
but steadily, the gig
sells itself. They don't
put a sign up while
they're knitting or even
a tip jar in the middle
of the table. There's no
Facebook group, but
rather a Meetup.com
group. You have to be
looking for them to find
them.
It's a small group, but
on the day I was with
them, two relatively new
members had just climbed
on board. One was a
sewing rookie. She
wanted to help lepers
and herself, since
knitting bandages is an
easy introduction to the
skills necessary to do
the harder stuff.
The knitters like each
other. They have fun.
They learn how to knit
faster. But for the San
Antonio Bandage Brigade,
the payback is unspoken
and can't be quantified.
They'll never know who
they helped. The lepers
will never know who
helped them. And that's
with the women who meet
monthly at Barnes &
Noble.
"It's not just 'Let me
help you,' " Smiley
says. "It's 'Someone
loves you. Someone
cares.' "
|
|
D.O.V.E. Fund
Founder Receives
Jefferson Award |
|
When
D.O.V.E. Fund trustee
Jim Taylor left Vietnam
in the 1968, he never
imagined he would
someday return. Vietnam
had been especially
brutal for Jim, after
being wounded twice and
losing a good friend in
the war, he was simply
grateful to be able to
return to civilian life
in Toledo, Ohio. Taylor
joined the Ford Motor
Company and worked there
until his retirement in
2006. While at Ford,
Taylor became involved
with the UAW Veterans
Committee eventually
becoming its National
Chair along with a term
as Chairman of the UAW
Region 2-BE Advisory
Council
But for many veterans
like Taylor, Vietnam had
remained a big part of
his life. His thoughts
turned from trying to
forget Vietnam and
thinking that maybe he
could someday return and
do something for the
people of a country that
had been torn by decades
of war.
In 2000, Jim Taylor,
along with several other
Vietnam vets, was one of
the founding members of
the D.O.V.E. Fund. Jim's
first visit was as part
of a delegation that
included U.S.
Congresswomen Marcy
Kaptur, who helped
secure the remains of
two American MIA's.
Kaptur, with the urging
of Vietnam Ambassador,
Pete Peterson, felt that
more could be done to
help the Vietnamese
people. Soon after, he
and members of the newly
formed D.O.V.E. Fund
made the first of many
trips to Vietnam.
Although he always
wanted to return, Taylor
knew that Vietnam held
many bad memories of a
time long ago. Jim was
apprehensive about how
he would be received in
Vietnam but after a few
days in Ho Chi Minh
City, he was relieved
and said "These are the
most loving and friendly
people you could ever
meet. It's just
unbelievable." Jim was
so moved by his first
visit that he played a
major role in the fund
raising effort to build
a school and eventually
helped the organization
blossom into a larger
effort to help the less
fortunate in Vietnam
In March, Jim Taylor was
selected among four of
over seventy local
humanitarians to receive
the prestigious
Jefferson Award. He was
also selected to
represent the Toledo
area at the National
ceremony held in June in
Washington DC. The
Jefferson Award is a
national recognition
system designed to honor
individuals who
demonstrate
extraordinary service to
their community and the
world. Its mission is to
recognize, inspire and
activate volunteerism
and public service to
communities, schools and
the workplace. This is
not the first time a
DOVE Fund trustee has
been honored with the
Jefferson Award. Two
years ago, Fred Grimm,
current Vice Chair for
Vietnam Projects, also
received the Jefferson
Award by the Toledo
organization for his
service to the
community. Grimm, also a
Vietnam veteran and
Purple Heart recipient
is currently planning
his thirteenth visit to
Vietnam in January of
2013.
Although Taylor, 66, is
now retired, he never
has time to relax. He is
a lifetime member of the
Toledo Old Newsboys and
volunteers at his church
gathering food to feed
the needy at its
Hospitality Kitchen. We
are so fortunate and
proud to have Jim as
part of the D.O.V.E.
Fund.
|
|
D.O.V.E. Fund
Talks in Northern
California |
|
Honorary Board member,
Dianne Van Voorhis, gave
a brief talk about the
D.O.V.E. Fund at a
non-profit organization
she belongs to in Los
Gatos, CA. A frequent
traveler to Southeast
Asia since 1994, Van
Voorhis has more than a
passing interest in
Vietnam. As a teenager,
she watched friends
march off to the
controversial war and
became fascinated with
its lingering impact on
America's social and
political life. In 2001,
after teaming up with
Vietnam veteran and
D.O.VE. Fund Honorary
Board member, Dodie
Gaines, Van Voorhis
joined the D.O.V.E. Fund
and built Ha La Nursery
School in Quang Tri
province and later
teamed up with with Jill
and Fred Grimm to build
another school in Quang
Ngai province near
Central Vietnam.
After a short
introduction, Van
Voorhis presented images
of Vietnam, highlighting
the great work of the
D.O.V.E. Fund. Her
audience of 50 ladies,
some of whom have
visited Vietnam and have
supported D.O.V.E. in
the past, were
interested in many
facets of what we do.
Van Voorhis explained
that after the war ended
in 1975, Vietnam went
through an economic
struggle from which it
is just now emerging.
She talked about the
areas in which D.O.V.E.
focuses: education and
scholarships, working
with the blind,
microfinance, medical
centers, water and
sanitation, and our
latest endeavor of
providing solar units to
needy families. She also
talked about D.O.V.E.’s
collaboration with the
Bandage Brigade and the
recent dental outreach
which was partially
funded by the D.O.V.E.
Fund. The audience was
entertained by the many
photos of the projects,
and especially the
pictures of the adorable
children. |
|
|
|
2012 D.O.V.E. Fund
Auction Recap |
|
The D.O.V.E. Fund
(Development of Vietnam
Endeavors) held its
annual Charity Dinner
Auction at the Pinnacle
Banquet Center in Maumee
on August 17th. Before
enjoying a wonderful sit
down dinner, more than
180 people enjoyed
cocktails while browsing
through over 100 silent
auction items ranging
from fine silks,
furniture and jewelry
from Vietnam to sports
memorabilia and golf
outing packages at some
of the areas favorite
golf clubs.
Vietnam veteran and
D.O.V.E. Chairman, John
Craven, spoke about the
organizations commitment
the help the poor and
needy in Vietnam while
highlighting the wide
range of projects
undertaken since the
founding of the D.O.V.E.
Fund in 2000. Fred
Grimm, Vice Chair of
Vietnam Projects, told
of the new P.E.T.
(personal energy
transportation) project
that will give greater
mobility to amputees and
also noted the expansion
of the solar lights
project which will
provide low cost
lighting for students in
rural areas of Vietnam.
Vietnam veteran and
emcee, Tim Kearney,
presided over the
evening and thanked
everyone for helping the
D.O.V.E. Fund mission
while acknowledging the
great contributions of
past trustees. He then
introduced WTOL TV
personalities Jerry
Anderson and Chrys
Peterson who led the
enthusiastic crowd
during the live auction.
Generous bidders had
their pick among Fishing
trips, beach vacations
and college football
game packages.
Many thanks go to
Auction Chair, Julie
Oswald-Abbey, who was
ably assisted by
Trustees Jill Grimm and
Marian Grems along with
dozens of volunteers.
While the final tally is
not yet complete, early
estimates indicate that
the event grossed more
than $68,000. More than
$26,000 was raised for
the scholarship fund
which will provide
educational assistance
for many poor but
deserving students in
Vietnam.
For more information,
contact Daniel Gregg,
313-330-6355 cell |
|
|
|
2012 12th Annual
D.O.V.E. Fund Golf
Outing |
|
Another beautiful day
awaited golfers who
assembled at the South
Toledo Golf Club for the
12th Annual D.O.V.E.
Fund Golf Outing.
Proceeds from the
fundraising event will
be directed to the many
humanitarian projects
funded by the Toledo
based charitable
organization that
benefits the neediest
people of Vietnam.
D.O.V.E. Fund trustee
and proprietor of the
South Toledo Golf Club,
Greg Fish, called the
group to order at 11:30
and directed each
foursome to their
respective tees. At the
end of the day, all the
participants gathered
together and traded
stories over the cash
bar and listened to the
music of singer,
guitarist and long time
D.O.V.E. Fund member,
Tom Treece. Afterwards,
an outdoor dinner of
prime rib, baked potato
and chocolate brownies
were served to all the
guests.
Anchored by the renowned
golf architect and
Toledo resident, Arthur
Hills, the winning team,
captained by D.O.V.E.
Fund founding member,
Fred Grimm, and assisted
by Mike Casey and Tom
Tillander shot 14 under
par for a winning score
of 57. Golf clubs, bags
and shirts along with
dozens of golf balls
were won by lucky raffle
ticket holders.
Grimm, Hills and his
team are anxious to
defend their title in
2013. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|