Send Alaska Students to Dominican Republic

Hello and Greetings! 

We are fundraising to send 13 University of Alaska, Anchorage students to the Dominican Republic this May 3-19, 2014 as part of a Medical Mission.  Students will gain valuable healthcare experience and help provide basic care to several impoverished villages. We will support physicians who will give urgent medical care and prescriptions to local residents in several underserved rural villages surrounding Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic.

We welcome you to support our local students’ success and join in our fight against poverty and disease around the world! The Dominican Republic is a third world country and basic care goes neglected in all but a few areas.  For some, this means that preventable diseases are allowed to flourish unrestricted and can be mitigated with care that is not otherwise available. For these volunteers, this mission and training provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain valuable healthcare experience, open their eyes to the reality of the third world, and gain language and people skills.

Training will be provided before and during the mission to make volunteers temporary medical and pharmacy assistants.  We will help with triage by taking vital signs of patients, help pharmacists fill prescriptions, and also have the opportunity to shadow doctors during surgeries, wound care clinics, and deliveries.  Volunteers will also have the opportunity to go into local schools for an educational day with children to teach about proper hygiene and healthy lifestyles to prevent disease.

The students are all part of the local chapter of Alaska Volunteers Around the World (AKVAW) and supported by the national organization Volunteers Around the World that have done many of these missions.  VAW Mission Statement: "Our objective is to improve access to health care, education, and economic opportunity" - "Volunteer your time. Donate your energy.”

Please see the link for more information:

http://www.volunteersaroundtheworld.org

The total cost per person is about $2,550 each.  This trip is possible only through the incredible efficiencies of the Alaska VAW that they have managed to halve what is commonly $5,000 each while not compromising any security or medical training.  We applaud VAW for giving us, our friends, and neighbors this wonderful opportunity!

Any donation you provide would help us greatly! All proceeds go to funding the medical missions (and not anyone’s salary!).  The minimum donation of $10 would help us enormously or become a “supporter” by clicking the link on the right to help spread the word!  Please give what you can, and we humbly thank you for joining our cause and supporting your local community!

Our main fundraising event is

“Alaska Volunteers Around the World Grand Regale Banquet”

to be held as follows:

DATE:                   Friday, April 11, 2014

LOCATION:         Kincaid Chalet, Anchorage

TIME:                   6:00 P.M.

COST:                  $50.00 per person

This is a catered event.  The attached brochure gives the list of our corporate sponsors.

Two Page Brochure (PDF): 

https://db.tt/h1XjLvpI

Please pay for the event on this site if you so desire.

Sincerely yours,

Matthew Obermeyer

Please Note:

This site uses WePay for handling credit card information, which is very similar to PayPal.  WePay uses encrypted webpages and servers to protect your personal information and is very safe for fundraisers.

Please see this security link for more information:

https://support.wepay.com/entries/23064032-Security

If you would like to send your contribution by check or pay for the “Grand Regale” Friday, April 11, please make the check payable to:

Alaska Volunteers Around the World

C/O Joseph Lurtsema (President and CEO of AKVAW)

8111 Pioneer Drive

Anchorage, Alaska 99504

Please contact one of our members or call 907-382-6863 for more information or email us at [email protected] .

Visit us on Facebook @

https://www.facebook.com/VAWUAA

Thanks again!