Sandy has participated in three mission trips to Nicaragua with Dr. Foltz (nominee for AZ Business Magazine 2013 Health Care Award) and Esperança. She recalls how the conditions in Nicaragua are poor and the people there don’t have access to medical care or supplies.

Sandy and Dr. Foltz see about 30 cases a week during each mission trip.  Sandy collects medical supplies throughout the year to take on her trips and usually is able to obtain over $1,000 in donated supplies each trip.

“I like to work with Esperança because they are so organized and have such a good reputation,” says Sandy.  “The support staff on the ground in Nicaragua is wonderful too. Esperança makes good use of its resources. I have never seen a nonprofit who is such a good steward of their money and resources.”

In the 27 years that she has been a nurse, Sandy says she finds the medical mission trips the most rewarding because it allows her to get back to the basics and really focus on each patient.  Whereas, in the U.S., a nurse has plenty of office work and paperwork to accomplish each day too.

Thank you, Sandy for your hard work and commitment to our programs!

Esperança is held its third annual Spring Breakfast on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at the Phoenix Country Club. The complimentary community awareness breakfast featured inspiring stories from gynecologic surgeon, Dr. Diane Sklar, a volunteer with Esperança who has completed 9 surgical missions around the world.

Since 1970, Esperança has been bringing hope, providing health and transforming communities for the world’s poor. Through its volunteer surgical program, clean water and sanitation, home building, food security and nutrition, disease prevention, education and treatment programs,  Esperança has helped millions of people in 14 countries, including the United States.

Keila, a 12-year old girl living in Bolivia, is one of those people touched by Esperança’s work. Keila began to have severe abdominal pain that affected her everyday well-being and ability to attend school.

She was admitted to the hospital after an ultrasound revealed an ovarian cyst.  Dr. Sklar was able to perform laparoscopic surgery so that Keila would be able to heal faster.

In another instance, Dr. Sklar brought a Nicaraguan woman to San Francisco to remove massive fibroids in her uterus that Nicaraguan doctors were unable to remove due to the fact that they didn’t have the specialized equipment that was needed for the surgery.

“This is just another example of how committed she is to our mission, she went above and beyond to help bring this woman to the USA and provide her much-needed medical treatment.” said Tom Egan, president and CEO of Esperança.  “The breakfast gives us an opportunity to inform the community about all of our programs and services and how we’re making an impact on a local and international level.”

Updates and news of the event soon to come!

Esperança Sponsorships for the breakfast are available.
Sponsorship levels include the following:

• $7,000 – Send a Surgery Team - pay for one volunteer surgical team to change lives
• $5,000 – Shipment-of-Hope - pay for $1,000,000 of medical supplies to be shipped abroad
• $2,500 – Water for Life - pay for 2 wells to bring clean water to over 100 people
• $1,500 – An Ounce of Prevention - be a part of Esperança’s efforts locally to provide health education

Please contact Jared Leslie, jared@esperanca.org or (602) 252-7772 ext. 101 for more information

Surgical Mission Sponsor

Shipment of Hope Sponsor

The fateful day arrived, and Margarita was on a flight to San Francisco in good spirits. The introduction to a major city like San Francisco was an eye opening experience for Margarita. Coming from the small village of San Rafael del Norte, she had never been to a city of this magnitude, let alone outside of her country. But, after many years of enduring debilitating health issues and several unsuccessful medical procedures in Nicaragua, she was prepared to face any challenge knowing that Esperança’s supporters were thinking of her. When Esperança first spoke about the possibility of creating this opportunity, she said that with her faith she knew that the doors would open and make it happen. Six months later, her faith was rewarded.

The first day in San Francisco was a flurry of doctor appointments and exams. The appointments passed with no complications or issues, and the next few days were spent exploring the city. The sights included the beach, visiting the Golden Gate Bridge and just exploring all that the city has to offer.

The night before surgery Margarita was nervous, but her commitment to transform her life allowed her to be at peace. She passed the time making a stack of homemade corn tortillas for her post-surgery meal. That night she slept well, and in the morning she packed a small bag of clothes and the essentials she would need for her stay at the hospital.

Margarita was calm as she headed to the hospital, and lightened the mood by making jokes about finding a husband in San Francisco. The Kaiser staff was prepped and ready for her, and she quickly moved from registration to preparation for surgery. She started to get a little nervous but calmed herself by quietly praying, and she remembered that Esperança volunteers and donors had been working together for the past six months to give her hope.

Her surgery took about five hours, Kaiser staff and Esperança staff waiting eagerly to hear the news. Was it successful? Is she okay? Five hours later, her surgery was complete, and Margarita’s long journey was rewarded. Her complications were a thing of the past and she was presented with a bouquet of flowers and smiling faces. Despite being in some pain and a little groggy, she asked, “Are these for me?” and held the flowers in her arms and returned a smile.

After two weeks of recovery, Margarita was able to return to her hometown 100% healed! Thank you to Dr. Diane Sklar, Dr. Robert Karoukian, Dr. Arturo Martinez and the Kaiser staff for transforming a life. What an incredible gift. Thank you everyone for your support, which allowed this amazing journey to become a reality!

More than fifteen students at Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus in Mesa will abstain from modern-day luxuries and challenge themselves to live on two dollars a day and in cardboard-box houses outside the Student Union from April 11-13, 2013.

The Two Dollar Challenge, a national experiential learning exercise and poverty action program, is designed to give students an opportunity to step out of their daily lives and reflect on the challenges of living in poverty.

This challenge is different from the average charity drive for three reasons: it asks students to live by rules designed to simulate poverty, to raise funds for the cause of their choice and it gives them the experience to become passionate leaders in the eradication of global poverty.  The ASU students have selected to raise money for Esperança during the challenge.

“When our team of skilled doctors make volunteer medical mission trips to countries like Bolivia or Nicaragua, they are always shocked at the living conditions,” said Tom Egan, executive director, Esperança.  “To call attention to how thousands of people live globally is very important.  We’re honored to be a part of ASU’s Two Dollar Challenge and hope it brings awareness to poverty throughout this country and internationally.”

Good luck to those students participating and thank you for selecting us as your beneficiary!

For more information about how you can get involved or learn more please contact  Jared Leslie at jared@esperanca.org or call 602-252-7772

Two Dollar Challenge from The State Press on Vimeo.

ASU students do the Two Dollar Challenge from April 17th-19th. The challenge raises awareness and funds for global poverty. Students only have two dollars to spend on food within the whole challenge. All proceeds go to Esperança, a nonprofit organization which helps poor communities of the world live a more sustainable lifestyle.

to read more please click on this link

As always, the needs are great and the means are small. We hope you find it in your heart to help support the 25th Anniversary of our legendary Skeeter McFee Memorial Golf Classic. If you would like to play in the tournament, please inquire, and ask us about our advertising packages as well

Should you have any further questions, please call me at (602) 499-9200.

Click here to register and learn more

Enriqueta has always had difficulty receiving any type of medical care or treatment throughout her entire life. She has been in dire need of assistance because of the severe cleft lip that she had since she was born. Since childhood Enriqueta has had interpersonal relations problem because he was embarrassed to be seen and she has always isolated in herself in her home.

She never sought help because her and her family knew this problem would require surgery. With little to no access to healthcare, the dream of fixing this ailment was outside the realm of possibilities. But, with a ray of hope, she heard an ad on a local radio station that Esperança would be in her country and she knew this was her chance. So on February 23, she entered the emergency room at 1 am and waited nine hours for entry in the medical brigade. She was received by the coordinators of the brigade and explained that the consultation and surgery had no cost and it was funded by Esperança, in coordination with AVODEC and the Ministry of Health. She was evaluated by Dr. Retson and staff, diagnosed with a complete left unilateral cleft lip, and scheduled for surgery on February 25th!

When the procedure was complete and Enriqueta was in recovery she wanted to say a few words to Dr. Retson, “I am very grateful that I will no longer fear going out into the community and watch as people laugh at me; thank you for your work!”Enriqueta is enjoying stable health and constantly sharing her story and thanking people who make it possible for Esperança to exist in Nicaragua.

Meet Antonio, a subsistence farmer with six children doing his best to survive in northern Nicaragua. He and his family work the soil all year round on their 5-acre plot growing things like rice, corn, beans, bananas and anything he can afford in an effort to feed his family and maintain his way of life. But tragically, Antonio and many others like him are fighting a losing battle. This month Esperança, Bob, Judy and an anonymous donor will be giving Antonio and others a hand up!

You see, rice, corn, beans and even bananas are very common crops in Nicaragua. None of them fetch more than a few cents per pound at the market. All totaled Antonio and his family makes less than $1 a day for all their hard work. Here in America a family of 7 is considered impoverished if they make less than $34,930 a year. It’s hard to imagine how anyone, let alone Antonio’s family, could survive on $365 a year, even in Nicaragua. The sacrifices they must make to stretch their income are enormous. Every year tools break, random crops fail, and they come closer and closer to losing everything they have.

But fortunately for hard-working families like Antonio’s, treats like chocolate can also be used to find a sweeter way to live.

Antonio’s family lives in a very unique place, and as such there exists a unique solution to his problem. Nicaragua is located within 20 degrees of the equator, a narrow band on our planet that supplies just enough heat and humidity to grow a very special tree in vast numbers – the cacao tree. The beans of this tree when roasted and refined create cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate.

Because of its high demand around the world, the price that cacao beans fetch at market far outstrips any other crop Antonio is capable of growing. Devoting just 2 of his 5 acres to this new crop, he can produce 2,500 pounds of cacao beans a year. At the going price of $1 a pound, he can expect to see a more than 684% increase in his profits, while retaining 3 acres to continue to feed his family!

But a high market value also means that families like Antonio’s have no hope of affording the seeds they need to make the switch on their own. I’m asking you today to help me give these hard-working people a hand up and hope for the future by affording them this unique opportunity. Not only will the extra funds enable them to keep their farms, it will also allow them to eat better, improve their homes and even allow their children to attend school.

In short, this crop has the potential to save their future and drastically improve their lives.

This month we have a special opportunity. Thanks to our friends Bob, Judy and an anonymous donor, all gifts this month up to $10,000 will be matched dollar for dollar, effectively doubling any gift you give toward this project! $500 is required to provide one family with the seeds, supplies and training to start planting 2 acres of cacao trees on a small farm. But because of this matching gift, only $250 is necessary to change the lives of a whole family! The best part is, once these trees mature, they will produce a harvest every year for the next 20 years! That means your gift today is one that will continue to give back for a whole generation!

Three years ago, Antonio’s family, along with 70 others, were selected for the opportunity to give this wonder crop a try. Today I’m proud to say that their future is looking bright. Their trees are finally mature and ready for the first harvest – just in time for Easter!

To Support Antonio and others like him and his family Click here

Esperança in the Running for the Goodmans Eye for the Good GuyS Board Governance Award from Esperanca on Vimeo.

Help us to transform our office just by voting at www.goodmansgoodguy.com voting ends on March 22nd. Goodmans Interior Structures is searching for the most effective board of directors of a nonprofit organization and rewarding them with a brand new $20,000 collaborative work environment including new furniture!

Esperança Announces Participation in Statewide Day of Giving

Esperança is one of the expected 500 nonprofit organizations to participate in in Arizona Gives Day, an online fundraising initiative, scheduled to take place today, Wednesday, March 20. Presented by First Bank, Arizona Gives Day is a 24-hour online fundraiser aimed at bringing together communities across the state, to raise awareness and financial support for a variety of nonprofit organizations throughout Arizona. Arizonans are encouraged to help make a difference by investing in the nonprofit of their choice.

“AZ Gives Day is a great opportunity for us to share the mission of Esperança and the hope that we give to so many.” Said Tom Egan President and CEO of Esperança.

From midnight until 11:59 p.m., supporters of Esperança can go on to www.AZgives.org  and show their support by selecting Esperança to receive the  charitable contribution. All online donations during this effort will go directly to support improving health and providing hope for families in the poorest communities of the world through sustainable disease prevention, education and treatment.

For more information, visit www.AZgives.org or call 602-252-7772.

About Esperança:

Since 1970, Esperança has been providing programs to improve the health and well being of the world’s poor.  Headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., this international nonprofit provides volunteer surgical missions, health education, training of community health workers, home building, clean water projects, micro enterprise, agricultural development, dental treatment and prevention programs, and sends donated medical equipment and supplies to project sites around the world. Esperança’s goal is to build clean, sustainable and healthy communities worldwide.  To learn more, visit: www.WeTransformLives.org.

This donation will be included in the 40ft container going down to Nicaragua next year. Esperança staff commented on the beautiful moment for the family; “Once it was all loaded, we hugged the family and there were tears in their eyes. They were so sad to have lost their dad but so happy to know that his supplies would still be put to good use.” Thank you to all of our donors and all that you make possible.

Our dental programs are making an impact right here is Phoenix as well. In a recent report to the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation, Esperança was able to educate 1,387 children and 460 parents, on the importantance of oral health and techniques. As you know Oral Health month has just passed, but Esperança will continue to educate and transform families.

Esperança also knows many families need help determining what makes a healthy and nutritious meal.  Thanks to a grant from Dignity Health, BHHS Legacy and Arizona First Advised Fund, Esperança is able to provide nutritional classes to children and parents in low income areas throughout Phoenix.  The goal of the program is to address obesity and chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Each month, Esperança holds classes at various locations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA’s, churches and the Golden Gate Community Center to teach about 50 parents and children.  The program focuses on teaching families how to live healthier lives by learning about food portions, choosing healthier options, taking small steps to achieve success.  The classes also include cooking sessions where participants practice what they have learned by making meals together and going on a supermarket tour.

“Adequate nutrition is critical to maintaining health,” said Tom Egan, president and CEO, Esperança.  “Malnutrition increases both the risk of contracting disease and the severity of any illness. Growing children are especially vulnerable.  We’re proud to provide educational classes domestically and internationally to try and combat this problem.”

To learn more or contact Jared Leslie at 602-252-7772

The event brought together hundreds of Valley’s leaders and healthcare professionals.  We were proud to be there to honor Dr. Foltz’s volunteer work with Esperança.

Dr. Foltz, a gynecologist at Abrazo’s Paradise Valley Hospital, has been donating his time and talents to Esperança for the past four years.  He has served as a lead surgeon on five mission trips to Bolivia and Nicaragua.  His last mission took place in February 2012 when he and his team provided 42 consultations and performed 32 surgeries during one week in Nicaragua.

We applaud all of the finalists and winners work.  There were many worthy nominees and we enjoyed being a part of the event.

For more information on the event and the finalists, please visit www. aznow.biz/health-care-leadership-awards

Congratulations Dr. Foltz!

Esperança proudly nominated Dr. Foltz for the award and appreciates the outstanding work that he continues to do for our organization.  During a 2012 surgical mission, Dr. Foltz, a gynecologist at Abrazo’s Paradise Valley Hospital, put his medical practice on hold for a week and paid his own way to Nicaragua to perform surgeries on indigent women.

The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2013 from 6-8pm at the Arizona Biltmore.  Rep. Paul Gosar will be the guest speaker.  For more information on the event and the finalists, please visit www. aznow.biz/health-care-leadership-awards

Join us in wishing Dr. Foltz good luck!

Esperança works in communities and neighborhoods that have a high health risk due to the over-representation of many illnesses like diabetes and obesity, and limited access to health resources. The majority of families that live in the community are low-income and uninsured.

Accessing health care information and resources is difficult for families due to barriers such as language, transportation, literacy levels, and cost. Preventative dental care is considered a luxury, and due to financial hardship, many family members are forced to share toothbrushes and forego annual cleanings and x-rays.

Key Facts:

 More than 3,000 adults and children in Central Phoenix participated in oral health education workshops and training.

52 families graduated from the obesity prevention curriculum

Over 1,580 health screenings were provided to uninsured and low-income families.

 Isaac and Cartwright school districts have a student body that is 90%+ Latino, and more than 70% of students are eligible for free lunch. Lost school due to dental pain and poor dental hygiene are ongoing issues for these districts.

For more information contact us at 602-252-7772 or learn more at www.WeTransformLives.org

Since 1970, Esperança has been bringing hope, providing health and transforming communities for the world’s poor. Through its volunteer surgical program, clean water and sanitation, home building, food security and nutrition, disease prevention, education and treatment programs,  Esperança has helped millions of people in 14 countries, including the United States.

Keila, a 12-year old girl living in Bolivia, is one of those people touched by Esperança’s work. Keila began to have severe abdominal pain that affected her everyday well-being and ability to attend school.

She was admitted to the hospital after an ultrasound revealed an ovarian cyst.  Dr. Sklar was able to perform laparoscopic surgery so that Keila would be able to heal faster.

In another instance, Dr. Sklar brought a Nicaraguan woman to San Francisco to remove massive fibroids in her uterus that Nicaraguan doctors were unable to remove due because they didn’t have the specialized equipment that was needed for the surgery.

“This is just another example of how committed she is to our mission, she went above and beyond to help bring this woman to the USA and provide her much-needed medical treatment.” said Tom Egan, president and CEO of Esperança.  “The breakfast gives us an opportunity to inform the community about all of our programs and services and how we’re making an impact on a local and international level.”

For more information or to RSVP, visit www.esperanca.org/breakfast or please contact Jared Leslie, development director at (602) 252-7772 ext. 101 or via email at jared@esperanca.org.

We as an organization have been lucky to have had such a dynamic family dedicate so much of their time to our cause. It is with a sad goodbye that Mark and Max are hanging up their surgical masks and retiring as volunteers for Esperança. The lives changed will stand as a testament to their selfless work, and Esperança is truly grateful for their service.

Given the tone of the news lately, it would be easy to assume the world has been overrun by angry people, acting out in ways that often turn tragic. They sure have dominated the headlines over the past few weeks.

Sometimes you have to remind yourself that the simple everyday actions so many of us take as routine parts of our lives provide sources of inspiration that can carry us through. It’s the little things we take for granted that impact the people around us.

With that in mind, I offer two examples that have provided inspiration to me in the past few days with hopes they may do the same for you.

Example No. 1: I hope Tom Egan, CEO of Esperanca, doesn’t mind me sharing an email he sent to me, but here goes:

“Don: I was at a meeting last night where I had volunteered to be a mentor for a young nonprofit leader, and as I was telling my story to the candidates about my own mentors and career journey, your name came up. I don’t know if you would remember this but many years ago I took you out for coffee to pick your brain about my desire to be a nonprofit leader. The advice you gave me was to seek out three for-profit CEOs and three nonprofit CEOs and ask them what it takes to do that job.

“Well I did listen to you and followed up with multiple people who have helped me along the way. Some were one-time meetings, and others become ongoing mentors to me. Now as I am in my current position, I decided it was time to give back so I volunteered to become someone’s mentor, and you deserve some credit for that. P.S. I send you this brief note in the hopes that it brightens your Friday.”

I don’t offer Tom’s email as an example of a good deed done by me. I never thought of it that way. But it was a reminder that if you take the time to help others, it will pay off down the road in ways you may never know.

Example No. 2: This is about a phone call from a reader. He reached my voicemail after hours by mistake as he was fumbling around with our automated answering system and couldn’t reach a live body.

He said he was a 20-year subscriber and had not received his Book of Lists. It was nearly 6 o’clock at the end of a long day for me when I retrieved his message. Even though I was more than ready to exit the office, I called him back anyway, frankly thinking I’d get his voicemail. Got him live instead. Long story short, I set him up with two copies of the book (an extra for being patient with us) and invited him as my guest to our Book of Lists party.

I’m pretty sure he felt better after the call, but that’s not the point. The point is that I felt better after the call. There’s something about making a customer happy that should fuel the passion for all of us in business. Isn’t that why we’re here?

These are just two small points that kept me going in the past few days. Why don’t you stop to examine the things you are routinely doing to make a difference in people’s lives? You might be surprised.

These past two weeks have been a strict regime for Margarita to ensure a full recovery. In that time she has not been alone on her journey to recovery, Luis our Nicaraguan partner staff member has been there every step of the way to offer support. Now we are pleased to say that Margarita and Luis have safely arrived to their homes in Nicaragua! Finally we want to thank everyone for their support that allowed this amazing journey to become a reality! For more information about Margarita and her trip click here 

Tom Egan, president and CEO, Esperança graduated from Bowling Green University in 1995.  Upon graduation, his career path wasn’t clear, but what he learned in Dr. Allgeier’s psychology classroom may have played a role in shaping his nonprofit career.  Thanks to Dr. Allgeier, Tom realized his passion to help people.  Her work to alleviate poverty on a global level was fascinating and something Tom admired.  Fast forward almost 20 years and Tom is now leading Esperança, an international nonprofit based in Phoenix.

Click here to read the full article from the BG Alumni Magazine about Tom’s education and role with Esperança.

http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/mc/features/2013/01/alum_serves_poorest.html

As she headed to the hospital, she made jokes about finding a husband in San Francisco, but then said that she missed her home too much to stay.

The Kaiser staff were all expecting her, and she quickly moved from registration to preparation for surgery. She started to get a little nervous but calmed herself by quietly praying.

Esperanca surgical volunteers, GYN surgeon, Dr. Diane Sklar and anesthesiologist, Dr. Robert Karoukian, came to see her right before surgery. Their presence brought her comfort since she knew then and had met them earlier this year in Nicaragua.

Her surgery took about 3 hours. Kaiser staff and Esperanca staff waited eagerly to hear the news. Was it successful? Is she okay?

Five hours later, we received the news. Her surgery came out perfectly! We were then able to see her. She loves flowers, so we brought her some roses. Despite being in some pain and a little groggy, she asked, “Are these for me?” and held them in her arms with a smile.

Margarita will stay for two weeks in San Francisco to recover. Although her surgery went well, she will need time to properly heal before she can travel safely. Thanks for reading and we will continue to keep you posted about her recovery! If you are in the Bay area, we invite you to come visit her too. click here to learn more about Margaritas story