By Michele Egan, Chief Development Officer, MedShare International
Every year, MedShare redirects millions of pounds of high-quality medical supplies and critical biomedical equipment to vulnerable healthcare systems in the US and around the world. In order to do this life-saving work, it requires three essential elements: funding, quality supplies & equipment, and dedicated volunteers. We fondly call this synergistic combination MedShare Magic – helping to make the impossible, possible.
The work these committed volunteers perform is critical to our success in addressing healthcare inequities faced by men, women, and children in the US and globally. Our mission to improve the quality of life of people and our planet remains as relevant today as it was 25 years ago when AB Short and Bob Freeman founded MedShare. Since that time, volunteers have helped us serve 33 million people and provide nearly $300 million in humanitarian aid throughout the world. Click here to learn more about MedShare’s global impact.
2024 Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service
During the recent Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, hundreds of volunteers visited the MedShare campus to honor his life and legacy, and to once again remind us just how vital our volunteers are to our mission. This year, MedShare was fortunate to have been selected by the Greater Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America (GMAC) as their cause partner organization, and over 200 children, teens, moms, and dads joined us for a full slate of educational and volunteer service activities. Families sorted medical instruments and created 1,000 sterile PPE Kits containing sterile gowns, gloves, head and foot coverings and more, and toured the MedShare distribution facility while younger children created artwork to accompany medical shipments.
While all the activities were meticulously planned and executed by GMAC Co-chairs Mom Asha Jackson, Kanika Sloan, and Mom Takiyyah Hamilton, the teen-driven medical supply collection drive was most impressive! For the collection, the Jack and Jill teens focused on a short list of critical medical supplies – umbilical cord clamps, newborn diapers, thermometers, individually wrapped antiseptic soap, wound care, and silk sutures – all supplies critical for MedShare’s Clean Birthing Kit (CBK) initiative.
As part of our Maternal & Child Health Program, the activity aligned beautifully with GMAC’s mission to improve health equity for underserved women and their families. These kits will ultimately be delivered to doulas and other caregivers in remote areas of the world to provide a clean, sterile environment for mothers giving birth outside of a health care facility.
MedShare was also awarded funding from the National Jack and Jill Foundation, which recently celebrated 55 years of advocacy for African American children and families by addressing systemic disparities around healthcare, education and safety.
How You Can Help
Volunteering is the perfect way to connect with others and learn more about your community. Please consider volunteering with a cause you care about or your favorite nonprofit organization – even the smallest amount of time can make a huge difference.
If you are ready to support join the MedShare mission, our team will help your volunteer group set up a meaningful session. To start, visit MedShare.org (http://www.medshare.org/volunteer) or contact Tonya Grant (mailto:tgrant@medshare.org, Volunteer Manager, or Michele Egan (mailto:megan@medshare.org), Chief Development Officer.
I’m confident that together, we can create more MedShare Magic.
