SHARE Africa

Eileen Schmidt speaks to children at Pablo Casal Middle School in the Bronx, NY.

Sixth, seventh and eighth graders – classes 605, 705 and 805 – of the Pablo Casal Middle School (PS 181) in Co-op City in the Bronx, NY donated hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies to the SHARE orphans in Mbita, Kenya. They donated four 26 inch suitcases full of glue sticks, notebooks, pencil cases, glitter, tape, construction paper, staplers, stickers, erasers, paper clips, memo pads and coloring books and more – items that are a scarse commodity to the SHARE orphans. They even thought about the teachers and gave 20 boxes of chalk, just in case they didn’t have any in Mbita.

Trainers and participants at the 2012 Bereavement counseling training in Mbita, Kenya.

Sharami Kerr and Eileen Schmidt, of United Hospice of Rockland, NY accompanied Dr. Jeff Karasik on a SHARE Africa sponsored and organized training program in Mbita, Kenya, a remote village on the shores of Lake Victoria with among the highest AIDS incidence in sub-Saharan Africa. The program answered a call from teachers and school principals for training in grief and bereavement counseling to enable them to better assist in the emotional needs of HIV orphaned children. Thirty teachers, principals, clergy, and social workers participated in the weeklong training conducted in February 2012.

Bobby MacGuffie

SHARE and hosts Sean and Helen Slattery invite you to join us for a dinner celebrating the life of Dr. Martha “Bobby” MacGuffie.

Event: A dinner on the first anniversary of Dr. Bobby MacGuffie’s passing
When: Thursday, March 22nd 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Slattery’s Landing Restaurant in Piermont, NY, hosted by Sean and Helen Slattery
Details: $40 per person. Space is limited.

Highlights:

Dr. Martha (Bobby) MacGuffie (right) with a sign of the newly named Dr. Bobby MacGuffie SHARE Program in Kenya.

1. 2011 was the first year for the newly named Dr. Bobby MacGuffie’s SHARE Program in Kenya.
2. As of December 2011, SHARE has 231 orphans in the program.
3. There are 133 sponsors (many of whom sponsor multiple orphans).
4. SHARE employs 2 full time social workers in Mbita, Kenya.
5. In 2011, five Board members visited our community in Kenya at various times.
6. These visits included meeting with the orphans, their schools, their guardians and conducting SHARE related business and due diligence, conducting EMS training.
7. Acquired a mini school bus to transport orphans.
8. Plans are underway to build the sewing machine and the second solar oven programs.
9. Expanded our fund raising activities, especially to purchase the school bus.

29 of our 231 SHARE sponsored orphans graduated from high school in November 2011. This is truly a great accomplishment. These children would not have been able to receive decent primary education and now they are high school graduates. This would not have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors, whose support pays for school fees, school uniforms, food, health care, and other necessities for these children. After graduating from secondary school, these children also graduate from the SHARE Orphan Sponsorship program (SOS). Many of these children were a part of SOS for over 10 years (from 1st grade to graduation) and many were supported by the same sponsor over that time span, developing long lasting connections.

SHARE will hold a fundraiser on September 10th to honor the life and work of its co-founder, Dr. Martha “Bobby” MacGuffie, the renowned plastic surgeon who passed away in March 2011. Money raised from the event will be used to purchase a much needed school bus for the SHARE Orphan Sponsorship program, through which the organization provides education, health, and basic necessities to Kenyan orphans whose parents have died of AIDS.

The SHARE EMS Team led by David Violante is currently in Kenya where they will be carrying out Emergency Medical Services training.

You can follow their updates on the SHARE EMS Trip Blog here »

Nyack Hospital will hold a memorial service in honor of Dr. Martha MacGuffie. The event will take place in the Krutz Auditorium of Nyack Hospital on Friday, May 20th, 2011 at 2 p.m.

The SHARE team is heartbroken by the loss of our beloved and cherished founder, Dr. Martha “Bobby” MacGuffie. She was the greatest humanitarian that each one of us has had the privilege and good fortune of working with.