Solidarity
Bridge
The Chicago Catholic Medical,
Enterprise, and Education Missions
Mailing
Address:
1577 Florence Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201
Warehouse:
1711 Darrow Ave, #3
Evanston, Illinois 60201
Phone: (847) 328-7748
Fax: (847) 328-6860
solidbridge@gmail.com
Board
of Directors
James
Hallagan, Secretary
Juan L. Hinojosa, Ph.D., Vice Chair
Bishop Francis Kane
Theresa Lee, M.D.
Bruce Leech, Chair
Dan
Lum,
M.D., Treasurer
Jan Mezyk, M.D.
Richard Moser, M.D.
Rev. Robert Oldershaw
Anton Steinhart
Enrique Via-Reque,
M.D.
Daniel Yousif, M.D.
†
Rev. Robert McLaughlin
† Deacon Jeff Shaw,
R.N.
United
States Staff
Juan L. Hinojosa, Ph.D., Executive Director
Ann Rhomberg, LCSW
Associate Director
Christin Hinojosa, M.A.
Development Director
Program Director
Kristine Delacourte
Solidarity Clothing Coordinator
Sarah Hinojosa, M.T.S.
Lenten and Advent Cause Director
Karen O'Leary
Administrative Assistant
Enrique Via-Reque, M.D.
Medical Director
Bolivia Staff
Carlos Brockmann
Country Coordinator
Maria
Eugenia Rojas
Country Coordinator
Jose Choque
Cooperatives Coordinator
Vision Program Coordinator
Miguel Esteban
Pacemaker Inventory
Adminda Gomez
Office Manager/
Accountant
Maria Ines Uriona
Social Worker
Marina Romero
Santa Cruz Coordinator
|
|
About
Us
"From
everyone who has been given much,
much will be expected."
Luke 12:48
In thanksgiving
for the countless blessings we have received, we at
Solidarity Bridge have been called
to give back to the world. As we give of ourselves, we are touched
by the beauty and strength of the people we serve. In them we
have seen the true meaning of compassion, respect and deep faith in
God. They have taught us about humility and human dignity. While we
go to heal and empower those in need, we find that we are, in turn,
healed and empowered by them. Here is a glimpse of our story...
Bolivia is a landlocked country in the heart of South America. It
is a land of political turmoil that has undergone nearly 200 coups
in its 181 years of being a nation. As the poorest country on its
continent, an alarming 70 percent of its people live in desperate
poverty, 63 percent struggle without access to medical resources,
and its average citizen makes 22 cents per hour of hard labor.
If you would
like to find out more about Bolivian demographics and quality of
life, please visit the
Pan American Health Organization Regional Office for the Americas
for the World Health organization’s web page or
Human Rights
Watch’s reports on Bolivia
The
Medical Mission is a partnership between U.S. and Bolivian
medical personnel, primarily surgical, who serve the poor in their
critical health needs. On each mission trip, we provide roughly $60,000
worth of medical supplies, medicines and equipment, see approximately
400 patients, and perform 40 to 50 surgeries. Through
our Link to Life program, we have brought over $5.5 million
worth of medicines, medical supplies, and equipment to Bolivian
Hospitals to be used in their work with the poor.
Our ongoing
programs include our Children's Bridge Program, Children's Vision Program, Kid's
Heart Repair Program, Neurosurgery Program, and Pacemaker Surgery Program. Click
here for more information on these exciting programs.
The
Enterprise Mission is our Fair Trade project.
As our mission evolved, we recognized the need to not only heal the
sick, but to go to the root of the problem of poverty. To answer this
call we began the Enterprise Mission and its current project, Solidarity
Clothing through which we provide a bridge between indigenous
Bolivian cooperatives and U.S. organizations, establishing a fair-trade
market for clothing produced by Bolivian workers. Fair Trade cuts out most middlemen, giving the workers a sustainable living wage. We’ve provided over $225,000 in income for indigenous cooperatives. Click
here to order from Solidarity Clothing.
The
Education Mission is a partnership in Cochabamba, Bolivia with
teachers and student teachers who teach English to the poor.
Our missioners provide
seminars, team teach and sharpen their Spanish skills while delving
into Latin American culture. The Bolivian teachers have an opportunity
to learn more English and connect with counterparts from the U.S.
Our
Spiritual Journey is central to our mission. We do not proselytize but celebrate our faith by witness and example. People of
all faiths are encouraged to join us and we welcome them into our spiritual sharing and reflection.
The mission
experience expands the world of our volunteers and invites them to live a more full and meaningful life. They witness life in the developing world, see God’s face
in the poor, and are moved by the dignity and strength of the
people they encounter. Lives are changed forever as our missioners
grow deeper into a life of volunteerism and service.
Our
Goals
- To encounter
God through serving Christ who suffers
in the poor.
- To create
a means by which the abundant goodwill and generosity of professionals
is channeled to serve the poor.
- To reach
out to the poorest of the poor through medical, business, and
educational expertise, in a spirit of mutuality and solidarity.
- To build
bonds of solidarity with Bolivian counterparts by sharing in medical,
business, and educational activity and faith.
- To allow
the poor and marginalized to teach us and impact our lives, and
to gain perspective on the inequities in the human family.
- To be advocates
for justice and solidarity between North and South America.
|
| |
|
