Outreach Honors Volunteer Nurses During National Nurses Week

Fundraising effort will support healthcare providers serving the poorest of the poor

For a decade, teams of medical volunteers organized by Outreach, Inc., an Iowa non-profit, have provided critically needed healthcare in East Africa, with a focus on women and children. With volunteers and the organization covering all mission costs – from travel to pre-natal vitamins to lifesaving surgeries – more than 24,000 patients have been served.  A special fundraising campaign for National Nurses Week seeks to expand those numbers by making it possible for more nurses to realize their dream of serving the poorest of the poor.

“All our team members are incredible,” said Outreach co-founder Kathy Hamilton, “but nurses are the team’s backbone. They support our doctors, enhance the confidence and skills of local nurses, nurture new babies and mothers, and so much more. I think Florence Nightingale would be honored to know what we’re doing to celebrate her birthday.”

National Nurses Week, May 6-12, is annually celebrated to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. The commemoration ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, credited as the founder of modern nursing and champion of social reforms to make healthcare accessible to people from all walks of life.

The Outreach campaign on Gladitood.com has a goal of raising $10,000 to create a Scholarship Fund to support nurses who wish to serve on the organization’s October 2015 medical mission. The effort will also encourage healthcare professionals of all kinds to consider joining the team.

Honored by Presidents Bush and Obama for exemplary humanitarian service, since 2004 Outreach has helped people build a future of self-reliance by providing nutritious food in circumstances of disaster and starvation in the U.S. and more than 20 nations, safe water, medical care and education. Its strongest international presence is in Tanzania.

Hamilton continues, “For the children and mothers we serve, our nurses are the face of Outreach. The number of patients we serve directly correlates to the number of nurses on the team. It is no small feat, nor expense, for nurses to be part of a medical mission. This campaign honors all nurses and creates a new pathway for those who dream of serving. Each contribution we receive will make it possible for a nurse to serve and a patient to heal.”

The campaign runs from May 1-31, 2015 on the socially-minded crowdfunding platform Gladitood.com from May 1 through May 31, 2015. Those interested in supporting the mission can find more information, donate and apply to volunteer at https://gladitood.com/projects/honor-a-nurse

About Outreach

Founded in 2004 by Floyd Hammer and Kathy Hamilton, Outreach, Inc. has helped to package and distribute more than 260 million meals for hungry people across the United States and around the world.  Outreach meal packaging events engage businesses, religious and civic organizations, schools, and volunteers of all ages. In addition to providing nutritious meals, Outreach also makes clean water, medical care, and education more accessible to children and families around the world. In recognition of their leadership of the 501(c)(3), the Outreach founders were recently honored with the 5000th “Point of Light Award in a White House presentation by President Barack Obama and former President George H.W.Bush.  As a recipient of the top “Four Star” rating from Charity Navigator, Outreach is committed to improving the lives of disadvantaged individuals. For more information, visitwww.outreachprogram.org.

About Gladitood

St. Louis-based Gladitood is a crowdfunding platform for nonprofits and communities to raise funds and rally volunteers for their projects. It helps nonprofits leverage technology to connect the communities they serve with the resources necessary for change. Gladitood knows that with the right funding, a group of motivated volunteers, and the support of passionate people, anything is possible. For more information about Gladitood, visit www.Gladitood.com.