— from Greg Ayers, MD; Katy Breazeal; Carolyn Fiscus, CNM; and Mary Garcia, LPN —
Island Reproductive Health Initiative member, Jean Henigson, and Teen Representative, Ewan Lister applaud Hilary Canty, Orcas Island Community Foundation executive director.
We write this to express our appreciation to the Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) for its contribution in fostering our program, and for being our fiscal sponsor. This supportive partnership has been critically important for the Island Reproductive Health Initiative (IRHI) since its beginning, in 2010.
Teens, young women, and men, who are in need of confidential medical care related to the prevention of unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease, but who cannot pay for it, do not have to go off-island to obtain their care. They are fortunate because, on our island, many generous local donors contribute toward making sure their needs are met at our local clinics, paid for through the OICF/IRHI Fund.
In addition to the efforts of its many volunteers, the IRHI program owes a great part of its success and effectiveness to OICF. IRHI has benefitted from OICF Executive Director Hilary Canty’s generous help, advice, and wisdom. We have also received supportive assistance from OICF staff members Kate Long and Jen Wallace. Both women are always welcoming, very knowledgeable, and highly competent. Without OICF’s encouragement and practical help, in addition to its fiscal sponsorship, IRHI would have struggled to exist, isolated as a single charitable effort with limited hopes for sustainable success.
One IRHI Founding Member, Alison Shaw, adds, “IRHI is very blessed to be under the umbrella of the Community Foundation, which has supported our volunteer group in countless ways.”
Our ability to reach and inform supportive donors about the service that IRHI provides is far greater through our affiliation with OICF than it would be on our own. The proof is that a huge portion of our funding can be traced directly or indirectly to this affiliation. IRHI has received grant awards from OICF’s community grant cycles and has received many contributions from donors who find IRHI through its listing on the OICF’s website and other media.
The IRHI Steering Committee is extremely grateful for all of these benefits, and we offer our wholehearted thanks to Hilary, Kate, Jen, OICF’s current and past Boards of Trustees, and other OICF volunteers.
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Add to the list of supporters: Jean Henigson from within your group. She has spread the message successfully to numerous groups throughout Orcas.
Thanks, Jean!
The list of names credited for this article is incomplete. Missing are: Alison Shaw, Beth Jenson LMHC, Tracy McQueen, Jennifer Utter PA-C, Susan Newkumet RN, and myself. We are the entire current IRHI Steering Committee who want to express appreciation to OICF.