LOCAL HOME DEPOT SUPPORTS ONE HEART - MANY HANDS
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ORLANDO – One Heart – Many Hands Project Director George Sisler today announced a partnership with The Home Depot in Winter Park, 5351 Diplomat Circle, Orlando. In a generous effort to support the large-scale public service project scheduled for June 2009, the store management has agreed to donate building materials and other products that through the natural merchandising process would not otherwise be sold to customers.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the incredible amount of community support we are receiving from Orlando and Orange County businesses, government officials, social service agencies, churches and other organizations,” said Sisler. “Because of partnerships with community leaders like The Home Depot, this coming June our 3,000 volunteers will be able to do a lot of good in short amount of time.”
The materials donated by The Home Depot will be used on One Heart – Many Hands projects such as repairing floors and roofs, walls and fences, wheelchair ramps and windows in Orlando-area homes occupied by low-income, elderly, handicapped, and single-parent families. There is no cost to families who receive the service.
One Heart – Many Hands is a global initiative that works with local officials to organize large-scale urban public service projects. From June 21-26, 2009, thousands of volunteers from Central Florida and throughout the United States will arrive in Orlando to assist with the week-long effort.
“We’ve always taken an active role in helping the community,” said Herb Oakley, Assistant Manager at The Home Depot in Winter Park. “I’m happy to see that our company will have a pronounced impact on this project. The majority [of the donations] are brand new materials. This stuff (that we normally would dispose of) will go to the purpose for which it was intended.”
Oakley anticipates that by June, the accumulated nails, screws and other hardware, along with paint, electrical, gardening and building materials will represent tens of thousands of dollars worth merchandise.
In advance of the project’s kickoff, Sisler continues to seek-out partnerships with Orlando-area businesses, public service agencies and non-profit organizations. Those interested in volunteering or otherwise contributing to the effort should contact the OHMH staff via email: office@oneheartmanyhands.com
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VOLUNTEER LEADERS TOUR JOB SITES
ORLANDO -- Servant-leaders from across the United States assembled in Orange County over the weekend to tour job sites, meet with local officials and network as they began delegating responsibilities and putting plans in place for next year’s massive, community-focused service project.
Representatives came from as far away as Oregon, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Delaware. Project Director George Sisler guided his visitors through some of Central Florida’s most economically challenged neighborhoods. The group saw first-hand the extent of the needs and the numerous opportunities for service.
Ron and Chris Fox, veterans of One Heart – Many Hands projects in Indianapolis and Mexico, arrived from the West Coast late Thursday night. Their day began early Friday morning at the headquarters of one of our local partner organizations, the Orange Blossom Trail Development Board, which acts as a service agency in a community that is best described as on the move toward revitalization and self-sufficiency. It is in neighborhoods like this where next June thousands of volunteers from throughout America and across the world will be hard at work painting homes, repairing floors, fixing plumbing and offering encouragement to area residents.
Information sessions continued through Sunday after which the 30 to 50 attendees traveled back to their own communities with plans to relay all they learned to the volunteer groups they lead.
Group leaders who plan to participate in the June 2009 project, but were unable make this tour, should contact the One Heart - Many Hands office immediately to begin the registration process (including reserving hotel space at our special group rates). There also may be additional opportunities to tour the job sites prior to next summer's event.
In other news, the One Heart – Many Hands staff anticipates making a major announcement in the coming days concerning a partnership with a nationally recognized corporation. Check the One Heart – Many Hands website often for updates and all the information you’ll need to know so that you can help make Orlando 2009 a project that will leave an enduring, positive legacy on this community for generations.
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Adapted from the United Nations Association – Greater Kansas City Chapter News Release
OHMH Founder and President Dr. Gary Morsch Named 2008 Kansas City World Citizen
Dr. Gary Morsch, president and founder, Heart to Heart International and One Heart – Many Hands, was recently named a 2008 recipient of the Kansas City World Citizen Award. The award was presented at the 2008 Mayor's UN Day Dinner on Friday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m., Pierson Auditorium, University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Dr. Morsch is a family physician who believes each of us longs to make a positive difference in the world and every person is uniquely gifted to do so. Dr. Morsch's lifelong commitment to volunteerism has taken him around the world -- from inner city shelters to rural clinics, from refugee camps to mission hospitals. Along the way, he has encountered some remarkable people, including Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II.
In 1992, Dr. Morsch helped found Heart to Heart International where he is president. Heart to Heart is an international medical relief organization working worldwide to deliver pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and medical education to people in need. Dr. Morsch has organized and led Heart to Heart volunteer teams on missions throughout the world. Dr. Morsch also founded an organization of family physicians who desire the flexibility to practice medicine and devote time to volunteer opportunities. Docs Who Care provides family practice and emergency room staffing for rural hospitals in seven states.
Dr. Morsch has served with distinction in the military, enlisting at the age of 17 during the Vietnam war. He holds the rank of colonel in the Army Reserves and recently served in Iraq, Kosovo and Germany.