On January 12, 2010, an earthquake struck Haiti,

claiming an estimated 200,000 lives and becoming one of the worst catastrophes in modern history. The tragedy left hundreds of thousands of people injured and homeless, many of them children. Charitable citizens from around the world have come to the aid and relief of those who are impacted.

International Aid Serving Kids (IASK), a nonprofit organization based in Orem, Utah, specializes in providing medical and dental care to children in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This month, IASK has organized two humanitarian trips to Haiti.

February 6, Haitian Marc-Aurel Martial led an IASK medical team of 25 to Haiti and is currently working there. They left Salt Lake City and landed in the Dominican Republic, then drove to Leogane, Haiti.

On February 18, Illens Dort, also a native of Haiti, will lead a medical and surgical team of 30 members to Leogane, Haiti.

These teams come from Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Boston, and Canada. We appreciate the volunteers and their families who support them, as well as employers who allow the volunteers to take time off from work to ease the suffering in Haiti.

Please contact us if you are interested in joining the group, in sponsoring a child, donating equipment or medication, or in organizing humanitarian kits. Your donations are put toward buying medical and dental supplies to support those affected by the earthquake and the children that we serve.

Please visit www.liftalife.org/donation.html to donate.

Learn more about IASK at www.liftalife.org/index.html or email idort@liftalife.org with questions.

The February 6 team included the following surgeons, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and interpreters:

Alisa Stewart (pharmacist)

Angie Adam (RN)

April Hickman (RN)

Bill Hickman (support)

Craig Hatton (MD)

Cynthia Jacobson (RN)

Danielle Bouchever (RN)

Diane Nielsen (RN)

Eric Tobler (Dentist)

Jake Wood (Support)

Jeff Griffith (Support)

Jesse Spencer (MD)

Kathleen Nielsen (Interpreter)

Katie Millar (RN)

Kyle Kitchen (Pharmacist)

Marc-Aurel Martial (RN, Team Leader, Interpreter)

Marc Johnson (MD, Team Lead Doctor)

Marin McDowell (Hygienist)

Mark Milligan (MD)

Mike Richards (Orthodontist)

Rachel Cole (MA)

Sampson Hitchcock (Support)

Tammy Tucker (RN)

Tim Mullins (Interpreter)

Tom Wood (MD)

The February 18 team includes the following surgeons, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and interpreters:

Blake Frei (Interpreter)

Brad Hobbs (RN, Interpreter)

Brian Hobbs (Anesthesiologist)

Brian Rodgers (MD, Interpreter)

Colleen Brown (LPN)

Dave Becker (Anesthesiologist)

Diane Hammond (RN)

Dustin Heslop (Interpreter)

Fenise Dort (RN, Interpreter)

Illens Dort (President, Interpreter)

James Gunn (Med Student)

Jennifer Seeley (Pharmacist)

Joe Richins (RN)

John Robinson (Anesthesiologist)

Joseph Liliquest (MD)

Kent Chapman (PA)

Kirt McKinlay (MD)

Laura Garn (RN)

Lou Morin (Interpreter)

Mark Shah (MD)

MaryAnn Chapman (Support)

Michael Hess (MD)

Michael Paquette (Interpreter)

Pamela Vincent (MD)

Stephanie Granger (Interpreter)

Tamir Mosharrafa (MD)

Taylor Johansen (MD)

Tom Gunn (Anesthesiologist)

Toni Sorenson (Photographer)

Tyler Batty (Interpreter)

Serving in the Dominican Republic was a Life Changing Experience

As a dentist, it is a grand privilege to provide service to a population that is truly deserving of basic dental care.  As we work day to day in our practices in the US, we sometimes get lost in the pursuit and extreme efforts of making our businesses profitable.  Dealing with insurance and ever expanding pressures to turn a profit, sometimes puts us in a place where we forget what we entered the profession for in the first place.  There is nothing more rewarding than doing dental service in a pure form where there is nothing but hard work, basic dental skills, and loving hearts to finish out the day.  I will forever be a fan of IASK and the opportunity that was provided to serve in the Dominican Republic.

With great thanks and appreciation.  Dr. Richard Anderson, DDS

Dr. Anderson went to the Dominican Republic with his wife (Kim) and daughter (Alyssa) with the IASK November 2008 humanitarian team.

 

 

Welcome to the Lift a Life Blog

Welcome to the Lift a Life blog! So many great volunteers like you make a remarkable difference in the lives of poor and abandoned children in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This blog is for you to share your experiences as a volunteer associated with International Aid Serving Kids (IASK). We hope that the information shared in this blog inspires you to continue finding ways to lift a life of someone who needs your help.