Contractors can break ground on the Morgan Jayne Infant Care Center on the Island of Roatan, thanks to a generous donation from the Drumheller Rotary Club.
The Morgan Jayne Project, has helped to save upwards of 250 children by supplying infant formula to stop the spread of AIDS from mother to child. It has lent its spirit to a campaign to raise funds to build the Morgan Jayne Infant Care Center. The Rotary Club of Drumheller has chipped in $10,000 to the project and made the donation on Monday, March 2 at its weekly meeting. This was enough, when combined with a private donation from former Drumheller resident and dentist Dr. Jerry Vanc to get the project off the ground.
Fred Makowecki was ecstatic upon hearing of the donation, and is amazed by the generosity of the people of Drumheller who have supported the Morgan Jayne Project, and now are helping to build the Morgan Jayne Infant Care Centre.
“It’s amazing, we took the memory of a girl in the prairies and with it we're saving kids 3,000 miles away," said Makowecki.
The need for an Infant Care Center was recognized last fall. Valerie Nelson, the woman who runs Familias Saludables, the clinic that administers the Morgan Jayne Project, had four children in her care with serious medical problems. As per the law, the children were taken under state care. Three of the four children perished.
This is when government officials came back and allowed the clinic to be sanctioned to take in children at risk.
Since then, they have secured the lands, and had the necessary zoning requirements put in place. A contractor for the mainland Honduras has donated his labour, along with Vegas Electric, a contractor from the Roatan, who has donated the electrical work. In total, this adds up to $40,000, roughly the same amount as the materials cost. The recent donations cover about half the materials, and allows the clinic to break ground.
Makowecki says these companies that operate on the Island are very altruistic and often give many donations to people and projects in need.
Recently the clinic was again blessed with the news that will help the project even more. An e-mail from Nelson to Makowecki, with a subject line of 'YAAA!', reads that Penn State University, through Vegas Electric is donating an experimental state of the art solar power station valued at $150,000.
This is a huge boon for the project, says Makowecki. For the most miserly power user on the island, personal power expenses often are in the $350- 500 range, and the supply is not that dependable.
“This just frees up more money to help the kids,’ said Makowecki.
The clinic is modest and will be able to help about 12 infants at a time. It will be a secure sanitary facility that will provide care for at risk infants. Makowecki explains the clinic is not an orphanage, and the children, when in a healthy enough state, will be put in foster homes. Operational funds will be provided through various international non-government organizations.
Makowecki, in his presentation outlined the need for the clinic using the face of Baby Genisis. Born at eight pounds, the child withered away with a heart condition and feeding problems to just over four pounds. Despite immeasurable obstacles, volunteers took on the case, and she is now gaining weight. They hope to boost her weight to 10 pounds so she will be stable enough for surgery.
“Genisis is an indication of the children the clinic will help,” said Makowecki.
Now that ground can be broken, the remainder of the funds for the project need to be raised. A young woman in Saskatoon saw first hand the work the Morgan Jayne Project has taken on when travelling with her family to the Roatan. On Sunday, March 22 she has organized a fundraising dinner in Saskatoon to help with the Infant Care Centre.
Closer to home, the Morgan Jayne Fund continues to gain support. Makowecki is thankful for the support from Freson IGA, which has donated floor space to the project for selling candles. Hi-Way 9 Express has also been generous to the project. The Drumheller Scouts recently completed a pancake breakfast and raised another $400 for the project.
“Over 250 kids are alive, not because of me, but people who bought a pancake, a t-shirt, or a candle,” said Makowecki.
