Over the past 2 weeks, Medical Teams supporters, board members, staff, and friends gathered in Portland and Seattle with one collective goal–to celebrate 10 incredible years of championing healthcare for women and children through the Healthy Women, Healthy World movement.
Founded in 2015, Healthy Women, Healthy World is a movement that champions health and wholeness for women and children around the world by supporting the work of Medical Teams International. Members learn together about the health challenges facing women in the communities we serve here in the Pacific Northwest around the world. Then together, we act. In collaboration with Medical Teams, members volunteer, advocate, and build support for programs that provide life-saving care for women and their families.
This year’s luncheons were particularly special because we celebrated 🎉TEN YEARS🎉 of this critical work, as well as all of the amazing women and men who have supported this initiative through their generosity, time, talents, and expertise.
As we celebrate 10 years of this movement, we want to call attention to some of the incredible work we’ve accomplished together:
Hosted by Medical Teams longtime friends, Katherine Cook in Portland and Monique Ming Laven in Seattle, we welcomed a truly inspiring lineup of speakers to share their personal insights on the three pillars of the Health Women, Healthy World movement–We are compelled by compassion. We are committed to women. We are called to collective action.
This year’s luncheon theme, Healthy Enough to Play, Strong Enough to Dream, was a celebration of girlhood and the vital role that healthcare plays in protecting these cherished, formative experiences for young women. It reminded us all that when girls aren’t able to access healthcare, they aren’t able to enjoy play, adventure, learning, or friendships—they aren’t able to dream of a future beyond illness and suffering.
But when they receive life-saving medical care, girls are able to enjoy all of the things that made girlhood magical for us—and girls all over the world deserve that, no matter where they are born.
In reflecting on the third pillar of Health Women, Healthy World, long-time friend and champion of Medical Teams Dr. Phyllis Cavens said:
As I looked into the eyes of people I helped—God’s voice let me know that I was where I was supposed to be. The call to action echoed louder and louder in my soul and has persisted for 46 years. The call has presented itself in these dramatic words: You are blessed to be a blessing. You will dream the impossible dream that no child should die of hunger or disease because of lack of care. You can love your neighbor as yourself. Empathy is the divine spark within us all. Empathy is strength.
It’s no surprise that after such powerful words, we were able to raise over $372,000 from both events in support of life-saving care for women and children around the world!
This year’s luncheons were truly beautiful opportunities to connect over a shared mission, reconnect with friends, reminisce about the joys of girlhood with our photo booth and friendship bracelet-making stations, and demonstrate the incredible generosity that truly has the power to change the lives of women and children around the world.
You can check out all of the adorable photo booth photos from PORTLAND and SEATTLE!
We are so grateful to all of the people who made this movement, and our luncheons, a success! We are especially grateful to our event sponsors: Pivot Group, Becker Capital Management, Oregon State University Foundation, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, and Arcora Foundation. Without these generous sponsors, this event would not be possible.