Update on the Don and Birdie Reeder Global Emergency Fund

What an awful day. Does it seem like these "blaze of glory" mass shootings just keep happening and happening? More frequently even? I don't have kids but can't even imagine sending them off to school one day, like every other day, then knowing they'll never come home again. Ever. Little kids, who had their whole lives taken, just...because. How many more times will this happen? My lasting feeling is it just reinforces how our lives are so fleeting. Those parents, and the adults' spouses and loved ones, all assumed they had all the time in the world left with those who perished today. But they lost it in the blink of an eye. In circumstances they could never have expected. You can take every possible precaution, you can buckle up in the car, you can stay out of unsafe areas, you can watch your kids 24 hours a day. But when its your time, its your time. The apostle James wrote: "You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." That's a fact. We can't know about tomorrow. We come and we go. Anything can happen any time. So treasure your time and those around you.

Tonight will contain no Dirty Dancing or Star Trek references or yuppies and Whole Foods jokes.

I've been meaning to update everyone about the Don and Birdie Reeder Global Emergency Fund's activities over the past year, and bizarrely perhaps, this seems like an appropriate night to talk about helping children. My family started the Fund, for those of you who may remember, in the wake of my mother's passing. We hoped to continue the work she and my father had done over many years to help children throughout the world. I first wrote about the Fund here. Basically, through our contributions and those of many others, the Fund has helped children and youths all over the world suffering through transitions making them vulnerable to such scourges as war, sex trafficking, hunger, lack of housing, or disease, which are so prevalent outside the "western world." Administered by Children's Emergency Relief International, the Fund has covered such expenses as college or apprenticeship tuition, rent or other basic living expenses, medicine, and other immediate threats to orphaned or vulnerable children.

Since its establishment in 2008, the Fund has expanded its brief and helped make possible more ambitious works. For example, it has helped build several homes for families, one of which is in Sri Lanka. Its hard to imagine that there's several "Reeder Houses" in this world, but there you go.

During the past two years, the Fund made possible several other projects, enabling CERI and its partners to provide:

• Medicine for a medical mission to the Central African Republic, which helped treat 1,100 patients in four days;
• Housing, supplies, and medicine to families and children in Moldova;
• Assistance with supplies and plants for new South African family farms;
• Food and water for 120 children suffering from Sri Lankan flooding; and
• Winter boots for 97 children in the republic of Georgia.

I haven't gone on any of the trips where volunteers help distribute this relief, or worked with CERI's in-country personnel who go into orphanages or villages and help children and parents. But the reports I've been provided sound like the volunteers quickly develop close bonds with these children and, where they remain together, with their families. Here's some scenes from those trips:

Developing a garden. Mpilonhle, South Africa

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Starving child, Central African Republic

You can see a video showing more scenes from the Central African Republic trip by clicking here.

Dr. Dearing Garner, who knew my mother closely for over 30 years, personally oversees the Fund and must approve every proposed expenditure. I meet with him a couple of times each year to review the Fund's activities and discuss its future. He ensures that every expenditure meets one test-would Miss Birdie have approved. I like to think that all this would have made her happy. Her life basically was all about helping children. Little kids by the hundreds all over the world flocked to her, pulled at her skirt, reached for her hands, even though they couldn't speak a word of english. They just knew she loved them and that was enough. She had a rare gift.

Mom

Many of you have contributed to the Fund through the years, and that's always very welcome. My family really appreciates those who have helped us in this cause. You can continue to do so on line at this link. Just hit the drop down menu for "Reeder Global Emergency Relief Fund." Or you can send something to





CERI
1406 Stonehollow Suite 400
Kingwood, TX 77339

And designate it for "Reeder Fund" or something along those lines.

Hopefully you will find it worthwhile.

Thanks for reading about how the Reeder Fund has helped children, on this dark day for children, teachers, and their families.