Afya Foundation

Yesterday, Afya’s shipment of medical supplies and personal protective equipment arrived at Anera's warehouse in Beirut, Lebanon. The shipment comes to Lebanon as a response to the explosion that killed and injured thousands of people. The flight landed yesterday at Beirut International Airport and arrived at the Anera warehouse only 6 hours later. We partnered with Direct Relief, the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), FedEx, Lebanon Needs, the AUBMC - American Universit...y of Beirut Medical Center and many others to complete this shipment to Anera! FedEx generously donated the shipping of these medical donations with coordination from ATFL’s CEO, Ambassador Edward Gabriel. Gabriel, who comes from a Lebanese background, secured assurances from the U.S. Embassy Beirut for help with customs clearance, to clear the shipment in just one day, in contrast to the weeks or months it can sometimes take. For Lebanese/Americans this is a labor of love and reflects our desire to honor our heritage. I am very pleased that the State Department supports our concern for the health and safety of the Lebanese people, said Gabriel. At some hospitals, shortages of medicines and medical supplies are at critically low levels and these donations cannot come soon enough. The needs in Beirut and Lebanon as a whole are huge, says Nisreen Khalaf, director of Anera’s medical donations program. Anera’s medical donations team in Lebanon will distribute the vital medicines to the American University of Beirut Medical Center, the Lebanese American University Medical Center, Hotel Dieu de France, and the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, and several primary care centers and dispensaries. These four hospitals received the majority of those injured in the blast, treating them free of charge. Thank you to all involved in donating, facilitating, and coordinating this shipment. Be on the lookout for more! Visit afyafoundation.org/beirut to support our efforts.

Last week, we sent four containers full of PPE to our partners in Beirut, Lebanon. We sent hundreds of thousands of face masks, face shields, and gowns to healthcare workers at Lebanese American University - LAU and AUBMC - American University of Beirut Medical Center! Beirut is still struggling to rebuild and treat all those injured and impacted by the August 4th Explosion. These deliveries of vital PPE will protect healthcare workers and their patients facing Covid-19.

We are so excited for Pete Jones to interview Danielle Butin about our efforts during Covid-19 tomorrow afternoon at 12:30! Join us at WVOX1460AM or stream it at WVOX.com!

The Coronavirus has drastically impacted every sphere of private and public life this year. College students have had to adapt along with the rest of us. This week, our blog comes from a current college student and our social media intern, Diana! She discusses her experience as an upperclassman, feelings of anxiety about Covid-19, and Franklin & Marshall College's reopening plans and social distancing guidelines. "Nothing about this school year has been normal. Almost all sch...ools have drastically changed their schedule to accommodate social distancing protocols. I never would have imagined that Covid-19 would be such a central theme in my life, but I feel lucky to have the opportunity to live off-campus, have a small community, communicate in person with my professors, and make a difference with Afya during this turbulent time." https://afyafoundation.org/par/diana-lichtenstein-smintern/

Did you know that Afya was recently honored by the New York State Education Department? Afya was honored for Efforts Made to Accommodate Employees During COVID-19! We are so proud of our employees, volunteers, and community members who keep showing up to protect healthcare workers around the world through this pandemic.

Happy Friday! This week our Humans of Afya is our Social Media Intern, Diana Lichtenstein! Diana found this position in the spring (during the height of Covid-19 cases in her home state of New York) and decided that she wanted to make a difference. Now, she has been with us for seven months and we could not be happier! Her daily duties consist of writing and setting up all the tweets for the week, interacting with followers, and uploading images into our Flickr database. He...r favorite part of the job is knowing she is making an impact through one post. Thank you Diana! Are you interested in volunteering? Learn more on our website: https://afyafoundation.org/get-inv/donate-time/summer-2020/

Happy Birthday to our magnificent founder and leader, Danielle Butin! Danielle exudes positivity, strength, and compassion. She teaches us to act thoughtfully and immediately, to find possibilities everywhere, and to spread joy and love wherever we go. Thank you for your wisdom, creativity, and leadership, Danielle!

Since March 15, The Afya Foundation has delivered 3 million pieces of PPE, masks, gloves, face shields, and gowns, to those on the front line protecting our communities from Covid-19, including healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, teachers, homeless shelter workers, emergency medical teams, elder carers, and more. Each and every piece of PPE has protected our heroes, enabling them to safely do their jobs and care for our communities. Afya is honored to have the backs of these... heroes. You can support our work protecting our communities against Covid-19 by donating or volunteering. https://afyafoundation.org/covid-19/ See more

This week, we have a very powerful story to share with our Afya family. Our Occupational Therapy interns keep our volunteer sorting running smoothly! But have you considered why our OT interns decided to become OTs? Melissa Celio, a student at Mercy College, became an OT because of her father. "Sixteen years ago, my father had emergency surgery, and as a result he suffered a minor stroke. He was sent to rehabilitation where he received occupational therapy (OT). I was with h...im everyday. "There, I discovered OT and what it provided to my father in order for him to live a functional life while living with physical, mental and emotional challenges. I realized that I wanted to be a part of the world of OT and provide people with various abilities opportunities to be their best self they can be." Continue reading on the blog! https://afyafoundation.org//volunteer-spotlight-otintern-/

A shipment of medical supplies was delivered to our partners at Hope for Haiti recently! This material will be used by healthcare workers to serve and protect their community from Covid-19. Thank you to our partners at ALAN (American Logistics Aid Network) for getting this material to our partner in Haiti!

Happy Friday! This week, our Humans of Afya are Basora and Donna. These two are volunteers from Upwardly Global, an organization that supports immigrants and refugees who want to contribute their vital skills to the professional U.S. workforce. Basora and Donna enjoy volunteering at the warehouse by helping sort medical supplies. They love being able to expand their knowledge in healthcare and current medical equipment needs that Afya is supplying.... Thank you Basora and Donna! Are you interested in volunteering? Learn more on our website: https://afyafoundation.org/get-inv/donate-time/summer-2020/

Afya is continuing to deliver medical supplies to our partners serving indigenous communities. We are focused on getting elder care equipment and material to Native elders so that they can live comfortably and safely. These pictures are from a distribution event held by Adopt-A-Native-Elder in Navajo Nation. We sent them wheelchairs, PPE, and elder care supplies. Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted Native peoples across the US. It is our duty to serve them. Afya has sent... multiple shipments to five tribes across four states in the west. Check out our website to learn more about our Native Elders Support Project. https://afyafoundation.org/c/native-elders-support-project/ See more

We love to see our younger volunteers taking the initiative and starting their own creative fundraisers! Emma Centenni, a student at The Ursuline School, planned and executed a Bike-A-Thon to raise money to send medical supplies to Beirut, Lebanon. Read about Emma's fundraiser and learn how you can do the same on our blog!! "During the Bike-A-Thon, everyone had a ton of fun! They sent me pictures of them biking. I loved seeing everyone enjoying themselves, getting exercise, a...nd simultaneously helping the victims of the Beirut explosion!" https://afyafoundation.org//organizing-the-bike-a-thon-fo/

Happy Friday! This week, our Human of Afya is Anthony, our warehouse associate of almost one year. He began at Afya during high school, volunteering through an internship program. We were so impressed with his work, that we offered him a full-time position! Anthony spends his days carrying huge boxes of medical supplies onto the sorting tables or sharing his expertise with new and eager volunteers. Anthony notes that it is all about balancing the hard work and genuine fun a...t Afya. Thank you, Anthony! Are you interested in volunteering? Learn more on our website: https://afyafoundation.org/get-inv/donate-time/summer-2020/

Our Occupational Therapy student interns are very special to Afya! They help all our volunteers learn the operational procedures, work together, and have fun! Read this blog from one of our OT students this summer, Wesley Sanon. He says "Afya is comparable to playing a team sport because everybody in the building is working towards the same common goal. As an occupational therapist, I will be working with other medical professionals as part of an interdisciplinary team. We will also all have the same common goal of helping the client to achieve their goals and increase their quality of life." https://afyafoundation.org//volunteer-spotlight-otintern-/