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Ott's goal was to build a clinic - a place where doctors from the U.S. and other nations could work to volunteer their time in an effort to care for some of the most impoverished in the world. In doing so, they weren't looking for the latest in medical technology. In Haiti, lives could be saved through such simple things as anti-diarrhea treatments and the administration of common medications that we take for granted. There is no description for the poverty in that country, the lack of hope is profound. But Ott had hope. Apparently, so did you. When his story was told in the pages of the Observer News last month, south county readers responded with a level of generosity that serves as a reminder of why we are the greatest nation on earth. Not only do we care for others, we, as a people, can provide hope for the hopeless. Over the past month, a miracle has happened here. To date, more than $27,000 has been donated to help Ott on his mission to build a clinic in Haiti and donations are still coming in. And that is thanks to you. You made a miracle happen - you told a nation that you cared and you gave them hope at a time when almost all hope seemed lost. And because of your incredible generosity, lives will be saved. Tonight when you sit down for dinner or when you go to bed, think about that. You have literally and directly saved the lives of fellow human beings. "I am extremely humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude with the response of the Southshore Community," Ott said. "They blessed us way beyond our imagination. Their outpouring of support was phenomenal." Ott's project to build the clinic was organized through Missionary Ventures, Inc. As with any organization, some money collected goes toward administrative expenses such as rent, office equipment and staff salaries. In this case, however, every dollar donated will go towards the clinic. "Missionary Ventures was very generous in waiving their normal administration fees for this," Ott said. "They have operating costs, too - but they waived all of that so all of the money donated is going towards this project." And while more money was collected than was expected, none of it will go to waste. With the additional funds provided by the residents of this area, the clinic will now be expanded to include dormitory style apartments for visiting doctors. Thanks to you, not only will visiting doctors have a place to work, they will also have a safe place to stay. Because of your generosity, what was to be a 1,200 square foot building will now be 2,000 square feet. That addition is a major advantage for the clinic and for the people it will serve. At the end of June, Ott visited Haiti - he left with the knowledge that for the first time in his eight years of traveling to that country, he had the full support of his neighbors. While the poverty that he witnessed was extreme, he also saw reason for optimism. "This is the first time in my eight plus years I've been going there that I saw a lot of work being done on the roads," he said. "People were dressed in uniforms - that means they were being paid and they were happy being able to work. I felt better than I've felt in the last couple of years. In town, it looked like a war zone where buildings and walls were blown out and you could see walls peppered. But they seem to have driven out the kidnappers and the thugs." Little by little things are changing. You have offered a hand up and because of that, the road becomes easier to navigate. "I've never had this kind of support before," he continued. "Maybe it's a growing awareness. In the past, some people told me that we need to take care of our own backyard, that we have problems here. I challenge them to come with me to Haiti to see the people waiting at garbage dumps for the trucks to come so they can find their meal for the day. There is no safety net there." But neither has Ott ignored his backyard. Although he would be the last person to talk about it, he has made considerable efforts - both in terms of his time and money - to make this community a better place. In Haiti, however, it is literally a matter of life and death. While in Haiti last month, Ott was named Humanitarian of the Year by the Southshore Rotary Club. The recognition wasn't entirely for his work in that country but more for his ever-increasing efforts to make a difference in this world. That includes his work right here in south county.
And hope is the only guarantee. As Ott pointed out, getting things done in Haiti is often a challenge. "It's not like the States where you can go down to Home Depot to get lumber or you can pick up the phone to call a contractor," he said. Dr. Ott hopes to return to Haiti in December to check on the progress of the project. As promised, this reporter plans to make the journey with him in order to share what you, the readers of this newspaper, have accomplished. But for now, he is suddenly a very busy man - he is in the process of writing thank you cards to more than 250 people who opened their hearts and wallets to help make a miracle happen. And in a quiet voice, hoping to restrain the emotion that was abundantly clear on his face, he had a message for his neighbors in this community. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you for helping. I wish I could take everyone down there to show the difference that has been made, to show the happy faces, to show what people have done." And what you have done is save lives and provide hope. You have created a miracle - your hand and heart is literally touching the most vulnerable people in this hemisphere. You have made things better in our world and certainly no one can do better than that. Dr. Hal Ott's project towards building a clinic in Haiti is administered by Missionary Ventures, Inc., a non-profit charitable organization. Ott is the owner of the Ruskin Animal Hospital at 715 South U.S. 41, Ruskin, FL, 33570. © Copyright 2006 by The Observer News Publications and M&M Printing |
