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“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do
everything. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the
something that I can do.” Edward Everett Hale
In
the summer of 1997, the seed of an ambitious idea was planted in the mind of
our founder and president, Mr. John
Lewis. While John, his wife, and I were enjoying supper one evening at BJ’s
Pizza Parlor in
At
the time, John was busy as an administrator developing a family practice
residency program designed to increase the supply of family practice physicians
to rural
Over
the next three and one half years, in his spare time, John developed the basic
theoretical model for CTC. Inspired by Matthew
25:31-46, the Biblical passage in which Christ teaches that an act of
kindness on behalf of “the least” of our fellow man is viewed as an act of
kindness to the Lord, John incorporated the phrase “for the least of these my
brethren” into the motto for this bold new venture. This project was to be a
tangible expression of love and service.
With
input from professional acquaintances and personal friends, a blueprint slowly
emerged. Originally named America Cares Foundation, Inc, the clinics were to be
state-of-the-art outpatient facilities providing accessible quality medical and
dental care. The employees would be selected for their training, skills,
compassion, and dedication to service, and they would receive competitive
salaries and benefit packages for their service. Incentives would be developed
to promote excellence. Staff positions would include physicians, dentists,
technicians, social workers, and other support personnel. Services would be
available to everyone, but the primary goal would be to provide care to those
patients without health insurance and to those who could not otherwise afford
it. The initial thrust of the project would be related to medical care, but future
plans might allow a much broader role. Additional services might include
educational adjuncts such as computer labs, tutoring, reading classes for
children and adults, or other projects desired by the community. Supervised by
a national board of directors, each clinic would have a local group of advisors
to help tailor the services to the specific and unique needs in that particular
setting.
Since
this was to be a private, nonprofit foundation, an obvious problem was
financing such an ambitious and expensive undertaking. John proposed a novel,
yet simple and practical, solution. Because this was to be a community
sponsored, “grass roots” project, the funding needed to come from the general
public. Using reasonable mathematical assumptions, it was calculated that a
voluntary contribution of only 2 cents per day (or a grand total of $7.30 each
year) for 3-6 years by every working American would generate several billion
dollars. The money collected would be placed in a secure endowment and never
spent. All expenses would be paid using interest earned on this investment.
Each new clinic would require an estimated thirty million dollars of endowment
to be built and maintained. Each clinic would be built only after it was fully
endowed. The clinic would thus be assured of perpetual funding from the first
day of operation. The number of clinics would be limited only be the size of
the endowment, but the original model supports 100-200 clinics nationwide.
Networking
these clinics through computerized records and other modern communication
technology would allow standardization of care and clinical research. These
clinics would provide ideal sites for training medical students, nursing
students, family practice residents, and other healthcare workers. Teleconferencing
would provide continuing medical education and contact with consultants in
distant locations. Each clinic would serve as a central base of operations for
mobile units providing health screenings and immunization programs in
surrounding areas.
By
the spring of 2001, John was ready to share his vision with the world. Articles
of incorporation were signed on March 26, 2001. A board of directors was named
to supervise the foundation and assure the integrity of its operations. America
Cares Foundation, Inc. became a reality. In 2004, to avoid confusion with
another organization having a similar name, we became the Cents to Care
Foundation, Inc.
I
have been privileged to share in the evolution of this altruistic effort. I
think you will be blessed by participating also. Won’t you join us in this
exciting project by praying for us and spreading the news about Cents to Care?
We are a work in progress, and we welcome comments and suggestions. Please take
a moment to share your thoughts with us at centstocare@aol.com.
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