Our guest for this Catholic Vitamins Podcast is a lovely new friend — her name is Jeanne Kehl (pro. Keel). She’s a long time registered nurse, and when you meet her in person, or listen to our interview on Catholic Vitamins, you’ll find that Jeanne is a woman with a heart filled with love for others. One of the ways she manifests that love is with her participations in a number of trips to foreign countries — usually visiting the rural and impoverished areas of those countries as a team member of OPERATION SMILE. Have you heard of it? We’ll put some information below this segment — but in brief, Operation Smile is a charitable organization made up of medical teams who come together to ‘fix’ (especially) children born with facial deformities… cleft lip and palate type deformities.
Jeanne’s eyes become moist when she talks about the beauty of the poor and underprivileged children who have been shunned or ridiculed for much of their short lives… but who get a chance for near normalcy from the free work done by the doctors, nurses and medical technicians who are a part of each team.
Jeanne gave us her email address in case you’d like to get in touch with her. She’s at: jkehlrn@gmail.com
And Jeanne is also found on Facebook at Jeannekehl
The work of Operation Smile also helps burn victims and adults — what a wonderful ministry of love. The website for them is found at:
In addition to donations, there are many ways to get involved with Operation Smile.
•Become a Community Volunteer >
OPERATION SMILE – WHO WE ARE:
A CHILDREN’S CHARITY ORGANIZATION
Operation Smile is a charity organization healing children’s smiles, making the world a better place.
As a children’s charity, we measure ourselves by the joy we see on all of the faces we help. At Operation Smile, we’re more than a charity organization. More than an NGO. We’re a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft — often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can’t afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.
That’s where we come in as an international charity providing much needed surgical services. Since 1982, Operation Smile — through the help of dedicated medical volunteers — has provided more than 2 million patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.
As one of the most prominent children’s charities in the world and with a presence in over 60 countries, we are able to heal children’s smiles and bring hope for a better future.
Thanks to the generosity and spirit of volunteerism shown by our supporters, we heal thousands of children per year. With your help, how many lives can we change tomorrow?
We thank our regulars to Catholic Vitamins. These include Theresa Doyle Nelson, author of SAINTS OF THE BIBLE and MORE SAINTS OF THE BIBLE. You can find Theresa at www.theresadoyle-nelson.com
We thank Justin Stroh for another New Evangelization Podcast segment. On today’s show, topical commentary tying World Youth Day to the readings from the Mass of this weekend. Jesus asks each of us: “But who do YOU say that I am?” Find Justin’s WYD commentary and updates at:
http://justinstroh.tumblr.com/
And finally, we included music from Deacon Chuck Stevens. We played the title song from his album: HARVEST OF LOVE. Deacon Chuck can be found at his website:
http://www.smalltalentmusic.com
Finally — last but not least, we included a very special reflection on LOVE by an Irish deacon candidate, Fergal O’Neill. He’s in his third year of formation and studies, married to Mary and together they have six children ranging in age from 13 down to 22 months. Fergal is a high school teacher (Math, chemistry, biology, etc.) and he has interest in theology and Church history.
You can read Fergal in either of two places. By email: fergal.oneill@gmail.com or at his blog site: http://journeytoservice.blogspot.com
Thanks Fergal… and special blessings to your bride Mary for being a Godly wife and helping in support of your journey to possibly becoming a deacon.