Billy Joseph

This is a copy of a letter that I submitted to the Nursing Student Association at SUNY Canton... that ended up blessing me far beyond what I ever imagined! Thank you all, so much!

Dear NSA,

As some of you may know, I have a special passion for health care in the Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. I had the privilege of spending several weeks during the summer there, doing a nursing internship. I also plan to return over winter break to begin working on plans for starting clinics in the near future.

One thing that I am especially interested in is seeing quality health care performed by the Haitian people, to see clinics staffed by the nationals. The key to this vision is connecting with Haitians who have competent medical training. One such contact is a Haitian man, Billy Joseph, who is, at present, a student at a medical school in the Dominican Republic.

Billy Joseph, orphaned at a young age, was raised by his uncle outside the city of Cap Haitian, Northern Haiti. A local missionary provided financial support for Billy’s primary and secondary school. After graduating as valedictorian of his class, Billy went on to Medical School, in the Dominican Republic. He has done exceptionally well in his studies, and anticipates graduation next August. Billy’s goal is to be an obstetrician and set up a practice in Haiti.

In order for Billy to complete his studies and continue on to graduation, financial support and assistance are needed. Approximately $6000 is needed to get him through to graduation. The program he is in is divided into trimesters, each one costing approximately $2000, or $500 a month. This includes: tuition, housing, a food allotment, and books.

As someone with a passion for Haitian health care, a friend of Billy’s, and a fellow student; I have committed to raising financial support for Billy. What I am looking for is finding others to partner with me. This can be done by direct donations, assisting with fund raising or even additional ideas for fund raisers!

If you as a group, or individually, would be interested in supporting this student and my efforts to assist Billy, please contact me. I am hopeful of raising about $1000 in the next six weeks, and an additional $1000 - $2000 by New Year’s. Any degree of support would be greatly appreciated and rewarding for all those willing to get involved.

If anyone feel led to donate towards Billy's education, please contact me, and I will get you more details! God has blessed Billy with so much, I feel it is important to continue to help him follow the dream and call on his life. Some funds have come in ( a very special thank you to those of you who have donated!)...but atleast $4000 is still needed for him to be able to complete his education. Please consider investing in Billy's future, and in the futures of so many that he will impact.