Dear Friends,
I returned home last night from the Michigan Academy of PAs annual conference. MAPA has selected to support The Dream Project as their special project this year. It was a beautiful weekend, even  complete with snow!

I traveled from Mozambique to Michigan this past Tuesday. Below, I  write about the harshness on children of life in Mozambique. . .

"If you leave I will never be happy", Endo softly spoke to me as I prepared for my visit to the U.S.  What makes a child say such a thing?  What has Endo been through that he feels like he must grip me tightly because I am his only chance for happiness?  At the age of 5 police found Endo living on the sidewalk and brought him to live in a large orphanage, where he lived until having to leave at the age of sixteen.   For the last two years  he has been begging for food, moving from house to house, living on the streets. Endo has only completed the sixth grade.  We are helping Endo as he develops the skills he will need to overcome these odds as an adult and will be enrolling him to continue his studies.

"I have never been happy.  I may smile, but inside I am not happy", 13-year old Verner poured out his heart to me yesterday.  This little boy lives in a large orphanage and has always seemed so lost and scared.  He told me that he asked to live in this orphanage many years ago because he wanted to study.  His father had died.  His mom wasn't able to care for him.  Right now Verner doesn't know where his mom is because she moves around and doesn't have her own home. We hope to bring Verner to live with us when we have built our next children's home.

"I don't have any food to eat", 17 year-old Micas confided in me yesterday.  I slipped 500 metacai ($20) into his hand, as I often do.  Micas is one of those rare people who gracefully overcomes.  At the age of 15, Micas had to leave the large orphanage he grew up in and had to learn to fend for himself for the first time in his life.  Instead of becoming bitter, Micas has become one of the most caring and considerate young men I know.  We have paid for his schooling and helped him with food.  Despite the difficulties of pursuing his studies, Micas is now completing the 10th grade.  This is a great accomplishment in Mozambique where only 44% of the population is literate.

We now have the incredible opportunity to invest in the lives of five of our older youth, including Micas.  We want to enroll these 5 children in an intensive character, leadership and Christian discipleship school.  Our heart is to invest radically in the lives of these youth, that they would be the future Godly leaders of their nation.  They will lead our children's homes and be leaders in whatever other positions they obtain.  They will raise other youth to have dreams and a future in a country in great need of hope.

We have ½ of the monthly support needed to enroll these children.  Would you be interested in helping to sponsor these youth?  We need to raise a total of $1000/month in sponsorships, as well as one-time costs of $6000.  We will then be able to enroll all five of these children. 

You can sponsor any amount and donation frequency by visiting our website at : www.thedream-project.org, under "Donate" on our "Support" page.  Please specify "Education Fund." The youth will keep their sponsors updated during their schooling!  Please contact me if you'd like more information about 'Master's Commission'.

Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers.  I hope to see you this Saturday, October 17th at our Annual Fall Gala. Come celebrate Sweetest Day next weekend and make a brighter day for the children of Africa. You can make a huge difference in the world without leaving America!

Much love in Jesus,
Julie

American Academy of Physician Assistants Announces 2009 PAragon Award Winners

(Detroit, Mich.) – The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) will award the 2009 Humanitarian PA of the Year Award to Julie Malacusky, PA-C, of Troy, Mich., who founded “The Dream Project” to help children orphaned and abandoned by the AIDS epidemic in Mozambique, Africa.

The Humanitarian PA of the Year Award, which will be presented Friday, May 22 in San Diego at AAPA’s 37th Annual Physician Assistant Conference, honors a PA who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to human rights and exemplifies the PA profession's philosophy of providing accessible and quality health care in geographic locations inside and outside of the United States.

“It is a true honor to receive this award,” said Malacusky. “If we will not stand up and fight for those too weak to fight for themselves and too vulnerable to have any voice in society, we will have lost the essence of our humanity.”

An ordained minister and a certified PA, Malacusky first provided health care to patients in the inner-city and surrounding community hospitals of Michigan. She then began leading short-term medical teams in Brazil, India and Mozambique to help destitute children – using her personal savings, raising funds, and receiving medical donations to provide care.

In 1999 Malacusky opened the “Calcutta Hope Home” to provide safe shelter for children in the region. One year later, she established a ministry for street children in Brazil and founded “For the Children International,” a non-profit focused on reintegrating street children into society.

Malacusky’s current venture, The Dream Project, provides fresh water, food, health care services, education, and vocational training to needy children throughout Mozambique. As executive director and co-founder of the Project, Malacusky not only finds funds to pay local staff and buy food for the children, but she also provides training for relief volunteers. Under Malacusky’s leadership efforts, the Project now has an extensive base of volunteers, churches, and businesses across the nation and provides support to as many children as generous supporters make possible. In recognition of Malacusky’s current Project and past humanitarian efforts, officials at Wayne State's Physician Assistant Studies program awarded Malacusky the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007.

AAPA will present Malacusky with a crystal Humanitarian PA of the Year Award, a check for $2500, and a matching donation to The Dream Project – all of which is made possible with support of Pfizer Inc. The award is one of five PAragon Awards presented annually by AAPA to recognize members who have demonstrated distinguished service to patients, the community, and the profession. Other awards include: PA Service to the Underserved Award, Outstanding PA of the Year, Federal Service PA of the Year, and the Physician-PA Partnership Award.

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The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) is the only national professional association that represents PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the armed forces and federal services. Founded in 1968, AAPA works to increase the professional and personal growth of the entire PA workforce by providing comprehensive support and advocacy for physician assistants so that they may, in turn, provide patients with increased access to quality, cost-effective health care. Learn more at www.aapa.org.

For more information about The Dream Project, please visit www.thedream-project.org.