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Delivering a
World
of
Health
and
Hope
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Supplies Over Seas (SOS) is a Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit organization that meets critical health care needs in medically impoverished communities around the world by collecting and distributing surplus medical supplies and equipment.
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Supplies Over Seas provided Solanus Medical Mission with 50 lbs of medical supplies to Honduras.
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Over 90 surgeries were performed on this recent medical mission trip to Honduras.
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Dear SOS Friends,
First of all, we want to thank you for your faithful support. Over the years, Supplies Over Seas (SOS) has helped many people live a longer and healthier life, but that doesn’t mean we ever forget anyone who has helped make that possible. You are one of those people. It doesn’t matter whether you have given $5 or $5,000 in the past - it takes all levels of support and each one is as important as the next. Thank you!
LOCAL IMPACT: While our primary mission at SOS is to collect surplus medical supplies with medically impoverished communities "overseas," a portion of the materials SOS recovers are used to support individuals and organizations in our own backyard.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: SOS strives to use and/or recycle 95% of the materials that we receive. No matter where the donated supplies and equipment from our warehouse end up, SOS makes a local impact by keeping those items out of our landfills.
EDUCATION: SOS supports medical education by providing expired materials to medical and nursing educators helping to stretch their limited classroom supply budgets.
PERSONAL HYGIENE: SOS supports regional shelters and social service organizations by providing personal hygiene items that may not be appropriate to take on international medical mission trips.
ANIMAL WELFARE: SOS supports regional animal welfare organizations by providing expired supplies to free and affordable animal welfare groups.
Some interesting highlights from our
Year in Review include:
- 153 tons of surplus medical supplies and equipment received from 74 medical institutions and doctor offices - a 12% increase; these supplies would have otherwise gone into our local landfills;
- 95 tons of medical surplus shipped to communities in need – a 54% increase;
- 90 medical mission teams utilized the “SOS Medical Team Store” allowing treatment to begin immediately upon arriving at the planned destination – a 12% increase;
- Eleven 40-ft ocean going containers shipped to Mali (4), Liberia, Zimbabwe, Philippines (3), Ukraine and Mexico; 11 containers already in the queue for 2016 as of this month;
- 16,776 hours given to SOS from 2,598 individual volunteers saving our organization $376,453. Obviously we could not operate without our amazing volunteers.
While we find these numbers impressive, we know they are just the tip of the iceberg. They will continue to increase and, with the support of our volunteers and donors, SOS will continue to meet this growing demand. Thank you for your continued support of our important mission!
At the end of this month, SOS will "close the books" on another fiscal year, our 23rd.
Would you be able to help this month with a little extra and take our fundraising efforts over the top with a end of year gift?
Supplies Over Seas works each day to send health and hope to those in critical need of medical supplies. Please help to make this possible with your contribution today.
Thank you for your support!
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Melissa Mershon President & CEO
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K. Thomas Reichard, MD
Chair, Board of Directors
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Dr. Charles Bisig is a regular volunteer and collects medical supplies on SOS's behalf.
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rown-Forman Corporation employees spent a recent morning sorting five pallets of expired surgical and exam gloves and then packed ready-to-ship 1.5 pallets of the sorted gloves.
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S
OS volunteers Sharon Schuppert and Amy Verst prepares a pallet of supplies headed to Uganda.
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Sullivan University School of Pharmacy students packed suitcases for a medical mission trip to Belize.
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In the last year SOS collected over 153 tons of medical surplus supplies and equipment. Each $1 donated to SOS decreases the environmental footprint of area hospitals and other healthcare facilities while providing medically under-served communities with more than $15 in life-saving medical supplies and equipment.
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Karen Crook
, Operations Lead:
Karen will manage the inventory of SOS’s medical supplies and equipment that is sent to our partners overseas. Karen is a former owner of Lexie’s Trading Post, Inc. and spent seven years in the United States Air Force as a space and missile operations officer. Karen holds a Master of Management & Leadership from Webster University and a BS in biology/chemistry from Texas Woman’s University.
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Courteney
Smith, Program Manager:
Courteney will manage front office operations, volunteers and various communications projects designed to increase awareness of SOS and its mission. Courteney comes to SOS from Yew Dell Botanical Gardens where she served as the volunteer and events coordinator. Courteney is a research assistant for the University of Louisville as well as an adjunct professor for Introduction to Public Speaking. Courteney holds both a MA and BA in Communication from the University of Louisville.
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"First Aid Raid" at Lexie's Trading Post
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J
une 24, 2016, 5:00 p.m.
Collection Box Location
2224 Frankfort Ave. 40206
Frankfort Ave. Trolley Hop
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Think about your medicine cabinet. If you cut yourself chopping carrots or got a splinter, odds are pretty good that you have the supplies on hand to patch up those scrapes and cuts.
This is often not the case — not even in hospitals — in many developing countries. So the new owners of Lexie’s Trading Post is conducting a “First Aid Raid” to benefit Supplies Over Seas. Raid your own medicine cabinet for excess (unexpired) bandages, gauze, adhesive tape, ace bandages, burn ointment and antibiotic ointment and bring them to Lexie’s Trading Post on June 24th, beginning at 5:00 p.m.
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St. Margaret Mary Beta Club Band Aid Raid
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750 boxes of bandages were collected by the
St. Margaret Mary Beta Club, along with a cash donation of
$1,300! Many thanks to these fine students, and also to the St. Margaret Mary
Youth Group who also volunteered at SOS early one Saturday morning in February!
Band Aid Collections are just one way that little items can go a long way to make a BIG impact abroad. We'd love to see more groups participate.
Calling on SCHOOL GROUPS, SCOUT TROOPS, SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS. Want to organize a "Band Aid Raid" or First Aid Raid? Contact SOS for details!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Tom and Janie, Collection Specialists
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Husband and Wife team, Janie and Tom Scovil, volunteer as SOS "Collection Specialists." They use their vehicle 1 day a week to go to hospitals and medical institutions that recycle with SOS.
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"I first learned about SOS from a newspaper article a number of years ago. At that time I was interested but we were still working and we didn't have the time. Then in 2011 there was a larger article about SOS. By that time we had retired so time was not an issue. We had kept the trailer that we had in business and since we had the time, the physical ability and the vehicle, I thought why not. I started in early 2012 and after a few months my wife (Janie) also had the time so she joined me.
We continue to enjoy it because of the variety of stops and the people that we have come to know along the way. Occasionally we run into doctors or nurses that we know either socially or from the tennis courts and that is an added plus. We also feel good about the exercise we get, since on the long days, we walk about 3 miles (2 miles on the shorter days). The actual lifting of the heavier boxes and totes does give us some strength exercise but that is not as enjoyable. Lastly, we enjoy the feeling that we are doing something with no downside. Many of the items that we collect are going to places in desperate need of medical supplies rather than being sent to landfills. A win/win/win situation in my book."
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From left: Janie, Tom and SOS Recycle Partner
By the numbers:
1,500 Miles a Year on the Odometer
14 Stops a Week
225 Hours of Service
4 Years of Service
3 Miles a Day on Foot
2 Dedicated Volunteers
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Indiana Pick-Ups:
- 1st Urology
- Clark Memorial Hospital
- Physicians Medical Center
- Hosparus of Indiana
- Floyd Memorial Hospital
- Cancer Center of Indiana
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Louisville Pick-Ups:
- Hosparus of Louisville (2 locations)
- Jewish East Hospital
- Dupont Surgery Center
- Surgecenter of Louisville
- Suburban Hospital
- Baptist Health
- Baptist East Home Health Care
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WANTED! SOS COLLECTION SPECIALIST!
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Supplies Over Seas relies on volunteers to help pick up the surplus medical supplies that are collected by our hospital partners and medical institutions. We have two openings for volunteers to become “SOS Collection Specialists.”
Job Description
The SOS Collection Specialist will either go to the hospital location on a regular basis or “on call” and meet the materials manager, find the SOS donation, load the donation into their personal vehicle, drive the donation to the SOS warehouse, unload (or get SOS staff to unload) the donation at the SOS warehouse. SOS Collection Specialist may need to deliver collection bins to the location. The Collection Specialist will be an ambassador for SOS and deliver SOS information when necessary. They will build a relationship with the hospital materials manager and bring back helpful suggestions to improve the donations process.
Job Requirements
- Be a positive ambassador for Supplies Over Seas
- Have a SUV, station wagon, truck or trailer or drive your vehicle to SOS and use the SOS Van
- Able to pick up at least 50 pounds
Interested? Call us at 502-736-6360 or send an email to admin@SuppliesOverSeas.org
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Ray of Hope Medical Center in Uganda
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At the end of April,
Supplies Over Seas (SOS) shipped 2 pallets with 622 lbs of medical supplies to
Ray of Hope Medical Center in
Ntinda, Uganda
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Terri Clark Ministries partnered with SOS to order the supplies that the medical center needed and the pallets arrived at their destination in early June.
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The top priority item in the shipment -
an ultrasound machine.
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Boxes of band aids arrive at
Ray of Hope Medical Center from the St. Margaret Mary Beta Club Band Aid Raid.
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In late February,
Supplies Over Seas (SOS) loaded
a 40-ft shipping container bound for Serbia. The container was made possible through a partnership with the Indianapolis-based, TriMedx Foundation and the Chicago office of the Lifeline Humanitarian Organization, whose patron is HRH Crown Princess Katherine Karadjordjevic of Serbia. The shipping container included 46 top-of-the-line hospital quality beds donated from SOS’s hospital partners and individuals across Kentucky. The beds will be used to upgrade hospitals and clinics in Belgrade, Serbia who serve mentally and physically disabled children, orphaned and abused children, children of internally displaced parents and the elderly. The HRH Crown Princess Katherine Foundation will oversee the distribution process in Belgrade.
THANK YOU to the following hospitals who when they upgrade their equipment, donate the replacement items to SOS. These hospitals donated the beds bound for Serbia: Baptist Health Corbin; Baptist Health Lagrange: Baptist Health Louisville; Baptist Health Madisonville; The Forum at Brookside; TriHealth, Good Samaritan; KentuckyOne Health, Jewish Downtown; KentuckyOne Health, Sts. Mary & Elizabeth; University of Kentucky Good Samaritan.
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Sending health and hope to our friends in Serbia
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Thank you, TriMedx and Lifeline
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Question: How does
Supplies Over Seas (SOS) impact Kentuckiana?
Answer: In 2015, SOS received over 153 tons of medical supplies and equipment that would have otherwise gone into our landfills. Many items, like personal hygiene items, are not suitable for international distribution.
This month SOS distributed, over 1/2 TON of personal hygiene items and expired medical supplies to local organizations like:
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New Albany/Floyd County Habitat For Humanities picking up personal hygiene supplies from SOS.
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Youth Leadership in Action
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"M
y name is Leanne-Sarah, I am currently a Junior at Walden School. A little about myself - I grew up in a family where sharing and helping others are house principles. Ever since I was little I knew I always wanted to be more than a helping hand for my family, community and nation.
In 2015 I had a meaningful conservation with my mother, she looked at me and said 'You know, you are really privileged and blessed to have everything you need at hands reach.' She proceeded to say 'In certain countries, when someone has something as simple as a headache, they can’t buy medications to take the pain away. They suffer until the pain is gone due to the of the lack of money.' When I heard that, it strung a string in my heart; I was extremely sad but I knew I had to do something about it to help."
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I decided to collect medication, first starting with churches, neighborhoods, businesses and with my school for the 2016-2017 school year.
My goal is to raise $2,000 to get a pallet of supplies to Haiti.
Donate to the Leanne-Sarah Project through Supplies Over Seas!
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Our next Tuesday Tour is July 12!
S
OS Tuesday Tours are an intimate opportunity to learn more about how we deliver health and hope to communities around the world while saving tons of medical surplus from our landfills!
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2016 dates:
- July 12
- August 9
- September 13
- October 11
- November 8
- December 13
Agenda for Tuesday Tours
- 7:30 am Networking & Light Breakfast
- 8:00 – 9:00 am SOS Introduction & Tour
This is a FREE Event, but your RSVP is requested
Phone: 502-736-6360
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Your Old Vehicle Can Make a Difference to Supplies Over Seas
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Do you have a great old car you can’t sell because of mechanical problems? Don’t trade that car in for next to nothing!
Your car can be worth more to you than dealers offer for a trade in.
It’s easy, tax deductible and best of all, your vehicle will provide Supplies Over Seas with funds to meet critical health care needs in medically impoverished communities around the world by collecting and distributing surplus medical supplies and equipment.
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Attention Kroger Shoppers!
Enroll today to support Supplies Over Seas every time you scan your Kroger Plus Card to buy groceries, prescriptions and gas!
Visit www.kroger.com/communityrewards and select Supplies Over Sea (#85880) as your preferred charity.
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2. Choose SOS International Inc. (not Supplies Over Seas) as your charitable organization.
3. Shop with the knowledge you are supporting SOS!
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Have You Considered a Legacy Gift to Supplies Over Seas?
A gift to Supplies Over Seas in your will or revocable trust enables you to support our mission and make a difference in the lives of future generations. A bequest:
- Is easy to arrange.
- Will not alter your current lifestyle in any way.
- Can be easily modified to address your changing needs.
If you or your attorney would like Supplies Over Seas to provide you with customized beneficiary language that is specific to your goals and interests, please contact Melissa Mershon or Tim Tomes at 502.736.6360
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We want your feedback about this newsletter.
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