Lexington community leader Wes Allen made an honorable donation of $10,000 to Shoulder to Shoulder Global in early October. Allen is a 25-year member and former president of the Lexington Kiwanis Club, which has been an important community partner to STSG for over a decade and was one of the first supporters of STSG before the CSHH clinic was established in Ecuador.
Allen's generous donation will be used to purchase a new truck for the Centro de Salud Hombro a Hombro clinic in Santo Domingo, which will be used for home visits and emergency medical treatment for patients. Pablo Boada, executive director of the CSHH clinic, said that one of the aspects that makes the CSHH clinic different is its focus to serve impoverished residents in the community.
"Being in a neighborhood that faces many needs brings challenges from security to water," Boada said. “…But it also brings the challenge of how to attend to patients who can't get to the clinic from their homes."
Due to these challenges, Boada and the CSHH team have to share the clinic's only truck to regularly check on patients in the community who have little to no access to any other forms of health care.
"Thanks to generous donors like Wes Allen, the team is able to continue serving the most impoverished patients in their houses, bringing them to the clinic when needed, and following up on their conditions," he said.
Allen made the donation to honor the legacy of his parents Clifford and Jeanne Allen who both passed away earlier this year. Allen's father started Lexair, Inc. in 1977, and it became a family business that Allen, his mother and brother George have helped build for over 40 years.
"My parents were very compassionate caring people, always willing to help someone in need," Allen said. "With our parents passing this year, George and I felt this would be a nice legacy in their honor."
When Allen was president of the Lexington Kiwanis Club, he met Dr. Thomas Young, pediatrician and founder of STSG, when Young was the guest speaker at one of the club's lunch meetings nearly 10 years ago. During his presentation that day, Young spoke about his new mission in Santo Domingo, Ecuador and how a small local Kiwanis Club had helped him.
"He was very passionate and excited about this new opportunity," Allen said about Young. "We just happened to have our monthly Board meeting immediately following Dr. Young's presentation and his delivery won over the Board."
Allen has plans to participate in an upcoming STSG brigade next year and hopes to visit the CSHH clinic and the community in which it serves.
"As a member of the club, it is my opportunity to serve our local and international communities," Allen said. "We are very proud to support Dr. Tom's passion and UK's efforts with STSG."
