MOE 2007
March 2007
Moe organized a public lecture by Bill Riker, a physicians assistant with Proteus, an organization that provides farmworkers, immigrants and others with a variety of services that improve their health, education and economic
opportunities.
Approximately 1,000 to 2,000 migrant farmworkers come to Iowa each Spring, Summer and Fall, primarily from south Texas. Others come from Florida, California, and other southwest states. Many are Hispanic. Many do not speak English very well or at all. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of migrants are U.S. Citizens or legal residents.The families generally have annual incomes below $10,000 and many of the worker protections that most people take for granted on the job do not cover these workers--such as minimum wage, health and safety standards, child work regulations, and health benefits. There are also about 10,000 low income seasonal farmworkers who reside year round in Iowa. Proteus is Iowa’s premier provider of innovative and collaborative human services to diverse communities. After learning about the valuable work that Proteus does, MOE gave a $350 grant to Proteus to be used in their Migrant Farm Worker Health Care Program.
March 2007
Moe invited a representative from the Iowa City Free Medical Clinic to give a slide presentation at a MOE meeting hosted at the public library and open to the public. The Free Medical Clinic provides free and low cost medical examinations to people with low incomes. It also provides low cost medicines as well as prescription eye glasses and dental work. The clinic is committed to the concept of patient rights, including the right to receive medical treatment without moral or social judgment, and the right to privacy and confidentiality. MOE gave a grant of $350 to the Free Medical Clinic for the wonderful service they provide to residents of Iowa City.
April 2007
We resumed our commitment to keep upper City Park clean for a year. We will pick up trash twice a month through October. Look for the sign at the entry of the park that says: “Adopted by Members of MOE.” Armed with trash bags and plastic gloves we make a game of seeing how much trash we can collect.
June 2007
MOE donated $250 to a family with three children facing the terminal illness of their father and mountains of medical bills.
July 2007
We sponsored a food drive to replenish the shelves of the local food bank. We collected 241 pounds of food, 3 blankets, and numerous hygiene items.
August 2007
To raise money for our emergency fund, we ran the concession for the Moonglow Dance Orchestra. We sold bake sale items and drinks to the dancers and earned $160.75
September 2007
On Labor Day we held a bake sale at Uptown Bill’s Flea Market. We baked, packaged and sold treats to raise $223 for the Crisis Center.
November 2007
Once again we volunteered to rake leaves for anyone who needed a little extra help.
December 2007
Every Sunday in December, MOE sol
d home-made candies, caramel corn, bookmarks and notecards to raise money for a clinic in East Timor. The Bairo Pite Clinic was started by native Iowan, Dan Murphy. Dr. Dan, a 1970 graduate of the University of Iowa Medical School and a former Cedar Falls physician, started this clinic in the city of Dili in 1999. The clinic provides free health care services to the local population and sees on average 300 or more patients per day, with a strict policy that everyone must be seen. Originally the clinic was set up to serve the immediate needs of a population affected by humanitarian crisis. As the violence has subsided, the clinic has adapted and transformed from an emergency medical service to a more comprehensive community health service. Bairo Pite Clinic provides a variety of services, such as childhood immunizations, pre-natal care, dental work, and emergency services. They treat the most serious health problems facing the country including malaria, tuberculosis, dengue fever, leprosy and child mortality. We sent $2500 to the clinic.