West and South Area

Regional Director’s Message

As we give thanks this month, we at NPH USA have much to be grateful for. Just last week, we hosted our 2016 NPH USA Northwest Gala in Bellevue, which set a new record and raised more than $397,000 to provide healthcare for the children of NPH!   It was truly a special evening filled with dinner, dancing, games, a fabulous auction and raffle, and your support will make a huge impact at NPH.  We were inspired by Dr. Pilar Silverman, the Medical Director of NPH International, who gave us a sense of the scope and importance of NPH’s work to keep our children healthy. Dr. Edwin Vallecillo Betancourth, who grew up at NPH Honduras and is now the physician in charge of our clinic there, shared his personal story of transformation and his commitment to serving the children of NPH.  Brian DiJulio and the Love Jacks kept us dancing with their lively and fun music at our after party.

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Most important, your generosity was on display, as more than $235,000 was raised during the Fund-A-Need alone, to support healthcare at NPH!  This would not have been possible without the donations of several NPH supporters to our pool of matching funds, including the DeVinck Family Fund, Mary Jo and Jim Bruckner, Doug and Lizzy DeBen, Cesar Galindo-Legaria and Zandra Navarro-Villicana, Chris Hartinger and Julie Jones, Kristen Kelly and Ralph Ermoian, Beth McCaw and Yahn Bernier, Barb and Tracy Neighbors, and Jan Siers and John Ittes.

We are also very grateful to our corporate sponsors for their support, including Special Featured Sponsor Heaton Dainard Real Estate; Supporting Sponsors Cyan Landscapes and USI Kibble and Prentice; Partner Sponsors Krueger Sheet Metal, Proliance Surgeons and Seahurst Pediatrics, and Table Sponsors Alexander Gow and Transforming Age. Finally, but most important, we want to thank our volunteers, table captains, and Board members for their unwavering support to create such a fun and successful event.  We appreciate your steadfast partnership and are already looking forward to next year!

Aside from the Gala, we were thrilled to work with longtime church partner St. Louise Catholic Church in Bellevue, Washington, which sponsored a two-week child sponsorship drive in October.  I’m delighted to share that under the leadership of Dawn McIntosh, and with the support of the parish administration and clergy, 48 St. Louise families and parishoners signed up to sponsor a child at NPH, making it our most successful drive yet!  We are very grateful for the longtime support and solidarity of St. Louise and thankful for the hard work of Dawn, JT, and the St. Louise team of volunteers who made this possible.

Before closing, I want to invite you to join us at one of our upcoming events.  On December 8th our Associate Board for young professionals will host a Trivia Night in Seattle, and mark your calendars for the Associate Board’s annual Carnaval for a Cause on February 25th, 2017.  You can also start planning now for our NPH USA NW Golf Classic on June 1, or consider joining us on our trip to NPH Guatemala July 1-7, 2017.

Meanwhile, we are immensely grateful for the deep support from you, our local NPH community and family. Without you, we would not be able to help our children thrive – thank you.

With best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends, and holding the children of NPH in all of our hearts.

Katie Hultquist

Northwest Regional Director