• An update from Alastair

    Posted on March 28, 2016

    The time has flown by since our last HABS Update and there has been an abundant amount of water under the proverbial bridge since then. It has been a busy, and as usual, challenging time for Pat and I as we head into our 16th year of service here in Jambiani.
    I know Pat has given you her summary of what’s been happening on the JTTI front and I know that she is continuing to do a remarkable job keeping that rather massive responsibility running smoothly and effectively. Thank you Pat!!!

    The Wellness Center is as busy as ever and we continue to look after folks of all ages and genders who now come to us from far and wide hoping to find the magic cure. Honestly, I believe we help every individual that we get to treat whether directly through our adjustments or through the advice we often need to share with our patients. No question, the magic does occur and we get our fair share of “stunning” clinical results but the real joy is found in giving people hope that they can improve, by giving them a clear understanding of what their problem is, and what they need to do to improve. Seeing that process unfold and the ensuing wellness that underpins the positive changes people experience in their lives is the ultimate reward, something I will never get tired of.
    At this time, we have had to modify our programs substantially. As Pat said she is only teaching two students at the moment and we have had to curtail our volunteer programs both in the clinic and the JTTI.
    We have had to take these pretty drastic steps because we simply cannot afford to maintain our previous levels of activity. Sustainability is no doubt one of the biggest challenges for any NGO and especially one like ours which is very small with no corporate backing or full time funding managers on the payroll.
    This does not come as a surprise as we could foresee problems developing several years ago. We thought that those problems would be resolved with the building of an additional training/rental guest house. Due to a number of issues, this project is still not complete however, we have hope that this situation will not go on for too much longer and will be rectified hopefully before the end of this year.

    In the meantime we struggle to keep the ball rolling and some financial support would be very much appreciated at this time. We would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you who are reading this newsletter to please consider making a donation to HABS. We have not done any fundraising for years so this hopefully will be the last time we need to ask for help. We are trying very hard to become completely self sustainable and trust me; there is no great satisfaction in having to burden others with requests for assistance.
    You can make a donation using PayPal right here on the website or via internet transfer using the following banking details:

    Name of Account: Hands Across Borders Society

    Bank Name and Address:
    Royal Bank of Canada
    304 Cook Street Branch
    304 Cook Street
    Victoria
    B.C.
    V8V 3X6
    Canada

    Transit Code: 08040
    Account Number: 100-721-0
    Institution Number: 003
    Swift Code: ROYCCAT2
    ABA: (only used if transferred via US) 021000021

    If you are a Canadian resident and make a $25.00 or more contribution we can issue you with a receipt for tax purposes. You just need to send your name and address to our boss in Victoria, Dr Stan Marcus and he will mail out a receipt to you.
    His mailing address is:
    Dr Stan Marcus
    1975 Bazan Bay Road
    Sidney, BC
    V8L 1C6

    We really appreciate your consideration and more importantly the people who will continue to benefit from our project here appreciate your support as they are the true beneficiaries of any help that comes this way.
    We also put together a short video in support of this fund raising endeavor so please have a look as it will give you perhaps a better insight into our current situation.
    We will keep you updated as our projects move forward so until then, thank you once again for all your encouragement. We really appreciate all of you who have been so generous in the past. If not for you, we might have had to pull the plug years ago.

    Take care all of you and until next time, big love from all of us here in the “Jam”.

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