NBC26 Cares: Medical Mission
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A group of young professionals in the Fox Cities is taking time out of their hectic work schedules to volunteer and hopefully save lives overseas. Video by nbc26.com
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A group of young professionals in the Fox Cities is taking time out of their hectic work schedules to volunteer in the community. They're called Pulse, and their latest project may save lives across the world.
When we caught up with them in Appleton, about 20 members were packing boxes for the Sharing Around the World Medical Project. It's a program that recycles used medical equipment from local hospitals and ships the supplies to poor people across the world.
"That's medical supplies helping third world countries. It's medical supplies not ending up in our landfill, and we're saving lives," said Appleton Rotarian and chair of the Sharing Around the World Medical Project Carol Busey.
Busey knows it takes a team effort to collect, pack and ship all of the medical supplies, so she's thankful for the help from Pulse members like John Werner.
"I'm not from this area originally. When I first moved up here, I felt like I needed to become part of the community, and I feel like there's a lot of good organizations out there that need help," said Werner.
Werner says Pulse, which is a branch of the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce, is about more than networking. They're donating their time to non-profit organizations in the area.
"You just know that those couple hours that you're spending is making a difference in somebody's life somewhere. That's a good way to end a day."
Werner and his crew are helping salvage old crutches, wheelchairs and surgical supplies from local hospitals. They'll be recycled and shipped to Rotarians overseas who will deliver them to clinics for the poor in places like Pakistan, Africa and Russia.
"As I tell people, the person you save today may be the ruler of a country tomorrow. They know it comes from the United States. They know people are doing this as a volunteer project. It's saying we care," explained Busey.
Pulse is happy to be spreading goodwill around the globe.
"Very little time can make a huge bit of difference," said Werner.
Next month, members will donate their time to a different cause. They'll volunteer at the Community Clothes Closet in Menasha.
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