AWB Newsletter 2-2008
Acupuncturists Without Borders
E-Newsletter
February, 2008
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From a California Wildfire Effort Volunteer
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Jennifer
Leonard is an AWB trained acupuncturist who came from Colorado to
volunteer during the California wildfires. She was sponsored by the
Acupuncture Association of Colorado's Humanitarian Fund.
I was fortunate to be able to join AWB in relief efforts for the
victims of the San Diego Fires that burned for weeks in October. The
area I was positioned in was 60 miles southeast of metro San Diego, and
less then 5 miles from the Mexican border.
As I drove
toward Barrett, CA on my first morning of volunteering, I began to
smell the pervasive scent of burned wood. I was still 15 miles away
from my destination, yet I was surrounded by scorched landscape. Low
bushes, oak trees, prairie grasses and buildings alike had been reduced
to piles of charcoal or blackened skeletons of their former structures.
"Dramatic" couldn't explain the wide-open landscape, etched with
distinct fire lines and seemingly of another planet in comparison to
the untouched strip malls and gas stations not more than 3 miles behind
me.
Arriving in Barrett, I met our group at a locally
famous restaurant, known among Sunday motorcycle riders as the best
place to stop along some of the most scenic roadways in Southern
California. Sadly, riders were now coming to stare in awe at the
destruction rather than the natural beauty. The restaurant is owned by
a local couple who had been spared the destruction of fire but had no
utilities to open their business. They donated their space as a central
location to all relief agencies that had come to Barrett, including
Acupuncturists Without Borders, allowing us to operate out of a tent on
the porch. We shared the space with FEMA, the Red Cross, local and
state police and others. Residents of the small border town wandered in
and out of the parking lot, looking for food, clothes, services and
even socialization as a way to find some familiaraity with in the
chaos. Some stopped to inquire about the services we offered and seemed
too pre-occupied to think about something as strange as acupuncture. I
hadn't been there long but I started to question the role of
acupuncture in this setting. I learned soon enough.
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"I was apprehensive as to how to explain to them how they would benefit
from taking a short break and sitting with needles in their ears. I
did my best but, by now, I had learned to let the medicine do most of
the explaining."
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The
acupuncturists who had been working for the past 2 weeks were
exhausted, yet they all remained inspired by the experience and ready
to lead those of us new to the scene into action. I was stationed 10
miles further up the road in a small town called Potrero where I was
given permission to treat in the back yard of the California Department
of Forestry Fire Department. I was a little skeptical as to how many
people would find me and be open to the services I had to offer. But,
it wasn't long before I could put those concerns to rest.
That
first day, I treated many of the Potrero residents and volunteers. I
used only the NADA 5 point protocol, adding some points on the hands
from time to time. I was nervous at first, wanting this to be helpful
but not really sure how these simple needles were going to impact the
people who had been so devastated by the fires. What I saw suspended
all doubt. Throughout the day, I saw this simple protocol relax people,
relieve pain and lull them into a soft sense of comfort as they shared
their stories of loss and heroics with me.
Click here to read on!
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Veterans Project Update
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The Veterans Project is off and running in 2008. Here's what we're working on right now!
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Clinics in Chicago and Baltimore are up and running. Clinics in New
York, Arlington, MA and Framingham, MA will be launching in February,
2008 and a fantastic and motivated team has formed in Portland, ME.
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In the months to come we'll be focusing on organizing clinics where we
have had trainings and clinics are not already operating. If you are
in the East Bay, San Francisco, the Denver area, or Phoenix and would
like to participate in this effort please let us know!
· A comprehensive database of everyone who
has contacted AWB about becoming involved with the Veterans Project and a second database of operating and
potential clinics have been created to keep
track of team progress and assist with volunteer networking.
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The Albuquerque Clinic lost its space several months ago and we are
actively looking for a new venue for this clinic. We hope to have the
Albuquerque clinic up and running again by mid-March.
· Monthly
conference calls continue to be held and attendance remains strong with
10-15 participants per call and new people joining all the time. We've
initiated specific topics related to each call and those who are
farther along in the clinic creation process are encouraged to (and
often do!) attend to help along those who are just starting out. The
call "minutes" have turned into a lengthy monthly Veterans Project
Newsletter complete with a synopsis of the call topic, progress of all
those participants on the calls and extensive questions and answers.
· The financial agreement information sheet and contract is completed and has been sent out to several teams at their request.
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Creation of an enhanced public Veterans area on the website is
happening. This area of the website will include information and
updates about the various clinics and teams forming across the country,
information and articles on Veterans issues nationwide and a public FAQ
about the veterans project.
· A password protected area for the
Veterans Project of the AWB site is also slated to happen. This area
will include discussion forums, a library of articles and information
on Veterans issues, listings of national organizations, AWB documents
for use by clinic teams, calendars, backlogged newsletters, a complete
FAQ area, manual addendums and other useful tools.
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AWB Club at Bastyr Leads the Way for Students Nationwide
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 Part of the spunky Bastyr Student Group.
The flagship AWB Student Group at Bastyr University has raised $1350.00 for AWB and continues to fundraise!
As
students of AOM, we all know that our time is limited and our schedules
are busy. There is no doubt that the path to becoming an
acupuncturist is a challenge. But, as student, we need to remember to
look beyond our studies and see what "real acupuncturists" are doing to
benefit our communities. The students at Bastyr University looked to
AWB.
Bastyr's AWB Fundraising Group started with inspirational
guest speaker Pat Flood, an acupuncturist and member of AWB's Board of
Directors, who spent time in New Orleans. During her lecture, she
inspired us with stories of "Rogue Acupuncturists" performing heroic
deeds during times of need, and of the incredible difference just one,
single acupuncturist can make in response to a community disaster.
She also spoke of the amount of time, energy and personal resources it
continues to take to build this national organization from the ground
up. The final message was that the work for AWB has only begun, and the
potential for growth really depends on the amount of support that AWB
has from the larger community. When the talk came to an end, the group
of students, fully inspired and motivated to contribute to the success
of AWB, decided to form the Bastyr AWB Fundraising Club, which is now
over 30 members strong.
Our first event was a school-wide
Silent Auction. The week-long event consisted of pictures and
descriptions of donated items set up on tables in the hallway. We
auctioned off items such as hour-long massages, reiki treatments,
reflexology treatments, holistic house-cleanings, and donated Polish
pottery. The great thing about this event was that it practically ran
itself. This event made $600 in just ONE week! We then turned around
and donated the money through Mayway and they matched our donation. So,
quickly our $600 turned into an incredible $1200.
And that was
that! Since the Silent Auction, we have hosted a bake sale and have
proposed plans to sell "Candy-grams" during the Valentine's Day
holiday. We've been in contact with Sarah Tewhey of AWB and have
discovered that there are a number of students across the country who
want to help support this organization, but that there is currently no
national student network in place. Now, the Bastyr student group and
AWB are working together to create plans for a nationwide AWB Student
Action Network.
We'd like to challenge students from every
school to form groups and get involved with AWB. A sense of
contributing to an amazing organization and the reward of knowing that
even though we're not licensed to needle (yet!), we can help better
people's lives by supporting AWB is cause enough to put down the books
for a few minutes a week and get involved!
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Sincerely,
Cass Mabbutt and the Bastyr AWB Student Group
For
more information about getting involved with the burgeoning AWB Student
Action Network you can send an email to: info@acuwithoutborders.org.
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AWB Fundraising Update
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Our Year End Mailing
A
tremendous "Thank You" to all of you who contributed to the Year End
Fundraising Campaign. AWB raised $6197.00 in the month of December
through this campaign. This amount will be matched 100% by a generous
anonymous donor.
Our Veterans Fundraiser Mailing
The
Veterans Fundraising Mailing AWB sent out in September has raised
$6157.00 for AWB and the Veteran's Project! A big thanks to all who
supported this campaign.
Mayway Matching Donation Campaign
AWB
and Mayway met and then exceeded their goal by the December 31st, 2007
deadline and Mayway matched $5,000.00 to about $6,000.00 that was
raised in donations made to AWB through its website. Thank you to all
of you who participated in this effort!
AWB raised a total of $23,453 throught these three campaigns!
Ways you can help now!
AWB
will be holding nationwide Community Acupuncture Fundraisers for World
Health Day on April 7th, the Katrina Anniversary in late August and
Veterans Day in November. Start thinking about which event you'd like
to participate in. AWB will have materials ready soon!
Making online purchases at Expedia, Norsdrom, Staples or Barnes and Noble? Go to http://www.iGive.com/html/refer.cfm?causeid=44749 and shop over 680 well-know brand name stores through iGive. A portion of your purchase will be given directly to AWB.
Make
a donation to AWB now! Your funding will go directly to help keep AWB
alive throughout 2008 and ensure that its programs grow and thrive! Donate Now!
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AWB Introduces Two New Board Members
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 Karen Kisslinger,studied with JR Worsley in England during the late
1970's and has been practicing Classical Chinese Acupuncture and related
healing arts for almost 30 years. Currently her acupuncture practice
is in Millerton, NY. She is the meditation and contemplative
practice instructor for the retreat center of the Woodhull Institute
for Ethical Leadership and offers regular classes and workshops in
meditation and relaxation. She writes a regular "Way of Life" column
for the Healthy Living section of the Poughkeepsie Journal, has
written for national magazines, and has a daily radio show on WKZE in
the Mid-Hudson Valley called: "Time to Relax". She is inspired by the mission of AWB and wants to join in the work of
taking the unique power of acupuncture into situations of trauma; both
in the U.S., and eventually, worldwide.
 Dr. Robert J. Woodbine,
N.D., M.Ac.O.M. is a licensed naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist
serving the health needs of the central Harlem, New York community he
grew up in. He received his doctorate from the National College of
Naturopathic Medicine and Masters degree from the Oregon College of
Oriental Medicine. He is also a NADA trained and Certified Acupuncture
Detoxification Specialist (ADS). Dr. Woodbine joined the Board of
Directors of Acupuncturists Without Borders because of the
organization's proven commitment to directly and effectively address
the immediate trauma needs of people suffering in disaster related
circumstances. He firmly believes that with its portable healing tools
of acupuncture and Chinese Qigong, Acupuncturists Without Borders can
continue to play a pivotal role in resolving the affects of short and
long-term trauma globally.
AWB
is currently seeking Board of Directors members with financial
backgrounds. If you are interested please email,
info@acuwithoutborders.org
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Upcoming AWB Trainings
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The Miami Training
Usher
in springtime among the palm trees at AWB's Healing Community Trauma
training in Phoenix, AZ at the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and
Acupuncture. AWB is doing three more trainings in 2008 Phoenix, New
York and Portland, OR.
2008 Training Schedule:
Phoenix, Arizona: April 19-20 - Registration is Open!
Other trainings in 2008: New York and Southern California
Click here to register for trainings!
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In the spirit of service,
Diana Fried, Executive Director
and the Acupuncturists Without Borders Team
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