Representatives of the One5 Foundation are currently on their way to Haiti to assist in bringing relief to victims of the massive earthquake that struck that country on Tuesday.

This is an urgent appeal for donations to the One5 Foundation that will be used for earthquake relief.

The One5 Foundation has been working in Haiti over the last few years to bring healthcare services to orphan children in several Haitian communities. One5 volunteers will provide emergency healthcare and logistical support for earthquake relief efforts.

Brad Gautney is leading the One5 Foundation volunteer group. “We’re just trying to do everything we can right now not to sensationalize anything, but still do everything we can here with our resources that God has given us to help out,” Gautney said in an interview with Fox 4KC television on Tuesday. He said the biggest thing all of us can do is to send financial aid to the One5 Foundation and pray.

The entire capital of Port au Prince was reported destroyed in the earthquake, described as the worst to hit the island in 200 years. Casualties are heavy as many buildings and houses have completely collapsed.

Please assist in earthquake relief for Haiti. You can donate by going to the One5 Foundation Web site: https://www.one5.org/donation.cfm Please note “Earthquake Relief” in the Memo box.

This is the time of year that we take time to reflect on our lives. Most of us are fortunate enough to live comfortably and enjoy the bounty and standard of living in a country where our basic needs are met daily without question.

We are the fortunate few as so many people in the world go hungry every day; where obtaining even such basic as clean drinking water can be a daily trauma; where disease and death are rife.

It’s not only in the developing world but it’s happening right here under our noses in Kansas City and every other American city.

So we encourage everyone during this time of year (at least) – despite the state of the economy or our personal setbacks – to take some time and explore the area and discover the number of people who are worse off than you are.

Then give something significant to someone you don’t know, either directly or through a local organization that works with the poor, the homeless and the dispossessed.

You’ll feel a lot better.

The Wall Street Journal on Nov. 9 ran an interesting article about new ways that philanthropists are employing to extend the value of their contributions. I encourage you to read it because it explains the approach the One5 Foundation is using in our work in Haiti and Malawi.

The article states, “Instead of simply giving money away to a cause, groups and individuals are plowing their funds into financial vehicles—known as program-related investments—that let their money grow while it does good. So, rather than make a one-time gift of $1,000, they might invest in a project that generates revenue, such as a loan to an entrepreneur in the developing world or real estate that rents to nonprofits. The returns can then go to other causes.”

In light of the economic downturn many donors would rather see their money go directly to the causes they support, rather than to the investment portfolios of foundations, where their donations can diminish when the value of the investments fall in a volatile market. While large corporate donors have used such program-related investments in the past, today more and more individual philanthropists are following suit.

“And lots of options are springing up to help donors along, from specialized donor-advised funds to opportunities to invest in microfinance and community development,” the article states.

The One5 Foundation has a mission to target children’s health in developing countries and a focus on the top five diseases that afflict them. It is right in line with these new philanthropic trends noted in the Journal. We are establishing our own micro-financing operation and have partnered with the NCM/C3 Global Growth Fund to encourage individual initiatives on the ground in the developing world. This provides a greater opportunity for entrepreneurs to get involved and to invest in developing new businesses. Through investment funds we can make the financial resources available for local businesses to develop and grow.

In this way, people who can only invest a few hundred dollars can direct their investment to an individual in Haiti or Malawi with a good idea who can build on that small investment. They can even get their investment back at a specified time or use it for more good work.

Even in these challenging times, a small investment can result in a world of good.

We want to thank everyone who attended the recent One5 Foundation fundraiser at the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City. It was a great outpouring of support, with about 300 people in attendance.

While it was a fundraiser, it was equally important in helping to spread the message about the importance of fighting the top five diseases that are the primary killers of children in the developing world. The event served to help form a basis of ongoing support. Attendees viewed two videos about the efforts that One5 Foundation is making in Haiti and Malawi.

Thanks again to our sponsors: Nueterra, Bukaty Companies, Foulston Siefkin, BKD, McDermott Will & Emery, SPACES, Wil Jenny’s, Mitzy London’s, Delish!, Flowers by Emily, Wrap It Up, The Goolsbee Family, and UPS.

Also, we really appreciated the musical entertainment for the evening that was provided by South Wind, the Matt Gary Band and Emerald City.

Thanks also to Fox4 TV News for the television coverage.

Photos of the event are posted on the One5 site on Facebook. Take a look!

While watching the Sunday morning talk shows last week I happened upon one that focused on global poverty. The general thrust of the discussion was the fact that societies cannot develop in any aspect – educationally, socially, economically, even the provision of basic human rights protections – until the people’s basic needs are met. By that we mean food, clean water, shelter and the control of disease. You can’t even develop a religion until these basic needs are met.

Hearing that on a national television broadcast just re-affirmed the whole purpose of our foundation. Then I went to church and the topic of discussion was the exact same thing.

Those of us fortunate enough to live in societies with abundant wealth simply must do more and give more and be of service to societies in extreme poverty. We have to give them the capacity by which they can begin to meet their own basic needs. If you don’t have the capacity to physically go and do it, you have a moral obligation to give of what you have, and that includes money.

More than 25,000 children die every day around the world. That is equivalent to:

• One child dying every 3.5 seconds
• 17 children dying every minute
• A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every week and a half
• More than 9 million children dying a year.

The silent killers are poverty, hunger, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. In spite of the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage, despite last Sunday’s exception.

One way to contribute is to attend the fundraiser for the One5 Foundation on Nov. 19 at Boulevard Brewing Co., 2501 Southwest Blvd. in Kansas City. For your $200 donation you will have a very fun night of food, drink and music of the Emerald City Band.

There’s room for only a limited number of people, so contact us through our Web site, www.one5.org, or call 913-647-6442 to reserve your place.

We want to give you advance notice of a very special and fun event coming up.

The Emerald City Band, a very entertaining group, will play Nov. 19 at Boulevard Brewing Co., 2501 Southwest Blvd. in Kansas City, as a fundraiser for the One5 Foundation. For your $200 donation you will have a very fun night of food, drink and music.

Plus, you can have the satisfaction of knowing that 100 percent of your donation will go toward One5 Foundation activities to help rid the world of the five deadliest children’s diseases. All overhead and administrative costs will be covered by sponsors.

There’s room for only a limited number of people, so contact us through our Web site or call 913-647-6442 to reserve your place.

This will be a visible way to kick off the new name for the One5 Foundation, (formerly Integral Life Foundation) and to raise awareness about childhood diseases in the developing world.

In partnership with Nueterra Capital Management and the C3 Missions International, One5 Foundation is committed to making a difference in developing nations through the C3/NCM Global Growth Fund. By our definition, good health is the cornerstone of economic development. We support investment in countries that have already shown a commitment to taking steps to do their part in improving the health of its citizens. A systemic approach to global health, grounded in good policies, provides the best medicine for delivering tangible and sustainable results that will improve the quality of life for the world’s poor and with special emphasis to prevent the five greatest killers of children around the world:  malaria, measles, respiratory infections, diarrhea and HIV/AIDs.

Nueterra Healthcare employees support the foundation in a variety of ways and help carry its message to our physician partners, vendors and other who work with the company. In addition, medical staffs and other employees all have skills the foundation uses to help fight poverty and disease directly in the field and via telemedicine.

The One5 Foundation sponsors several trips abroad each year to provide health care services, provide clean water and education. One group recently returned from a health care trip to Haiti. Another group is currently conducting research in order to open a clinic in Malawi.