In football terminology, Redmond’s Medical Teams International (MTI) has a potent strategy along with an offense, defense and special-teams members.
When the global relief and development organization steps onto the world’s field, its players serve people affected by disaster, conflict and poverty, regardless of religion, nationality, sex or race.
Its offense consists of saving lives and meeting the critical health needs of vulnerable and suffering people in countries like Lebanon, Uganda, Liberia and Nepal. On defense, MTI strives to improve health-care access and the quality of care to those in need. Its special-teams lineup features professional volunteers and provides urgent and preventative dental care to people in Washington and Oregon.
That MTI strategy was presented to donors on Aug. 20 at an event at the organization’s Mike and Kathy Holmgren Center in Redmond. The gathering was highlighted by a private “Football 101” chalk talk by former Seattle Seahawk quarterback and NFL coach Jim Zorn, who, along with his wife Joy, has been involved with MTI for many years.
Jim did a public service announcement for Northwest Medical Teams, now known as MTI, in 1979, and last November traveled with a volunteer team to a remote village in Guatemala to build 33 latrines for the residents during their weeklong stay.
“The reason we are involved is because of the tremendous compassion, the help, the very intelligent aid they give to so many people around the world. Even in our own back yard, and then many other countries, it’s ongoing work and then they also are ready to jump on any type of disaster,” Zorn told the Reporter before the event, which was attended by people who purchased the auction item at a Field of Dreams fundraiser in June.
Jim and Joy have joined the Holmgrens in continuously championing MTI and donating funds to the charitable 501(c)(3) organization, which was founded in 1979 and sports 2,500 volunteers globally.
The Zorns enlisted former Seahawk Steve Largent and his wife Terry and a host of others to travel to the Guatemalan village, which didn’t have any electricity, running water or plumbing, Jim said, adding that some of the children were not surviving bacterial infections.
“So it was kind of a Zorn-to-Largent thing again,” said Jim, referring to the quarterback-wide receiver connection during the Seahawks’ old days.
Jim noted that the volunteer team and the residents shared a mutual admiration for each other during the visit.
“Here’s the key: We were their answer to prayer and that’s the thing that really humbles you,” he said. “I thought that was just pretty amazing because it sort of puts things into perspective of not only their appreciation for us coming, but really the reality that God delivered something to them that they had been praying for.”
Through his involvement in football, Jim said he learned strategies and how to become a solid player and coach. With MTI, his playbook includes being grateful, humble and prepared to help others.
David Carlson, MTI’s senior development officer, is currently in the midst of a nine-day trip to a small, 40-family village in the middle of the Guatemalan highlands. At the Aug. 20 event, Carlson said he was looking forward to the trip and helping families build latrines and working with MTI to implement a medical health plan and train community leaders to keep it running.
Carlson said another plus to being involved with MTI is watching the 11 mobile dental units — which serve about 20,000 people a year in Washington and Oregon — come into play.
“I was just compelled by the fact that here’s an organization that’s doing things locally for those in need as well as during disaster and conflict (internationally),” Carlson said.
For more information, visit www.medicalteams.org.
