Aref Assaf, 12-05-2007

The Assaf family will increase by one in January. Over the last twenty years, my wife and I have been blessed with the opportunity to lend a helping hand to over thirty ill children from around the world. The children came into the US to receive much needed and life saving operations. Our help consisted of being a host family to these children and their accompanying family members by providing transportation through our limousine company to and from airports, testing facilities and hospitals. We also acted as translators from those who came from Arab lands.

Thankfully, all the children we have helped had successful surgeries and have retuned to their homelands. My wife and I have agreed to sponsor one child but we need another host family to help out. The child will be with us for four to six weeks if his operation is a success.

You may recall "Mr. Funny" Deya Ali from Palestine, and the 14 year old Assaid Abed from Iraq  who was sponsored by Rotary International's Gift of Life program.  Deya was brought here by the Palestinian Children Relief Fund. I met Deya in Palestine in August 2007 and he still fondly remembers the many kind people who lent him a helping hand.

Our work with these children dates back to 1988, when the first child landed onto the JFK airport tarmac. We were a bunch of young Rotarians from NJ and NY, having been given security clearance, welcoming several Korean children with heart problems. We have been touched by the friendships and personal closeness of over thirty children, most of whom were not Arab or Muslim. They were children who needed help and gratefully we could lend a hand. Sadly, not all operations were successful as some children were too sick to be operated on or died soon after the surgery.

Well, now we may have another opportunity to receive more blessings. Two very young Iraqi children are coming here in January and both have serious congenital heart problems. They are being sponsored by the Gift of Life, GOL. I was a member of Rotary for fourteen years and chaired the GOL committee and our Denville, NJ Club - for which I also served as its president in 1994.

The program, it must be noted, is the collective work of so many people and organizations who come together to help needy children from around the world. These people and organizations define what is good and what is worth fighting for.  If you are interested or have inquiries about this great endeavor, please call me at 973-960-2673.