Stories of Hope

A Thank You from Guatemala

Pre- and post-natal care is becoming routine for Indiginous women in Mam, Guatemala, thanks to SOS support. Here, one grateful partner’s update.

Sending Help for Forgotten Flood Victims

Hundreds of Kentucky neighbors are still waiting for disaster help that hasn't come. Now relief organizations including FEMA are turning to SOS for solutions.

A man with paralysis who is stranded in a hotel room without a working wheelchair. An elderly woman who is struggling without mobility aids in temporary housing. A man with Alzheimer's who has been falling onto the floor at night without a much-needed hospital bed. These heartbreaking stories were shared with Local Program Manager Brian Jointer when two case managers from Kentucky Emergency Management Division visited SOS last month. “These case managers are coping with insurance denials and financial assistance that is slow or not coming and in the meantime people are suffering,” says Jointer. “They were thrilled to discover us as a resource.” 

FEMA and KYEM are just two of the disaster organizations who have recently reached out to SOS for the first time for help with long lists of flood victims with unmet needs. “There is so much help in the early days after a disaster, but recovery is a long-term process,” says Katie Moyer, Director of nonprofit Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders who connected FEMA to SOS. “Case managers run out of options and money. We are so fortunate to have an organization like SOS in our state that can provide medical resources when no one else so people can finally get their lives back.”

Above, FEMA's Kristiana Bennett picks up a wheelchair and mobility supplies.

PROVIDING AN ASSIST TO HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

It's a little known fact that SOS provides medical supplies to some of our state athletic programs. Here's how our local mission is making Friday Night Lights safer.

It’s almost a best-kept secret: One of the many ways SOS supports Kentucky schools is by providing first aid supplies to athletic programs at a time when schools have little or no money to spend on these essentials. “I can say without a doubt that SOS supplies were absolutely critical in supporting our athletic training services at Iroquois High School,” says Ruth Ann Allen, ATC, who oversaw the training program for the past two years. “IHS would not have had a decent treatment table, slings, or a great deal of first aid and personal hygiene supplies; the training room truly could not have functioned properly if it had not been for SOS.”

In the last twelve months, SOS has provided over $24,000 in supplies for sports programs to schools including Doss, Jeffersontown, Valley, Pleasure Ridge Park, Nelson County and Davies County that will support more than 3,290 student athletes. These donated supplies are not only used to treat and prevent injuries, but they also enable students in sports medicine programs to learn by doing on the sidelines. At Fairdale High School, students in the Public Service Academy use SOS supplies to learn proper methods for C-spine stabilization, wrist and ankle wrapping and correct usage of slings. “These students get to practice these skills in real life and those skills stick,” says Fairdale Health Science instructor Stacey Hopson, RN, BCS. “The supplies we receive from SOS keep students safe and inspire the next generation of athletic trainers.”

CHEERS FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS!

Over the past few weeks, we welcomed volunteers from LG&E-KU, Care-ATC and ATA College School of Nursing who helped sort items going to local schools and a container for Uganda. 

LG&E -KU gets a special shout out for bringing more than 40 volunteers on Give for Good Day!

If you're looking for a group outing that builds camaraderie and contributes to the greater good, come to SOS and find out why over 2,000 volunteers choose to dedicate their time to our mission.

Volunteer shifts can be scheduled Monday through Thursday, 9-11:30 am or 1-3:30 pm or on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 9-12:00 by emailing Sarah.Mayer@soshealthandhope.org or using the button below.

We would love to have you!