Autumn 2026 Newsletter

It has been such a busy year for HTCNE! So far this year, with 5 medical teams and 3 speech teams that have traveled to 5 different countries, our small office in Connecticut has been hard at work.

Missy Law and Katerina Coutsouradis are thrilled to welcome two new office hires. Meghan Clark is proud to be part of the HTCNE team as an Administrative Assistant. Inspired by the organization’s mission of bringing hope and medical care to children in need, she is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to work that makes a real impact every day. Fiona Paredes has been volunteering with HTCNE since 2018 on our Ica, Peru trips. She has recently graduated with her Business Administration degree and has been interning with us throughout this summer. Her passion has driven her to join our staff as an Administrative Associate.

Welcome Ladies!

We would like to thank everyone who was able to join us for our 21st Annual Golf Outing, held on Tuesday, June 9th, 2026, at Waccabuc Country Club, in Waccabuc, New York.

This year we were honored to recognize Doctor Maurine Heard, Anesthesiologist, for her incredible dedication to Healing the Children Northeast. Dr. Heard has travelled with HTCNE on 7 missions to Colombia, Peru and Tanzania, providing compassionate medical care to children in need since 2019.

We were also proud to honor HTCNE Director Missy Law for her outstanding service, leadership, and guidance since 1985. For more than four decades, Missy has been a driving force behind our mission, helping countless children and families receive medical care. Her unwavering commitment and dedication has made immeasurable differences in the lives of so many.



Thank you to all our golfers, donors, sponsors, and volunteers for making this another successful year. The funds raised at this annual event allow us to continue our mission in helping us change lives- one child at a time.

In February, Dr. Robert Gilman, MD, DMD, FACS, led his 26^th and final cleft lip and palate repair trip to Cartagena, Colombia. The team of 21 volunteers screened 55 patients and performed 45 surgeries to children in need. Dr. Gilman is a Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Michigan.

In May, Board Member Steve Nargiso presented the three Medical Career Scholarships to New Milford High School seniors who plan to pursue a career in the medical field. The 2026 Scholarship Recipients are Kendall Evans, Sarah Da Silva & Xenia Rivera. Kendall is attending Sacred Heart University for Neuroscience & Physician Assistant, Dual Degree Program, Sarah is committed to Western Connecticut State University for nursing, and Xenia is pursuing nursing at Misericordia University. Many thanks to Steve Nargiso for supporting these scholarships. We are deeply grateful for your investment in the next generation!

Congratulations to these New Milford High School seniors! 

In July, Dr. Manoj Abraham took a plastics teaching team back to Mwanza, Tanzania, along with a speech and language team. His team screened 82 patients for surgery, performing 52 procedures on 33 patients. This team of 20 volunteers also had a speech language component that provided services to 38 patients. 

Coming up in October, we have two teams departing. Dr. Sean Alemi will return to Santa Marta, Colombia for the annual trip to perform cleft lip and palate surgeries, along with a speech and language team.

Dr. Alemi has been volunteering with HTCNE since 2016. 

Dr. Gregory Keiser and his dental team will spend a week in

Puerto Quito, Ecuador doing dental hygiene and oral surgery.

Dr. Keiser is an oral surgeon that has volunteered on

nearly twenty trips with HTCNE since 1995.

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Check out our website at www.HTCNE.org to see what’s new and exciting!