Dustin’s Dream lives on
Fifth annual event raises more than $25,000.
Dustin Chamberlain’s dream of becoming a medical missionary and helping people around the world is living on, thanks to growing community support.
The Dustin’s Dream foundation raised more than $25,000 at Dustin’s 5th annual Heavenly Birthday Party on Saturday night, according to Dustin’s mother Deondra Chamberlain. She estimated that between 300 and 350 people attended the event, held at Community Christian Fellowship.
Dustin was killed by a stranger during a home invasion in 2011 while he was home on Christmas break from Baylor University, where he was majoring in premedicine. The foundation, established in his name, partnered with Life of Hope Ministry in Joplin, Mo., to build and operate The Heart of Love Clinic, located in the world’s largest garbage dump in Guatemala City. This year Dustin’s Dream is also looking to branch out and support another clinic seven hours away in Campur, Guatemala.
The dessert auction raised more than $18,000 alone, Deondra said. The highest selling dessert, a coconut blueberry cake from Wooden Spoon, brought in $550, and a handmade knife donated by Stefan Palmer brought in $3,000. The money will be used to support ongoing work in Guatemala and provide medical scholarships for students at Siloam Springs High School and
Baylor University.
Deondra said she was extremely grateful to the community for their support of Dustin’s Dream.
“It was just the greatest, hugest outpouring of love and support,” she said. “All of this has been done through them (the community), their support, their generosity, the heart they have for the mission.”
A highlight of the evening was a 15-minute video about the history and mission of Dustin’s Dream, produced by Shane McNair of Flying Lens Visuals. The video tells the story of how the organization was born out of Dustin’s tragic death, and chronicles the achievements the Dustin’s Dream has made each year. It also shares the foundation’s vision for the future. The video can be viewed at www.dustinsdream.net.
Members of Dustin’s Dream Racing Team were also honored during the event with Dustin’s Dream Hero Awards. The team advertises Dustin’s Dream on their race cars and donates a portion of their winnings to the foundation. So far, they have raised more than $45,000 for the organization. During the award presentation, racing team member Stefan Palmer presented Dustin’s father Don Chamberlain with a knife he had made by hand identical to the one that sold for $3,000 during the auction.
Don said that between 7,000 and 10,000 people live in the Guatemala City garbage dump.
“To see their surroundings really is very troubling,” he said.
Dustin’s Dream provided $50,000 to help The Heart of Love Clinic build a first floor, and partnered with Life of Hope Ministry add a second floor with more rooms and a laboratory the following year. The clinic, staffed by one doctor and one nurse, currently treats about 800 patients a month, Deondra said.
During the fundraiser, Dr. Carl Duncan shared his experience on the medical mission trip to Guatemala last March. The people have been taken away from their farms and homes by the civil war, which ended in 1996. They have no way to make a living except to pick through trash in the city dump, he said. Many suffer from chronic conditions such as diabetes and cannot afford the medication.
“It only takes a small amount to make a big difference in these people’s lives,” he said.
Duncan said that people in the United States are so rich and so blessed in comparison. He encouraged the audience to rearrange their lives so they can make a difference.
“I challenge you to rearrange your life, not only for theses people, but the people in the world around us, because we are blessed,” Duncan said.
Dustin’s Dream hopes to expand to Campur to support a medical facility that cares for mothers and babies. The city has donated a home for this use, and Dustin’s Dream is working with on a proposal with a local doctor for how much it would cost to fund the clinic, according to Gary Comiskey, vice president of Dustin’s Dream.
In the past Dustin’s Dream has partnered with John Brown University and Life of Hope Ministry for mission trips and projects. For the first time, they will be taking on the project in Campur alone, Deondra said. The foundation is planning a trip to the clinic in March.
In addition to the needs in Campur, the operating costs of The Heart of Love Clinic are growing as the clinic expands. The current goal for Dustin’s Dream is to increase the number of monthly donations so that the foundation can establish a consistent budget, Deondra said. More information about setting up recurring donations can be found on the Dustin’s Dream website.
“We know that Dustin’s Dream is living on, and that’s what it is all about,” Comiskey said.