Making a difference in our community
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” — Elizabeth Andrew
Rebecca Enberg, the Volunteer Network director, retired from North Coast Opportunities (NCO) in February 2021. Her leadership, over the past six years, helped to grow the Volunteer Network from several programs to 13 volunteer-based programs, recruiting and placing hundreds of volunteers in five counties. The people NCO serves appreciate her dedication to her programs and staff, NCO and her community.
Folks have really stepped up during this pandemic, to help others during these challenging times:
The Volunteer Network registered 64 Disaster Healthcare Volunteers in Mendocino County, serving over 2,900 hours, to provide no cost vaccines to anyone who needed them. • In Lake County, 17 volunteers are assisting with The Lake County Community Food Drive, delivering to 787 households. • There are over 100 non-medical volunteers providing over 1,000 volunteer hours at inland and coastal vaccine clinics. •
Americorps Senior volunteers assisted with Lake County Public Heath’s COVID testing sites and vaccinations clinics. And local Lake County volunteers assisted Public Health with food deliveries to quarantine clients. • In Mendocino County, 23 Volunteer Contact Tracers provided over 1,200 hours locally. • Local Grocery Delivery volunteers have served 179 quarantined families, providing muchneeded food and supplies.
These volunteers have made an incredible difference.
“Everybody can be great.
Because anybody can serve.
You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.
You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.
You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
Volunteers needed by Mendocino County: Caring Kitchen, Good Company, Foster Grandparent Program, Meals on Wheels, The Garden Project, Animal Care, CHP and Cancer Resource Centers, Food Hub.
The recent surge in Covid cases this summer has created an additional need for volunteers to provide disaster response and support. There is a need for some additional Contact Tracing with Mendocino County and Vaccine Clinics are needed for booster shots this fall.
If you would like to serve as a volunteer, contact NCO at Mendocino County (707) 462-1959, 413 N. State St., Ukiah CA 95482.
Humanitarian Award
The American Academy of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) recently presented the 2021 Lawrence D. Dorr, MD, Humanitarian Award to John W. Barrington, MD. Dr. Barrington is a co-director of the Joint Replacement Center at Baylor Scott & White Frisco and a practicing orthopedic surgeon with Plano Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center in Plano, Texas.
John is the son of Dr. Bob Barrington, and his wife, Julie.
The award recognizes his leadership in medical mission trips to rural areas in Latin America, bringing access to orthopedic care and supporting childhood education in underserved regions of the world.
“John has done hundreds of total hip arthroplasties in the Dominican Republic and helped build an elementary school in the neighborhood that has over 500 students.
From teaching orthopedic residents in the Dominican to teaching the first graders about going to medical school, he has unparalleled compassion to the humanitarian efforts there on the island,” says Paul Charpentier, MD, who trained on medical missions with Dr. Barrington.
To expand upon the impact of these medical missions, Dr. Barrington founded MOVE (Ministry of Orthopaedic Volunteers and Education) Missions, a nonprofit that provides ongoing support to meet the medical and educational needs of underserved populations in the Dominican Republic.
He trains both the American and Dominican medical students and residents to ensure enduring access to care once the mission is complete. “John devotes his time, talent, and energy to improving the quality of life of people who are in dire need of medical and educational aid. He does all of this with a warm smile, a generous heart, and an unparalleled devotion,” says former mission participant Colin T. Penrose, MD, Duke University School of Medicine Orthopedic Surgery Department.
John graduated from the University of California Davis Medical School in 2000 and completed his residency at the University of North Carolina and a joint fellowship at Harvard-massachusetts General Hospital 2006.
The 2021 Lawrence D. Dorr, MD, Humanitarian Award recognizes AAHKS members who have distinguished themselves by providing humanitarian medical services and programs with a significant focus on musculoskeletal diseases and trauma including the hip and knee in the United States or abroad.
Ukiah Symphony
Phillip Lenberg will conduct “Festival of Lights,” a program featuring moving music by Jewish composers, including some familiar tunes to get you in the spirit of the season. Come celebrate the holidays with the Ukiah Symphony strings Saturday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m.
Dec. 11 Livestream tickets on sale now! In-person access on Dec. 4/5 for Season Subscribers only with proof of vaccination. Current health regulations at Mendocino College permit entry for a limited-capacity audience. Advance reservation required. For more information: http:// www.ukiahsymphony. org, P.O. Box 892, Ukiah, CA 95482 | 707.510.1793 | info@ukiahsym