Best Wishes to All. Thank you for your support!!

Next week we'll be writing up the Annual Report for Not Just Tourists - Ottawa. The evolution of NJT-O this past year is nothing short of astounding. In a matter of months, we went from worrying about having some meds to include in suitcases to trying to figure out how to get our burgeoning supplies out in large quantities. Just since September, we went from trying to figure out how to store our growing stock to watching it fly out the door almost weekly to so many missions and countries we finally couldn't even keep track of weights, volumes, carloads, vanloads, truckloads, or any other measurement you'd care to try.

Thursday was another one of what has become a typical warehouse day. Volunteers arrived, including our BFF nursing instructor Cathy. Peter brought his carload of just picked-up goodies. Jacques and Mary unloaded their carload of sorted goodies. Jan was in charge of logistics and putting things on high shelves. Cathy later perfected her mini-hoop shots as she tossed little baggies of lime green cannulas up into a box on the highest level.

Mary helped Jan and Cathy sort through the new goodies and made up boxes of goodies to bring to M/J garage for sorting with windows and sunlight. Jan had to leave to take someone to an appointment. Mary made up three very special suitcases for Jan to hold for travellers. Let's just say Brigit would be proud of what we can now put into every suitcase - OTC pain meds, tons of wound care materials, gloves, masks, wound irrigation - you name it, we have it, including the Ferrari of sterile wound materials: Tegaderm. We could stock a pharmacy with our Tegaderm supplies.


Cathy finally left with a full carload of supplies for her Guatemala project & her nursing students. She has about 22 students, but the school as a whole can accommodate up to 200 now. Sure beats having all these viable and primarily sterile supplies going into the garbage.

Peter left us with only 12 sleeps to go before he returns to his real home in Havana. For some reason, he didn't seem unhappy to be leaving again.

And then there was a HUGE highlight to our day. We all met and fell in love with baby Leanna. Jess brought their gorgeous baby girl down to meet us all. Leanna was sleeping, oblivious to all the adults oohing and ahhing over her full head of soft black hair and her amazingly long fingers, which were open and relaxed. She was 6 lb. 8 oz at birth and her finger nails were already so long Maurice had to cut them! When I told Maurice we had met his lovely baby girl he said, "she's taken my heart". No surprise. Wish I had taken a picture to share with you all. My apologies. I was lost in her beauty. Next visit - she'll still be beautiful.

NJT-O is going to take a break now until Jan 5th. We'll put off any pick-ups until the new year so everyone can take a break, be with family and friends and have some well-deserved downtime.


We want to thank each and every volunteer for your continuing support and involvement. Real life often intervenes to prevent people from staying as involved as they would like. No worries. Your life comes first. Always. No questions.

To Jess and Maurice: Congratulations on the safe arrival of your lovely Leanna.
To Margaret: Our love and warmest thoughts as you start your new life without your main man Gary. We're here. Stay in touch. Big Hugs.

To Brigit: Go Girl! You are the Suitcase Lady!
To Peter: Rock on!
To Gael: You are The Web Site Maven! 
To Jan: Thank you for all your warehouse support. We couldn't be so organized or store as high without you!
To Joan, Warren, Cathy, Hassan - Never be shy. Take everything you want. It's free to a good mission.
To Appletree: THANKS!!
To Felice: Welcome! You now have a special little spot at the warehouse for supplies for your Cambodia project.
To Dave Smith: We have more goodies whenever you're ready!!
To The Ottawa Mission: If you want more, we have more.
To Dr. Nancy: Thank you so much for all the med samples!!
To Nigel and Angela - the Kanata Connection: Thanks for handing out so many suitcases and being a depot for west end donations.


To everyone - we appreciate the wonderful extended family of NJT-O. There is a synergy that makes this all work. It may seem haphazard at times but Jacques has become the major coordinator on gmail and the toll-free. FYI - he has quit the area Food Bank, Christmas Hamper project and the volunteer Firefighters (paid) to devote ALL his spare time to coordinating NJT-O. If it weren't for Jacques, NJT-O could not possibly have reached this new level in the past year. It really has been at least 80% because of his efforts. Mine have helped but I'm still the bread winner and working 30 hours a week at that. So big kudos to Jacques.


NJT-O is working extremely well and our networks now include about seven doctors, three nurses, one pharmacist and several other health care specialists. We have Arrived!! Cathy being with us Thursday was just amazing... "what's this", "what can we combine to make a viable suitcase for a rural clinic"... we now know those combinations.


Merry Christmas everyone! Best wishes for health and happiness throughout 2012.
Mary and Jacques

Things are moving.... in... and more importantly... out

After some serious and sometimes funny technical glitches (i.e. Mary's computer was hijacked by a botnet, Jacques and Mary had to figure out how to use new smart phones) we are hopefully back on track.


NJT - Ottawa has been adopted by a wonderful woman from New Glasgow, NS. Since yesterday, six carefully wrapped boxes have arrived full of very valuable supplies including Tegaderm in different sizes. Tegaderm is for people with very sensitive skin and it is not cheap. We've been given several hundred dollars worth just from our new BFF (Best Friend Forever).


Insception, a cord blood agency, graced us with several cases of needles/syringes/etc. and has now advised they have 59 cases of gloves to donate. Speaking of which, Maurice and Jess are due. Best wishes for a speedy, safe and healthy mom and baby ?


We're expecting a delivery of recent paediatric medical textbooks and journals from Kingston via our youngest volunteer Alexandra (with her dad as driver). The books will be donated to the Heritage College Nursing Program in Gatineau. Speaking of which, Cathy took away a good supply of needles and syringes for her students to practice with. A "manikin" will take the brunt of their pokes. Manikins are reproductions of a human body used for educational purposes; some are complete with organs that can light up on command. Wonder if also they yell "ouch" when poked the wrong way... ;-)


On top of all our supplying to medical missions, the nursing program and individuals in the area, NJT - Ottawa (including Gatineau, PEI, Kingston and St-Emile-de-Suffolk) is ready to rock and roll for the 2012 travel season. Had a call today from another BFF Murielle who asked for 30 kg of supplies and medicine to go to Varadero in late January. She's travelling with a total of six people and plans to tell the others as well.


Our thanks to everyone who reads this blog and all our excellent volunteers. 2011 has been an amazing year. We cannot measure how much has gone out this year but it reaches into the thousands of kilograms for sure. Easily 5-6 times last year or more. We are now recording by the carload as well as suitcases and "kits".


The next warehouse "open house" will be December 15 from approx. 10:30-2:30. If you have supplies to drop off or supplies to claim for your mission, please call or text 819-983-8013 to reach Jacques on or off the road. He has a phone that is more intelligent than he is. ;-)  Me too. :-)  We may be Luddites but we finally got with the technology. And... we sold my old anachronistic phone to a friend for 25 bucks, with accessories, who is more of a Luddite than both of us... so there. Rest my case.

We can actually see the floor!

We can actually see the floor!

Our new BFFs Joan and Warren have connections. Lots and lots of medical connections. It’s called the Canadian Network for International Surgery. And last week, two surgeons came calling at Maurice’s warehouse to do a bit of NJT shopping. Two carloads later, after being ably assisted by Jan and her young friend Aicha, our newest NJT friends/partners left the warehouse very happy.

Dr. Hassan Shenassa and Dr. Robin Fairfull Smith gave us a wish list that we were not only able to fulfill but to add to. Hassan wrote:

“Thanks to Jacques, and Jan and her friend who helped us search the boxes and fill up our car, Robin and I managed to fill my SUV to the brim, (Jacques, you were right, will have to keep listening to you). (I was worried about getting into an accident since I had no vision to the back and sides. We will store the equipment at the storage area in my office building and do an inventory for you (CNIS) so you know what we have. I expect Robin will take a bunch of stuff in February and we can take more starting in March when we head out to the courses. Thank you NJT team.”

Jan clearly enjoyed herself:

“The path between the two sides of ‘our’ section of the warehouse is now clear and wide—haven't seen that ever, I dare say.  It was a real pleasure meeting these two fine and very nice people/doctors and I always feel more than compensated for any wee effort on my part when I meet the really wonderful folks taking their expertise and care along with NJT goodies on these missions.  It's so satisfying being a teeny part in their exciting work around the world.

Hassan will pass on the word about our offerings and you may soon find that we have trouble keeping much of anything on the shelves; it might go out as fast as it comes in!  There are lots of missions and some have 20 people who take 22kg. of med. stuff each.

We’re helping at home now too!

Not Just Tourists – Ottawa is going through some self-induced re-branding. We’re no longer helping “countries in need”, we’re helping “people in need”, including people in the Ottawa/Gatineau/Papineau regions. On Friday, The Ottawa Mission received four boxes of supplies for their hospice/palliative care group, including a good supply of leg drainage bags. Mary made the delivery early Friday morning and met a wonderful group of men and women. The staff and residents alike were cheerful and all were enjoying the unseasonably warm day.

While sorting through the stock at the warehouse for supplies to give to Dave Smith, Jacques came across a collection of ostomy supplies. He had just been referred to an older woman in Gatineau who is on social assistance and can’t afford to pay for all her supplies. The government only covers $600 per year or about half the annual cost. Enter NJT-Ottawa. The bright red and white Hollister boxes were a godsend for Mme. G. When Jacques delivered them, she couldn’t believe how quickly things had happened. What NJT gave to her will mean what she would have spent on supplies might go to make her Christmas a little cheerier.

We have also donated supplies to a long-term care facility in our village. With government-imposed limits on how often certain items can be changed, these supplies mean several people will be able to rest more comfortably.

So, NJT-Ottawa is on the radar with several organizations now and our reach has expanded both at home and abroad. And the best thing? Seeing people smile, whether they are receiving supplies or handing them out. Just ask Aicha.

Not Just Tourists - Ottawa is on a roll!

Most of these supplies will be going to Kenya

New Partner: Dave Smith Foundation

To say NJT - Ottawa is on a roll is very literally true. As I write, Jacques is on the road with a full SUV load of medical supplies going straight to Dave Smith's warehouse earmarked for Kenya. Since John Amyot's chance encounter with the Kenyan High Commissioner at his church a few weeks back and a subsequent (free - thanks Dave!) lunch meeting at Dave's restaurant, things have moved quickly. Jacques and I met with Dave last Wednesday armed with photos of our medical supply inventory over at Maurice's. We sent the High Commissioner a spreadsheet listing most of the supplies we have. He sent it to a medical person who said they'd take everything we have... especially the EKG machine we were given last week! Dave is collecting for other containers so we have a new and strong partnership happening.

New Partner: Messef Orphanage, Haiti

In August, Brigit packed an amazing range of medicines and supplies for Posie Ross to bring to the Messef Orphanage in Haiti. Since then, NJT - Ottawa has joined the growing number of Friends of Messef. You can see the children and keep up with their news at http://friendsofmessef.webs.com/apps/blog/. NJT - Ottawa is now on their Links page as a proud supporter!

New Partner: Can-Go Afar Foundation

The Horn of Africa is one of the hottest and driest places on the planet. For the ancient nomadic Afar of Ethiopia, it's a constant struggle for survival. NJT - Ottawa donated a selection of medical supplies that are now en route to Ethiopia with the president of the Foundation and his son. Warren Creates' wife Joan is a nurse and she, Jacques and I happily spent over an hour last Wednesday helping her load her car with NJT-O goodies. She took extra to hold for the next person visiting one of the Foundation's projects.

New Partners: Morgan and Ginny

These two energetic young ladies currently live in the Montreal area. Morgan is originally from Whitehorse and has adopted a project in Haiti for which she has been busily fundraising. Ginny is an IT consultant to the pharmaceutical industry. Both have adopted NJT and are enthusiastically organizing to get some medical supplies to Haiti, among other things. Ginny came to the last NJT-O meeting and is now hooked. We'll look forward to seeing these ladies take on the world!

New Partner: Alexandra

Speaking of young ladies taking on the world. Alexandra is a 12-year-old originally from Ottawa and now living in Kingston. Her dad still works in Ottawa a few days a week. Alexandra has taken on NJT-O as her Challenge for Change grade 7 project. She's organizing drop-off boxes in a few locations and expects to start sending supplies to Ottawa shortly. She's even offered to put something together for YouTube! But, we want to check with the other NJT groups to see if they're willing to get a profile or if we should keep it just to the Ottawa group.