News

This article originally ran in "The Chattanooga Times Free Press" on Wednesday, Janaury 2, 2008, and was written by Erin Fuchs, Dalton Bureau

DALTON, Ga. -- Behind his MedNow walk-in clinic, Dr. Steven Foster has a warehouse where he gathers medical supplies and provision for the impoverished people living along the swampy Mosquito Coast of Honduras.

In fact, Dr. Foster is in Honduras now. But he's returning to Dalton on Jan. 17.

Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, was devasted by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Dr. Foster formed a charity, Corazon a Corazon, Spanish for "Heart to Heart," to help victims of the storm.

Corazon a Corazon is collecting donations, and before the end of this month, Dr. Foster will load a 40-foot shipping container with 80 wheelchairs, medical supplies and other goods bound for Honduras.

Connie Glenn, a surgical technician for MedNow, volunteers some of her time to work in the Corazon warehouse.

Ms. Glenn said she's committed to international aid.

"A lot of the ones you don't know and can't see are the ones that need help the most," she said.

Dr. Foster had made at least 30 trips to Honduras by March 2007, this newspaper reported.

"I thought I was on a two-week mission, and here I am, nine years later," Dr. Foster said, at the time of the interview. This nearly decade long mission has shaped his life, Dr. Foster has said.

Amid his humanitarian efforts, he has also had his share of personal troubles.

This past summer, he spent nearly two months in the Whitfield County Jail for refusing to pay alimony to his ex-wife.

In May 2002, his medical license was suspended. A spokeswoman from the Composite State Board of Medical Exmainers declined to comment on the case.

But she pointed to a report on the board's Web site that said Dr. Foster can't practice medicine until he receives "psychological testing and psychiatric treatment."

For now, Dr. Foster runs the MedNow clinic, though he does not practice medicine there. And, he's still traveling to Honduras several times a year to deliver supplies.

Randy Miller, a Dalton resident and lifelong friend of Dr. Foster, said he has traveled to Honduras several times to help deliver relief to the impoverished nation.

"There's no running water. No electricity. No telephones. No roads," Mr. Miller said.

Immediately after Hurricane Mitch, Corazon volutneers saw teams of workers from other international non-profit agenicies in Honduras. But gradually, fewer and fewer organizations traveled there, according to Mr. Miller.

"Most of the rest of them gave up, because they couldn't fight Third World bureaucracy," Mr. Miller said. But, he added, "Doc stuck with it."

Email Erin Fuchs at efuchs@timesfreepress.com

YOU CAN HELP: To find out how to doante to Corazon a Corazon, call Connie Scott at 706-275-4444, ext. 118.

Press Release

The Dalton-based, non-profit organization, Corazon a Corazon, is preparing a container destined for the Moskito Coast of Honduras.

"This years efforts will be made in memory of my dear friend and long-time Corazon a Corazon volunteer, David Holcomb, who passed away unexpectedly last month," said Dr. Steven Foster, CEO of Corazon a Corazon. "David was very devoted to the people of the Moskito Coast, and has served them since 1998. He will be missed not only here at home, but also in Honduras."

For those interested in making a tax-deductible donation, items requested include work clothes, summer clothing, boots, shoes, rope, chains, cable, yard tools, etc.

For more information contact Connie Scott at MedNow by calling 706-275-4444, ext. 118.

by Dr. Steve Foster

Hindsight is twenty-twenty, and if one is allowed the luxury of time and opportunity to view one's situation from different perspectives, hopefully he - or me - can figure out the problems, and perhaps amend their actions to avoid such problems in the future.

The sudden and entirely unexpected death of my friend, David Holcomb, struck me like a hard hit line drive baseball right between the eyes.

TO CONTINUE READING, CLICK ON ABOVE TITLE.

A current Corazon a Corazon project involves gathering 100 computers to ship to the costal region of Honduras in the next outgoing container.

"We now have around 20 computers to send," stated Dr. Steve Foster, CEO of Corazon a Corazon. "Our goal is to meet our 100 mark in the next few weeks in order to ship them down by Christmas."

The computers will be distributed to schools and hospitals. To make a tax deductible donation of a computer, or for more information, call Connie Scott at 706-313-8724.

Two vehicles of volunteers will leave on June 8, and a third vehicle will depart on June 17. The route goes from the U.S. to Mexico, to Guatemala, into Honduras.

The primary goal of this trip will be to help establish a wood shop for injured Moskito Indian divers. We will also delvier supplies that we collect year round at the Corazon a Corazon warehouse.

We are looking for VOLUNTEERS TO GO TO HONDURAS. Several spots are available. For more information email us at corazonacorazon2005@yahoo.com or call 706-218-5194.

ITEMS WE NEED INCLUDE:

BOATS

CHAIN SAWS

SHOP TOOLS

YARD TOOLS 

HAND CARVING TOOLS

CANNED FOOD

Items may be dropped off at MedNow, or at the Corazon a Corazon warehouse (located in back of MedNow) at 2705 Airport Road in Dalton. Corazon a Corazon is a 501c3 organization, so your gifts are tax deductible.

Summer Clothes

Yard Tools

Hand Tools

Fishing Line and Poles

WE NEED TO START * NOW* ON A CHRISTMAS PROJECT WE'RE PLANNING FOR HONDURAS THIS YEAR. FOR THIS, WE ARE CURRENTLY COLLECTING:

Happy Meal Toys

Empty Shoe Boxes

Wrapping Paper

Crayons

New Coloring Books

Small Toys, or anything you think a child would like that will fit in a shoe box.

DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

IF YOU WISH TO HAVE YOUR DONATIONS PICKED UP... IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER... IF YOU'D LIKE A CORAZON A CORAZON REPRESENTATIVE TO SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP... IF YOU WANT TO TOUR OUR WAREHOUSE... OR IF YOU'D JUST LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION, CALL 706-218-5194.

DONATIONS MAY BE DROPPED OFF AT MEDNOW, LOCATED AT 2705 AIRPORT ROAD IN DALTON, GEORGIA. OR MAY BE MAILED TO:

CORAZON A CORAZON, INC.

2705 AIRPORT RD., SUITE 101 

DALTON, GEORGIA 30721

On Saturday night, January 13, 2007 at approximately 10 p.m., we were about 125 miles up the Northern coast of Honduras on board the Corazon Grande (LCM-8) loaded with approximately 50,000 pounds of cargo including 50 P.E.T.s, cement, Coca Colas, drums of oil, gasoline and other general cargo that we were to deliver to the Indians. Our game plan was to travel at about 5 knots through the night and reach a large sand bar at good daylight. This bar is protected by a large lagoon that leads into a river. The bar can only be navigated during daylight hours and is very shallow and can only accomodate special boats such as the LCM. The water is so shallow that the boat has to anchor off shore and be off loaded into a dug out boat. This was our plan that never materialized. 

 CLICK ON TITLE TO CONTINUE READING...

Corazon a Corazon, Inc. has finally received 501c3 (Non-Profit) status!

This means the humanitarian organiation is exempt from Federal income tax under section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code, and we are now qualified to receive tax deductibel bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under secton 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code.

Or.... you can donate your items and get tax credit!

For more information, drop us a line...


 

For my friends,

Life can be hard, but the bounce one gets from being thrown like a stone against a hard surface can carry you a long way. Who would have thought it, who would have bought it a year ago that the Honduran President, Mel Zelaya, would actually have kept his campaign promise? But he did. The changes in La Moskitia have been little short of astonishing.

CLICK ABOVE LINK TO CONTINUE READING...

Corazon a Corazon volunteers are now busily boxing up items to send to the Moskito Coast of Honduras at the Med Now Warehouse (located at 2705 Airport Road in Dalton, Georgia). 

 "We are particularly excited about this shipment because it's coming right here at the holiday season," stated Dr. Steve Foster, founder and CEO of Corazon a Corazon.  "Our focus for this year has been to address the needs of the crippled Moskito Indian divers. With this most recent donation by the PET people we will essentially be able to meet the needs of most of the paralyzed divers in the Moskito Coast of Honduras."

The "PET" Dr. Foster refers to stands for "Personal Energy Transportation" wheelchairs.  PET is a non-profit organization that builds all-terrain wheelchairs to benefit men, women and children around the globe that have lost the use of their legs due to land mines, accident, injury or disease.  For more information on the PET Project visit www.giftofmobility.org.

 A truck coming from Florida will deliver 45 PET wheelchairs to the Corazon a Corazon warehouse on December 5.

"Next year we will focus on other communities, but the container going down in December will enable us to complete our focus there," Dr. Foster said. "The pace is finally shifting from diving for lobsters to trapping for lobsters. We're happy to be a part of those changes."

Corazon a Corazon also plans to establish a wood shop for the lobster divers along the Honduran Moskito Coast. (More on this soon!)

In addition to the wheelchairs, other items to be shipped to Honduras on the container include tools, clothing, toys, and shoes.

If you wish to make a tax deductible donation of any of the above mentioned items call 706-218-5194.