Community to Come Together for Help Through Health
Who would have ever imagined that one day Jennifer Schechter would be a world-class humanitarian? Well, actually, her teachers, classmates and teammates always knew there was something special about this young woman, so thought isn’t very surprising at all.
After earning an undergraduate degree at Georgetown University, the 2000 Huntington High School graduate completed a stint with the Peace Corps and is now serving as executive director of Hope Through Health, an international organization that offers technical and financial assistance to community-directed health initiatives in West Africa. She’s currently studying for a dual master’s degree in social work and public health at the University of Washington in Seattle.
A group of Huntington community members will come together at the Huntington Yacht Club for a fundraising cocktail party and silent auction to benefit HTH on Saturday, November 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets to the event are priced at $75 per person and include food and open refreshments.
While serving in the Peace Corps from 2004 to 2006, the Huntington alum met Kevin Fiori, Jr., another Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, who later co-founded HTH and is the organization’s associate director. Mr. Fiori, who is a second year medical school student at the University of Washington, and Ms. Schechter were married last June. It would appear to be a perfect match.
The evening is expected attract a crowd of more than 150, most of them Huntington residents and business leaders. Local merchants, businesses and organizations have offered their support. Three previous annual events raised nearly $45,000, creating high hopes for success this year.
“The fourth annual benefit promises to be a fun and rewarding evening,” Ms. Schechter said. “This event has grown significantly over the past four years as a direct result of the tireless efforts of local residents. Their support for HTH and our work in Togo is inspiring. It has also had a tremendous impact. Last year's event raised over $15,000, which was used to fund a rural health clinic in Togo for an entire year!”
As a student at Huntington High School, Ms. Schechter’s activities included participating in the student government, the HOPE (Huntington Outreach Peer Educators) club and four years on both the Blue Devil soccer and lacrosse teams. She also served with the Huntington Youth Bureau as a peer educator and sat on that organization’s advisory board.
HTH has committed to using 98 cents of every dollar raised at the Nov. 14th event to providing lifesaving treatment to people living with AIDS in Africa. The organization currently provides comprehensive medical, nutritional and psychosocial services to more than 1,500 poverty stricken adults and children infected with HIV/AIDS in Togo. Its program was expanded last year to include efforts to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to infants. For more information on HTH and its activities, visit www.hthglobal.org.
Hope Through Health spends virtually every dollar it raises on its programs in Togo and is funded largely by small individual donations. Most supporters pledge $20 per month, which covers costs associated with treating one patient in Togo for an entire year. The organization currently provides medical and psychosocial services to more than 1,500 poverty stricken children and adults infected with HIV/AIDS
For more information on the event or to reserve tickets, contact Evie Schechter at (516) 885-3203 or by e-mail at: eschechter@hthglobal.org. If the event doesn’t sell-out in advance, tickets will be available at the door.
The success of the Nov. 14th fundraiser is critical to the continuing mission of HTH. Past events have provided enormous assistance to a land where a single dollar goes very far. “Huntington is showing the world that one community truly can have a global impact,” Ms. Schechter said.
The Huntington Yacht Club is located at 95 East Shore Road in Huntington.
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