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  • While in Haiti, Holly Frew took this photo of a child who had recently had her leg amputated. The photo moved Frew’s mother and others in Gardendale to start a collection drive for walkers, wheelchairs and crutches for amputees in Haiti. Submitted by Holly Frew

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March 11, 2010

Haitian amputee inspires groups to collect supplies

By Melanie Patterson The North Jefferson News

GARDENDALE — Several Gardendale organizations are working together to help victims of the Jan. 12 Haiti earthquake.

The effort was inadvertently begun by Gardendale native Holly Frew, who now lives and works in Atlanta.

Frew recently visited Haiti for 10 days on behalf of her employer, MedShare, a nonprofit company that works to provide medical supplies for locations in need, according to the MedShare Web site.

Frew was involved in food distribution and in finding sites for MedShare to provide medical supplies.

While in Haiti, Frew took a photo of a young Haitian girl whose leg had been amputated.

When Frew’s mother, Stephanie Frew, saw the photo, it moved her to action.

Through her efforts, there is now a collection drive for crutches, wheelchairs and walkers for Haitians who are now amputees as a result of the recent earthquake.

Getting on board are East Gardendale Baptist Church and Gardendale-Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church.

Frew said Dennis Gamble of Mt. Olive has parked a truck at East Gardendale Baptist Church. When donations fill the truck, he will drive them to Atlanta to MedShare.

“There’s a lot of good that comes from joining a cause larger than ourselves,” said Stephanie Frew, who is a former guidance counselor at Gardendale High School.

Bragg Middle School is also planning to get involved in the drive.

“Being a former guidance counselor, I know what students can do when they get on fire for something,” Frew said.

MedShare has reportedly shipped more than 65 tons of medical supplies to Haiti since the earthquake.

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