Press Release

Local Foundation Gives Christmas Gift to Seniors in Bethlehem

Contact: Daniel Pryfogle
919.460.7069

San Francisco, Calif., Dec. 20, 2007 — San Francisco-based Vesper Society is making a special connection with Bethlehem this Christmas season: a $30,000 grant to fund a community health center for at-risk seniors.

Part of the Dar al-Kalima Health and Wellness Center, located on Mt. Mureir overlooking the holy city of Bethlehem, the new program will provide community nursing and home visits to seniors who cannot afford health care.

“This is definitely the first elderly oriented community health program of its kind in the Bethlehem area,” said Dr. Nuha Khoury, dean of the affiliated Dar al-Kalima College.  “Additionally, the way that the program is implemented, in terms of addressing the specific needs of the elderly from a comprehensive and holistic point of view, makes it unique to the whole of Palestine.”

The program will serve about 170 seniors, mostly women, in Bethlehem and the adjacent towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour.

Dar al-Kalima belongs to a consortium of three Lutheran-based, ecumenically oriented organizations serving Palestinian children, women and seniors.  Founded in 2003, Dar Al-Kalima promotes community health by encouraging individuals to take a proactive role in maintaining their well-being.

“We feel privileged to participate in this program that will bring much-needed services to a sometimes overlooked population,” said Mary Baich, president and CEO of Vesper Society.  “Caring for Palestinian elders is one way we contribute to bringing peace and goodwill to the world.”

About Vesper Society:

Founded in 1965, Vesper Society is a faith-based private operating foundation that envisions a compassionate world which protects human dignity and enhances human potential.  The Society’s mission is to promote social justice locally and globally by addressing critical social issues, including the provision of health services for the underserved.  To learn more about Vesper Society, go to www.vesper.org.

To learn more about Dar al-Kalima, go to www.annadwa.org.