Tag: Kayla Mueller

Why March is Women’s History Month

In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. Eventually Congress passed resolutions calling for an annual Women’s History Month and Presidents now issue an annual proclamation.

Every year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to reflect on and honor the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history.

Women’s History Month started as Women’s History Week . . .

The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.

In 1980, an assortment of women’s groups and historians—led by the National Women’s History Project (now Alliance)—successfully lobbied for national recognition.

In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. Eventually Congress passed resolutions calling for an annual Women’s History Month for which the President issues an annual proclamation.

Women’s History on Watercress Words

In this post I’ve created links to posts on this blog about women who made those contributions and sacrifices. If you don’t have time to read all of them in one sitting, bookmark this page to come back to. Better yet, share it on your social media feed so your friends can find it too.

How Women Changed and are Changing Healthcare

The first woman graduate of a United States medical school was born in Bristol England in 1821. Elizabeth Blackwell came to this country as a child and originally had no interest in medicine. But when a dying friend told her, “I would have been spared suffering if a woman had been my doctor”, she found…

Keep reading

Dr Jane Goodall-messenger of hope

Dr. Goodall recommends buying locally grown, organic foods exclusively. She advocates a meat free diet. She urges us to waste less. She believes we need to “take back food productions from large corporations.”  By doing so, we will be healthier and so will our planet.

Keep reading

sharing the HEART of Women’s History Month

Please follow me on Facebook and Instagram where I’ll talk more about women past, present, and future.

I took this post’s Featured Image in Washington, DC last summer. The statue is the Vietnam Women’s Memorial.

Medical stethoscope and heart on a textured background

Dr Aletha

Avenging Kayla Mueller’s shining spirit

At only 26 years old, Kayla had already traveled to India, Israel, Palestine and Syria on humanitarian endeavors and in Arizona worked at a women’s shelter and with AIDS patients

October 2019

Perhaps there is now some justice for humanitarian worker Kayla Mueller.

The ISIS leader responsible for her kidnapping, torture, and death has died at the hands of an American military operation fittingly named for her.

According to the New York Post Mueller, of Prescott, Ariz., was 25 when she was taken captive by ISIS in August 2013 after crossing the Turkish border into Syria to visit a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo. She was held for 18 months before her death was announced in 2015. Her body was never recovered and her parents still are searching for closure. Read the report at this link.

Al-Baghdadi operation named after captured aid worker tortured by terrorist

July 2020

New details emerge about Kayla Mueller’s abduction by ISIS

Who was Kayla Mueller?

Soon after I started this blog a news story caught my attention and my heart.

A young woman volunteer, Kayla Jean Mueller, was abducted following a visit to a hospital operated by the medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Aleppo, Syria.

She was held in captivity by the Islamic State for 18 horrific months with three other American hostages.  Kayla died on February 6, 2015, reportedly following the bombing of a location where she was being held captive.

God hasn't called me to be successful, but to be faithful. quote Mother Teresa
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After reading  and watching the news reports about the life-and death- of Kayla, I wrote this.

I cannot think of anything else worth saying today other than to express my sadness  for and sympathy to the family of Kayla Mueller. On  the evening news last night I heard Kayla’s aunt describe her as “noble beyond her years.”

I had never heard of Kayla until a few days ago, but her story touches my heart. I have a son about the same age; and like her, his work and passions take him all over the world. I cannot imagine getting an email like the one her parents received confirming her death.

At only 26 years old, Kayla had already traveled to India, Israel, Palestine and Syria on humanitarian endeavors and in Arizona worked at a women’s shelter and with AIDS patients.

In a letter  to her family from captivity, she expressed regret that she was causing them pain. I hope the memory of this beautiful young woman brings some comfort to their grieving hearts.

Recently while reviewing my older posts, I wondered what happened to Kayla’s family after her death; perhaps someone had written about her, or established a memorial of some sort.

I am pleased to see that Kayla was not  forgotten, and her work was not in vain. I want to let you know what has happened since her capture and murder in 2015.

FOR KAYLA 

FOR KAYLA is a website devoted to  her  humanitarian projects, including quotes from her blog and the touching letter she wrote to her family from captivity.

Her are just a few of the quotes from her blog and letter.

This really is my life’s work, to go where there is suffering. I suppose, like us all, I’m learning how to deal with the suffering of the world inside myself… to deal with my own pain and most importantly to still have the ability to be proactive.

Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny. C.S. LEWIS

The gardener knows how to turn garbage into compost. Therefore our anger, sadness, and fear is the best compost for our compassion.

merciful God, release us from the time of trial that we may witness grief becoming joy and life rising from death. amen

I have been shown in darkness, light and have learned that even in prison, one can be free.

True liberation is freeing people from bonds that prevent them from giving their gifts to others.

KAYLA’S HANDS

Kayla’s family established a foundation in Kayla’s name, which they called Kayla’s Hands  a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation “to further her humanitarian efforts both locally and internationally.” On the website they write this about their daughter-

“Kayla devoted her life to helping others. Kayla’s heart was for the innocent children thrown into a life they should never be in; for moms trying to raise them alone and for families that needed help to stay as one; and for the soldiers, reporters and humanitarian workers who have seen such horror as well.

She wanted to help heal wounded hearts, minds and bodies bringing happiness and joy to all she could. It was this commitment that drove her to help victims in shelters near our home in Prescott, Arizona and to leave home for far away places she felt called to help.

She spent her life working for those who needed it most, using her voice to amplify those of others, and standing in solidarity with people as they struggle for their own rights and dignity. Even in captivity, she gave comfort to the Yazidi girls held with her and others suffering around her. If there was work to be done in service to others, she did it.”

you cannot love without giving. Amy Carmichael

Journalist Scott Peley remembers Kayla’s life in this video-

A REFLECTION ON KAYLA MEULLER’S SHINING SPIRIT

On the second anniversary of Kayla’s death, her family dissolved the foundation and donated $120,000 to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) an organization Kayla believed in and had worked with.

The foundation also donated funds to

  • Iraqi Bridge/Dr. Mirza , for  work on behalf of the Yazidi victims of genocide,
  • Save the Children , for  work to save the Syrian children and children throughout the world,
  • Syrian American Medical Society/SAMS who continue to work on behalf of Syria’s war victims,
  • Folds of Honor to provide educational scholarships to the families of America’s fallen and disabled service members
  •  Kiwanis Club of Prescott  Arizona who faithfully work “for the kids”.

Kayla Mueller Memorial Endowment Fund

Doctors Without Borders used the donation to establish an endowment fund in her memory. From their website-

“The endowment will be used to support medical and humanitarian aid programs operating in nearly 70 countries and providing care to more than 8 million people every year affected by armed conflicts, epidemics, as well as natural and man-made disasters.”

“By donating to Doctors Without Borders” noted her parents Marsha and Carl, “we can ensure Kayla’s spirit and her legacy of healing is continued in the world.”

Doctors Without Borders map of activities
map showing sites where Doctors Without Borders works, from a recent mailing

share the HEART of health

I invite you to browse the links above to learn more about these organizations and the work they do to bring the HEART of health to people around the world, work that I and this blog consider much needed and worthy of support.

(This blog is not compensated for listing this organizations here.)

 

 

 

 

 

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