Monday, June 28, 2010

DR WENTZ Humanitarian


The same desire that motivates Dr. Myron Wentz in his business and scientific endeavors—to help people lead healthier lives—also inspires much of his charitable work. Wentz has a long-established humanitarian relationship with the non-profit organization Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF).

Over the past eight years, Wentz has traveled with CHF to poverty-stricken and war-torn areas in Central America, Eastern Europe and East Africa. In the summer of 2004, he traveled to northern Uganda, where he visited several impoverished refugee camps. One camp was home to 33,000 children for whom disease and malnutrition were a way of life. Driven to action by that experience, Wentz partnered with CHF to send food to the camp’s children and help families begin building homes and growing crops. In a year, malnutrition was reduced by 90 percent and the refugee population was reduced by more than 60 percent.

Fueled by this success, Wentz resolved to establish a state-of-the-art medical center for the diagnosis and prevention of disease in Uganda. Wentz not only provided the funding, he also personally selected and purchased all of the diagnostic equipment for the laboratory. Wentz and CHF opened the Wentz Medical Centre in Gaba, Uganda in August 2005. The state-of-the-art facility serves a community of 300,000 people, many of whom suffer from HIV/AIDS or have been orphaned by the disease. The facility provides both educational training and diagnostic care for women and children, including testing for malaria, HIV and intestinal viruses.

A second Wentz Medical Centre will serve children in Cambodia who have been affected by diseases such as malaria and HIV. Wentz continues to travel worldwide as a medical missionary for CHF.

As a result of Wentz’ continued support for CHF, the organization presented him with its Children’s Champion Award in March 2006. The Children’s Champion award exists to recognize those who have used their positions of influence in government, business and charity to ensure that children receive hope against the odds.

While his primary focus is on health and disease prevention, Wentz is also passionate about music and music education. In 2003, Wentz returned to his undergraduate alma mater, North Central College, in Naperville, Illinois. After two emotional days, he decided to make a serious contribution to the school’s performing arts programs. Over the course of a year, Wentz donated nearly $10 million to North Central, much of which is funding the construction of the Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center.

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