Pitcher Benoit Making a Difference in Haiti | 
You would think that free agent righthander Joaquin Benoit would have a lot on his mind these days. Not offered a contract by the Texas Rangers, for whom he pitched from 2001-2008, Benoit missed all of last year after rotator cuff surgery, so it’s likely if he is to extend his career, he will have to find another team.
But instead of just waiting around for the phone to ring, Benoit is providing a different kind of relief, for thousands of Haitians in connection with the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF). A native of the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, Benoit responded to PADF’s need for cash assistance that allows the non-profit to deliver hospital equipment to areas in Haiti that are still recovering from hurricanes and to the country’s toughest slums.
“When I heard that our neighbors in Haiti needed medical equipment, I felt compelled to make a difference,” says Benoit in a statement. “PADF provided me with the right opportunity to alleviate the suffering of Haitians. I am making a difference this holiday season.”
A shipping container with electric beds and hospital medicine carts will arrive just after Christmas to Haiti for distribution to institutions that attend up to 2,000 patients a day.
“Joaquin Benoit stepped up to the plate when Haiti needed help,” says Amy Coughenour, PADF’s Deputy Executive Director. “His support, along with help from other donors, means more Haitians will receive medical treatment in a more dignified way.”
The hospital beds and medicine carts are a donation by the U.S. General Services Administration, which provides excess equipment to non-profit organizations.
PADF’s successful in-kind donations program supports hundreds of thousands of people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean with new and gently used medical equipment, professional tools and relief supplies.
“Through partnerships with U.S. agencies, hospitals and individual donors, PADF is able to provide disadvantaged people essential equipment that will make a difference in their lives,” say Pilar Heraud, PADF’s in-kind program director.
Benoit, 32, is 30-26 with eight saves in 273 Major League games, all with Texas.
PADF is an independent, non-profit organization that develops public-private partnerships to assist the least advantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean. PADF creates economic opportunities, strengthens communities and prepares for and responds to natural disasters. In the past year, more than 5.6 million people in 18 countries benefited from PADF’s programs. PADF is an affiliate of the Organization of American States.
Topics: Cash Assistance, charity, Coughenour, Cuff Surgery, Deputy Executive Director, Electric Beds, Excess Equipment, Free Agent, General Services Administration, Haitians, Hospital Beds, Hospital Medicine, Island Of Hispaniola, Joaquin Benoit, Kind Donations, Medical Equipment, Pan American Development Foundation, Professional Tools, Shipping Container, Slums, Texas Rangers
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