資料來源
http://mannatech.com/DMNews_14Articles.asp
標題
Nourished By Hope (8/8/2006)
副題
Ministry’s message to vulnerable kids: you are not forgotten
With the endless distractions provided by events close at hand — traffic jams, work, political controversies and so on — it’s easy to ignore problems in faraway lands.
Not so at Mannatech, the Coppell-based manufacturer of innovative nutritional supplements. When Mannatech’s leaders say they aim to provide global wellness solutions, they aren’t only speaking of what they can provide to customers, they are also referring to a mission of sharing that has been a part of the company since its inception.
Even before Mannatech was founded in 1993, CEO Sam Caster and his wife, Linda, “were looking for a purpose-driven opportunity,” he says, something that was bigger than ourselves and more than just making money, something that really contributed to the lives of others.”
As word of Mannatech’s glyconutrient discoveries spread, the company soon became a global concern bringing wellness and new hope to multitudes of consumers. Add to that the professional satisfaction described by Mannatech’s independent associates, and the Casters appeared to have fulfilled their ambition.
In 1999, however, Mr. Caster was inspired to take the company to a whole new level of giving.
Parents to four adopted children, the Casters have supported orphanage organizations and adoption services for years. Several years ago, the director of a Romanian support organization made the Casters aware of the devastating health conditions that existed in the orphanages they supported. Mr. Caster immediately recognized the unique benefits that
Mannatech products could provide these children. They founded MannaRelief Ministries, a nonprofit entity providing hope and health to the world’s most compromised children.
Today, MannaRelief has grown into a global network that helps 50,000 children in 72 nations.
While some might choose to tune out the world’s seemingly intractable problems, Ted Jones, executive director of MannaRelief Ministries, has no time for fatalistic attitudes.
“We can make a real difference,” he says. “If we all join in and work to change the life of one child at a time, the ripple effect will ultimately change nations.
“Every minute of every day, millions of children struggle with malnutrition and disease,” he continues. “If you look at the epidemics sweeping Africa, you’ll find that many of these countries are losing an entire generation.”
Advanced nutritional support has shown to dramatically impact the quality of life of those who suffer from these conditions. These improvements often lead to enhanced responses to medications and eventually a return to a more productive life.
With the help of a battalion of volunteers, MannaRelief distributes donated nutritional supplements to orphanages in some of the world’s worst locales.
“We believe we are bringing hope to the hopeless,” says Mr. Jones. “Health-care providers in these remote locations report the amazing benefits children receive from glyconutritional supplements.”
Mannatech associates focus on helping MannaRelief reach as many children as possible. In addition to donating glyconutritional products to MannaRelief, many associates and their children travel overseas to visit the orphanages and personally deliver the nutrients.
“Serving others in such a meaningful way has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done,” says associate Don Partridge.
For Mr. Caster, it’s a mission.
“We’re bringing hope through better nutrition to places where there really was no hope at all,” he says.
