 Friday, November 12, 2010 y WATERLOO REGION RECORD y Local, B4 Raising funds to build hope in AIDS-stricken MalawiBy Johanna Weidner, Record staff KITCHENER - Michael Gregson's volunteer trip to Malawi lasted just a few weeks, yet the warmth of the people he met there has lingered long after. "Everybody over there is so happy. You can't help feeling good no matter how bleak it looks," said Gregson, who grew up in Kitchener. "They're so proud and they're so friendly and they're so kind." Touched by their amazing spirit and resilience despite overwhelming poverty and the grim toll of the African AIDS epidemic, Gregson was determined to help. He and colleague Matthew Steele, who also went on the excursion, launched Warm Hearts of Africa to nurture health, education and business in Malawi. The group is hosting its annual fundraiser in Kitchener on Nov. 20. Gregson and Steele's campaign was sparked by a trip in 2006 to Malawi sponsored by their employer, the pharmaceutical company Abbott, in co-operation with a Canadian international development agency. The team of four worked with a volunteer organization that cared for people living with HIV/AIDS, THEWORKSFuelEconomyPackageYoucouldsaveupto$350ayearongas.Withthispackageandregularmaintenance.? Package includes: Motorcraft ® PremiumOilandMotorcraft ® Filterchange * Plus: Rotateandinspect4tires Inspectbrakesystemsandreporton measurements Checkbeltsandhoses Checkairandcabinairfilters Upto87-pointinspectionincludingairfilter(cloggedair filterreducesfueleconomy),steeringandsuspension components,batterytestandreportonfindings $ 5999? FORONLY including visiting terminal AIDS patients in their homes after being released from hospital. They would see people suffering from terrible opportunistic infections that wouldn't happen in Canada with the far better AIDS treatment available. "We had emotional and personal ties with those people and we couldn't just cut that off," Gregson said. Back home, they organized a fundraiser in Kitchener to support the volunteer group and pay for a chicken hatchery that could provide food and income. The event drew more than 200 people and raised about $5,000. The next year they returned to Malawi. They branched out to help a local school. Warm Hearts of Africa gave the school essentials, including books, desks, electricity and running water, and started a program to pay for students' term fees and daily meals. Last year the pair returned to Malawi for the grand opening of a new outpatient clinic they funded for a rural hospital. Now they're working on an HIV community centre to offer patients counselling and support. 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Find out more at www.warmheartsofafrica.com. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll also soon need a new home as the rental property they use is being sold. "There's lots to do," said Gregson, who now lives in Toronto. Thankfully, there's no shortage of people willing to help with fundraisers in Kitchener, Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, and raise money themselves for the cause. So far, the group has collected about $250,000. Many proposals come to the group and that can be daunting, Gregson said. But, he said, "you make that small piece your ownMyFordStoredidagreatjob gettingmycarreadyforwinter. Andtheyguaranteeit.PERAXLE RECORD STAFF Michael Gregson displays a painting of Nkhamenya Mission Hospital. and you'd be surprised what you can do." Steele, too, acknowledges there's a great need for help. "Every little bit makes a difference," he said. 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