OPERATION
The Mission
Operation Overalls was established to inform the public of existing global medical needs and provide a simple avenue to aid those in developing countries who are financially unable to afford life-changing medical treatments. We run local races in overalls and write the names of the individuals we support on our arms. In preparation for the races we raise funds through Watsi (more information below). If interested in helping our cause please follow the "Donate" link above.
Why run in overalls you might ask? It gives our name a ring of course! Actually, the idea for this particular race attire originated among a group of friends who love life and wanted to spice up an already frigid 23 degree November race day in Minnesota. The overalls were such a hit with our fellow runners that we decided to adopt them as our uniforms.
The Motivation
Drew, the founder of Operation Overalls, spent five weeks exploring global medicine in many different medical and geographical settings in Kenya and Tanzania in 2014. After he was confronted with the physical suffering and financial needs of individual patients, he wanted to establish a method to aid patients in similar situations upon returning to America. A doctor in Kenya introduced him to Watsi, which Drew saw as an ideal organization to utilize to bring about this change. Ultimately motivated by his Christian faith, Drew took steps to make Operation Overalls a reality.
The Overalls
Watsi is a global funding platform for medical treatments in developing countries. Every penny of donations goes directly towards patient care. The provided care ranges from <$100->$1,000 in cost, and is substantially cheaper than similar care in the US. Treatments vary from infant deliveries to open heart surgeries. Donors can give as little as $5 towards their care.
The Wall Street Journal wrote, "Watsi, based in San Francisco, connects medical patients who can't afford the procedures they need with donors via the Web. The funds it collects go entirely to the patients, as the organization's own costs are covered separately."
The Healthcare Funding Non-Profit - Watsi
