• Help us recruit medical mission team members or volunteer to join a team
• Help us collect and repackage donated medical supplies and medicines 
• Donate medicines, supplies, or equipment
• Donate miscellaneous supplies and giveaway items – pens, toys, etc.
• Help us load or help pay for a sea container shipment to the Clinic
• Organize or sponsor a team at the Annual “24-Hour Tour d’Esprit” Race
• Volunteer to help with new fundraising activities coordinated with the Tour d'Esprit: 
• Health/Wellness Fair
• Children’s Activities
• Friday Evening Pasta Dinner
• Saturday Morning Pancake Breakfast
• Saturday Afternoon Post-Race Party with live band

• Join a Medical Trip to Haiti to provide health care to patients at the Clinic (Clinique Sainte d’Esprit located on grounds of St. Charles Seminary in Croix des Bouquets, near Port au Prince) 
• Medical professionals, including physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmaceutical representatives and other medical and health care support staff are needed. 
• Team members may also support the students and staff of L’Ouverture Cleary School. 
• Information for Volunteers
• October 2003 Trip Photos by Dr. Kraus
• March 2003 Trip Photos by Dr. Kraus
• Photos: CBU March '03 Trip.      Photos: CBU October '02 Trip.

Eleventh annual fundraiser to benefit Haiti Medical Missions
Tour d’Esprit 24-hour race to take place 2-3 Oct. 2009
"Time Flies" an essay by Dr. Kraus on the 2008 10th anniversary of the Tour d'Esprit fundraiser.

Press Release:

Memphis, Tenn., June 2009 –The 11th annual 24-Hour Tour d’Esprit run/walk will take place Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 2300 Hickory Crest Drive. The event begins at 3 p.m. Friday and concludes at 3 p.m. Saturday. All proceeds benefit Haiti Medical Missions of Memphis.

The Mid-South’s only 24-hour race, the Tour d’Esprit includes a certified one-mile loop, which participants may run or walk as many times as they like during the 24-hour period. The event is sanctioned by the Memphis Runners and Track Club and includes Champion Chip™ timing. Runners and walkers at all levels are encouraged to participate, from competitive running teams to casual joggers and walkers. All participants will receive a goody bag and commemorative T-shirt. 

Other activities include a silent auction featuring handcrafted Haitian art, gift certificates, sports memorabilia, and more; a pasta dinner Friday evening from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and a gourmet breakfast Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Dinner tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children, and breakfast tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children.

A health fair will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, offering free health screenings and health and wellness information. Special children’s activities will be available Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. 

The event will conclude with a party Saturday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., including food, beverages and live entertainment. Door prizes and awards will be presented to the top individuals in their respective age groups, as well as to the top male, female and mixed team. 

The presenting sponsor for the event is [TBA] (2008: Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis).

Participants may register online at www.active.com. Fees are $20 in advance and $25 after 29 Sept. 2009. Registration is also available at the Church of the Holy Spirit. Individual participants may register in advance or at any time during the event. Teams must be registered before the race begins and should consist of at least eight people and no more than 24. There will be a designated camping area for families and teams. 

For more information, please call 901-755-8809 or 761-9097. 

About Haiti Medical Missions of Memphis
Haiti Medical Missions of Memphis is a nonprofit organization that provides free medical care and health and wellness education to the citizens of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The organization is comprised of physicians, nurses, dentists and other health care professionals. In 2001, Haiti Medical Missions of Memphis opened a free clinic in Port-au-Prince. Today, the clinic’s staff provides free health care to 50 to 70 patients a day. All proceeds from the Tour d’Esprit race will be used to provide critical, lifesaving medications and medical attention at this clinic. 

For more information, contact: 
Christy or Aaron Cassat, Race Coordinators 
Phone: 901-755-8809
E-mail: acassat@comcast.net

Above: T-shirt design from a Haitian painting, “A Circle of My Friends,” created by Adrienne Dejoie.

"Time Flies" an essay by Dr. Kraus on the 10th anniversary of the Tour d'Esprit fundraiser

To participate in the 2009 Tour d'Esprit: 
Advance registration deadline: 29 Sept. 2009.
Mail, drop off @ Holy Spirit Church, or register online.
For more information regarding the 2009 race, contact Aaron & Christy Cassat (901)755-8809 or acassat@comcast.net
or Gordon Kraus at 761-9097.

  • Photos from Tour d'Esprit 2001        • Photos from Tour d'Esprit 2000
  • 2003 Press Release (MSWord).

• For the past 2 years, HMM has coordinated sending a 40 ft. Sea Container to Haiti
• Our cost to ship each container is $4,500 
• For example, in May 2003, we shipped another 40 ft. Sea Container directly to our clinic with donated protein nuggets, powdered milk, medical equipment and supplies. 

• Antibiotics
• Anti-inflammatory agents
• Analgesics
• Anti-hypertensives
• Skin/rash creams
• Inhaler/allergy meds
• Anti-malarial meds
• TB/AIDS meds
• Malnutrition/Vitamins

• This cookbook is more than just a cookbook! It's a 264-page, hardbound reflection of the flavor and spirit of a people. In addition to hundreds of authentic recipes, the book includes a cornucopia of Haitian proverbs and is richly illustrated with Haitian art. The cookbook was a First Place Winner in the Morris Cookbook awards/2002 in Washington D.C. 
• Proceeds from the sale of this cookbook will go to help the people of Haiti through the purchase of critical life-saving medicines and the operation of our community-based primary-care medical clinic in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti. 
• The cookbooks make great gifts, and are $25 per copy plus $2.50 for shipping. 
• Please contact Denice McMahon at 753-0605 to order your copies.

• Medical Director:

Gordon Kraus, M.D.
1779 Kirby Parkway #1
PMB 319
Memphis, TN  38138
Phone: 901-761-9097
Fax: 901-682-7635
Email: docgjk@aol.com

• Administrative Director:

(position vacant)
• 2008 Tour d’Esprit Race co-chairs:

Aaron & Christy Cassat 
901-755-8809 
acassat@comcast.net

• To join a team: 

Contact Gordon Kraus, M.D.  Email: docgjk@aol.com.
[Student trips are on hold.] 
 
• To make a donation:

Contact Gordon Kraus, M.D.  Email: docgjk@aol.com.
 
• Webmaster:

Anna E. Ross, Ph.D., Department of Biology, Christian Brothers University
Email: aross@cbu.edu