Group to Bring War-Injured Youth to U.S.

Calvin College history professor Bert de Vries has joined with others in the West Michigan area to start a program that will focus on bringing children who have been seriously injured by war in Gaza and Iraq to this country for treatment.

Called "Healing Children of Conflict," the program is also being supported and organized by, among others, Rev. Herman Keizer, retired director of Chaplaincy Services for the Christian Reformed Church. Peter Vander Meulen, coordinator of the CRC’s Office of Social Justice, is also involved. The program, however, is not formally affiliated with the CRC.

Healing the Children of Conflict will hold its first fundraiser, "A Celebration of Middle Eastern Cultures," at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 at the 29th Street Hall in Grand Rapids, MI. The event includes food, music, and a silent auction. All of the proceeds will go to helping bring children to this country for health care. Tickets for the event are $10 for students and $30 for adults. To learn more, email: [email protected] or call: 1-616-262-4525.

The program in West Michigan is modeled after one titled "No More Victims," which was founded by and is run by a man named Cole Miller in California. While Miller's program has already brought several Iraqi children to the U.S. for treatment, the West Michigan organization is just getting started and has yet to bring a child to this country for care.

After meeting and talking to and then listening to Cole speak at Calvin College, de Vries was inspired to help start a group with a similar mission. Since Cole felt that his organization was over-extended, he suggested to de Vries that he form a stand-alone program in West Michigan.

"By treating and helping innocent victims, we seek to make restitution for war in which this country has some responsibility," says de Vries. "In doing this, I think we will also be able to trigger healing in people in this country" who have in various ways been affected by the violence.

"This organization includes a diversity of groups whose grassroots participation across religious and social lines is a sign of commonality among those of us who feel some responsibility for the misery and miserable in the world," says de Vries.

"We’re ready to get going. It has been a lot of work to get this organized in order that we can do it right," says de Vries.