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Published:Saturday | July 10, 2021 | 12:06 AM
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In this handout photo provided by Wellchild, Prince Harry speaks to Outstanding Professional Award winner Anna Marie McLachlan with the family she supports during the WellChild Awards 2021 at a private garden party at Kew Gardens, in London.
AP
In this handout photo provided by Wellchild, Prince Harry speaks to Outstanding Professional Award winner Anna Marie McLachlan with the family she supports during the WellChild Awards 2021 at a private garden party at Kew Gardens, in London.
Romanian architect Eugen Vaida speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at the dilapidated 16th-century Brukenthal Castle, during repairs done by volunteers supporting the Ambulance for Monuments project in Micasasa, Romania. Romania’s Ambula
AP
Romanian architect Eugen Vaida speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at the dilapidated 16th-century Brukenthal Castle, during repairs done by volunteers supporting the Ambulance for Monuments project in Micasasa, Romania. Romania’s Ambulance for Monuments has a simple task — to race around the country giving critical care to as many historical buildings as possible that are in an advanced state of decay, or pre-collapse, before it’s too late.
Twelve-year-old Baraka Cosmas has a cookie and relaxes with Elissa Montanti (right), founder and director at The Global Medical Relief Fund, after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination at Richmond University Medical Center. Some of the children brought to the h
AP
Twelve-year-old Baraka Cosmas has a cookie and relaxes with Elissa Montanti (right), founder and director at The Global Medical Relief Fund, after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination at Richmond University Medical Center. Some of the children brought to the hospital in Montanti’s group, all amputees who have faced severe trauma in their lives, were nervous before receiving in the injection in an unfamiliar setting.
Elissa Montanti, founder and director at The Global Medical Relief Fund, stands outside the Richmond University Medical Center after securing COVID-19 vaccinations for children in her programme who live with albinism. The pandemic put a hold on internation
AP
Elissa Montanti, founder and director at The Global Medical Relief Fund, stands outside the Richmond University Medical Center after securing COVID-19 vaccinations for children in her programme who live with albinism. The pandemic put a hold on international travel, and on the services Montanti has facilitated for the more than 450 kids who have passed through her care. As restrictions have begun lifting across the country, the Staten Island woman is bringing her charity back to life.
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After pandemic pause, Elissa Montanti’s crusade for kids resumes

NEW YORK (AP):

After more than two decades of beating the odds to obtain medical care for children injured in war and crises around the world, Elissa Montanti’s Global Medical Relief Fund was thwarted by COVID-19.

The Dare to Dream House, the typically bustling boarding house her non-profit maintains a few doors down from her Staten Island home, fell silent.

The pandemic put a hold on international travel and on the services she has facilitated for the more than 450 kids who have passed through her care. Prosthetics needed fitting. Surgeries required scheduling. From her converted walk-in closet office, Montanti wondered if she would ever again see her children as she regards them.

Now, Montanti is bringing her charity back to life. As restrictions have begun lifting across the country, Montanti is taking on a new set of hurdles unique to a post-pandemic world, including recruiting volunteers and professionals to her cause. Disease prevention protocols have also become critical.

Dare to Dream House says it has taken in children from 50 countries, mostly from Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. With the world reopening, Montanti is cautiously optimistic that her charity will again take up its mission unabated.

Prince Harry paid surprise visit to London charity event during recent visit

LONDON (AP):

Prince Harry made a surprise appearance at a London charity event to meet with seriously ill children during his visit to Britain to unveil a statue in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday.

The Duke of Sussex visited Kew Gardens in west London for an awards ceremony for WellChild, a charity he is a patron of. He was joined at the garden party by celebrities, including Ed Sheeran and Ronnie Wood.

He chatted with children who won awards and their families, and was seen telling some of those attending that it was “quite a juggle” coping with his newborn daughter, Lilibet, and his 2-year-old son, Archie.

In a statement released by WellChild, Harry said the charity had “an extraordinarily special place in my heart”.

“Now, as a father of two, I feel all the more connected, inspired and in awe of the resilience of these families, who power through indescribable challenges with the support of WellChild,” he said.

Romania’s monument ‘ambulance’ races to save country’s past

MICASASA, Romania (AP):

Thirty-nine-year-old Romanian architect Eugen Vaida is coordinating a team of volunteers to help breathe new life into a centuries-old castle on the brink of ruin in the remote Transylvanian village of Micasasa

“It’s in an advanced state of degradation, and it’s a monument of national importance,” Vaida, who in 2016 launched the Ambulance for Monuments project, told The Associated Press.

The Ambulance for Monuments has a simple task: to race around the Balkan country, giving critical care to as many historical buildings as possible that are in an advanced state of decay before it’s too late.

Since it launched, Ambulance for Monuments has rescued 55 historical structures, including medieval churches, historic fortification walls, old watermills and ancient UNESCO World Heritage Sites, from descending into complete ruin.

Among the group’s prominent supporters is Prince Charles, who has long-standing ties to Romania, where his Prince of Wales Foundation owns old properties and promotes heritage and nature preservation.

Over the past couple of years, Vaida has used a franchise system to expand the project, which now covers around 60 per cent of Romania. He also has ambitions to adopt his ambulance project internationally in countries with similar problems. But for now, rescuing as much of Romania’s architectural heritage is his chief aim.