CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Project CURE’s international headquarters is filled with donated medical supplies bound for destinations around the world. Getting those supplies to the people that need them takes more than just shipping containers; it takes lots of volunteers.
“This is like 98% volunteers. It's amazing,” volunteer Brian Eberle said.
Emergency relief beds, isolation gowns, bio-med equipment and more items are donated to Project CURE for relief efforts.
On this day, volunteers are packing a container full of supplies for a clinic between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Leading the packing effort are Eberle and fellow volunteer Bruce Surgenor.
“We're very efficient,” Surgenor said. “We work really well together as a team, and that allows us to load these containers even faster and do more.”
And loading containers is hard work.
“This is one of the best workout programs ever,” Eberle said. “I call it the Project CURE workout program.”
Project CURE’s location in Centennial fills and ships more than 50 containers every year. Eberle and Surgenor make sure every inch of those containers is filled.
“Brian does a fabulous job of prioritizing what's coming up to the container,” Surgenor said.
“Bruce has the ability to visualize something in the container and realize what will fit where,” Eberle added.
Eberle and Surgenor volunteer every week. Surgenor has volunteered more than 2,270 hours with Project CURE and Eberle more than 1,500.
“They're flexible. They have great attitudes. They're willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Operations Director Amanda Cocetti said.
The men say it feels good to do what they can to help those who are less fortunate.
“I don't need to go get an MD. I don't need to be a physician,” Surgenor said. “I can help people with supplies and equipment around the world.”
“We're just two of really, literally hundreds and thousands of volunteers, not only here in Denver but in other warehouses that Project CURE has around the country,” Eberle said.
Both men say it’s the whole team that keeps them volunteering week after week, and they hope to continue to do so for as long as they can.
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