You do not have to spend a lot of time in northern
Newfoundland or Labrador before you hear about Dr. Grenfell. We learned that he arrived in
Newfoundland/Labrador in the early 1890's.
He was there to provide medical support to those who previously had no
medical access at all. What started as a missionary assignment from England
turned into a lifetime personal project.
He established hospitals, clinics, shelters, food banks and raised money
around the world so that he could provide medical support to those who so desperately
needed it. I have included some links
that describe his amazing mission. One
of the early events that caught the world's attention took place in 1908 and is
described in the below poster.
For many years his organization was the primary and
often only provider of medical and spiritual support for the people of
Labrador. We visited his home and museum
in St Anthony, where there are many reminders of his efforts. There is a collection of pictures from him and his friends available to look at in binders on the front
veranda of his home. I spent as much
time as I could looking through them and could have spent much longer, had I
the time.
The large organization that he created was turned
over to the provincial government in 1981 for a fee of one dollar, which was 41
years after his death. It is an amazing
story of devotion to a worthwhile cause.