Quita Fuller, a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration student, did not expect her posting to a Walden University discussion board last spring to result in anything more than routine classroom acknowledgement.

She was surprised then when her post about community health centers that serve the uninsured in Pinellas Country, Fla., struck a chord with Managing at the Boundaries course faculty member Dr. Tony Leisner.

Fuller, now a director of health promotion at Amerigroup Corp. in Virginia Beach, Va., had worked for the centers five years ago on efforts to expand the operation to Tarpon Springs, Fla. Leisner was not only familiar with the centers, he was involved in those still-ongoing expansion efforts.

Leisner, a veteran of Pinellas County nonprofits, replied to Fuller, saying that he was trying to help overcome the final obstacle to building the Tarpon Springs center: obtaining land.

Under the center’s funding provisions, land had to be donated, not purchased. The city did not want to donate land, and the local hospital, which was losing money providing health care to the uninsured, needed land for its own expansion plans.

Managing at the Boundaries
“Quita gave me some background history and also reminded me of the need to span boundaries for worthy projects,” he says, noting the expansion effort’s relevance to the Managing at the Boundaries course, which promotes alliances across the boundaries of the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

To find a solution, Leisner brainstormed with the hospital board and its chairman, who mentioned that his own church had surplus land that it might consider donating. Working with the hospital board chair, state and city government representatives, and the church, Leisner helped work out a deal for the church to donate the land to the centers, creating a win-win situation for the community, the uninsured in Tarpon Springs, and the local hospital—effectively putting the Managing at the Boundaries course philosophy into practice.

Another Connection: Helping Children in Guatemala
When Leisner called Fuller to tell her the news about acquiring the land, she mentioned her ongoing work with another project—supporting impoverished children in Guatemala.

Fuller runs a sponsorship program for 13 children in a small village in Zacapa, Guatemala.

“My son and I went to Guatemala last summer and fell in love with the local leaders and sponsored a child ourselves. When the former leaders pulled out, I decided to take the project on rather than see it disintegrate,” Fuller says. “We started with 13 children, and I am proud to say they are each fully sponsored. The cost is $25 per month, which covers their food, clothing, school supplies and doctor visits.”

Fuller says her program is unique in two ways: Sponsors must invest themselves, not just money, and they truly get to communicate with the children. “I require the sponsors to get to know their child, not simply support them financially. I also request that they visit their child at least once every three years. Secondly, sponsors can email their child through me, and I will translate the emails. The focus is about sharing culture and building bridges.”

She adds that Leisner is sponsoring two children.

Fuller, who is interested in child advocacy, says she is pursuing the Walden degree in public policy to take her career to the next level.

“I plan to use my degree to work in health policy focused on children and families, either nationally (within minority and underserved populations) or abroad in Central and South America.”

From Pinellas County to Timbuktu
Leisner and his wife were not strangers to helping impoverished young people in other parts of the world. They had been assisting a family in Timbuktu in the West African nation of Mali for five years by sending the family a small monthly stipend and helping the son, Sane, learn English.

“The approximate annual family income in Timbuktu is about $300,” Leisner says. “Most kids never complete primary school because they have to work instead of learn. We agreed that if Sane would practice his English through email, use the books we would send him, and create small reports—and most importantly stay in school— we would help the family with $20 per month.” 

Sane has developed his English skills and last year, through a Swiss-funded project, he received training and certification in Internet applications and Microsoft Word, Leisner says. 

“Next year, he will be the first in his family to graduate from high school. Considering that all his forebears were cross-Sahara camel drivers and illiterate, this is a very big accomplishment.” 

Sponsor a Guatemalan Child
Email Fuller at fabfullers@yahoo.com.

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