GLOUCESTER — On Oct. 10, Cape Ann pediatrician Brian Orr will celebrate another birthday.
But Orr wants to make the 10-10-10 birthday count for something — to help those to whom he has dedicated his career — children.
Orr has set a birthday goal of finding 1,000 families, individuals or organizations to donate $10 to an orphans organization with the hope of raising $10,000 for Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos — Spanish for "Our Little Brothers and Sisters."
Orr has volunteered several times for the organization, traveling to Latin America and the Caribbean, where he provides medical care to the orphans, who are not put up for adoption but given an education and vocational training. He also knows almost every cent goes directly to the care of the children in nine countries.
"The idea came to me with my birthday being 10-10-10, which only comes every hundred years," he said. "I'm not going to be around for the next one so I wanted to do something worthwhile for this one."
Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos operates in Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Peru, Bolivia and Mexico.
"I've been to the orphanage in Honduras 10 times volunteering over vacation time to help them," Orr said. For five years, he has been part of a group of students from Glen Urquhart School who traveled there to introduce the children to the world of volunteerism.
"I've helped many kids, some with specific medical problems, so it's near and dear to my heart. And now Haiti has had such a dramatic event, which has quadrupled the amount of orphans. This organization runs the only children's hospital in Haiti, St. Damien Hospital," Orr said.
He wondered if now that school is back in session, whether any class of students or youth organization would be interested in raising $10 as a group.
"I've had young kids take it to heart and raise money with their friends," Orr said. "The situation across the globe is that orphans are increasing because of natural disasters, wars and AIDS, and we need to raise awareness and do something about it. And this is one small way for kids here to have a connection to the greater cause to help them."
How to help
Anyone wishing to contribute to the physician's birthday effort can go to www.friendsoftheorphans.org and make a contribution online, mentioning the "triple-10 day (10-10-10)" and Orr.
Donors may also send a check to Friends of the Orphans at 134 North LaSalle St., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60602-1036, or to Dr. Orr, care of Cape Ann Pediatricians, at 298 Washington St. in Gloucester. Donors may also drop off a check at the office next to the main entrance to Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester.
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