The 5-yearld Iraqi boy who was brought to Pennsylvania late last year by Rotarians from District 7450 and 7430 to receive medical attention to correct a life-threatening condition, was guest of honor at the Concordville-Chadds Ford Rotary Club meeting Wednesday at Maris Grove in Glen Mills.
Mohammed Kareem Moh Alshehabi was born without an opening to eliminate solid waste, a condition which requires corrective surgery to create one through a colostomy. He had emergency surgery following his birth in Iraq but he had not received the surgery to give him normal bowel function. Lt. Col Robert Balcavage, a U.S. Army officer stationed ion Iraq for more than a year, along with his brother, Rotarian Eric Balcavage, a Glen Mills chiropractor, and their mother, Carol, a nurse, led the effort to bring Mohammed to the U.S. after Eric Balcavage received a photo of Col. Balcavage with the boy on his lap.
Kevin O'Malley shipped the 10,000 lbs of weights to Iraq for platoon partners when no one else would for less than $35,000. Kevin did it without asking a dime. Pretty impressive. They would likely still be sitting here if he hadn't. Kevin owns an import / export business called
Seko worldwide.

February 23
 Up-date on 4-year-old Mohammed Kareem Moh Alshehabi

Cooperative Humanitarian Project 7450 & 7430
Members of District 7430 were contacted in November by Eric Balcavage of the Concordville-Chadds Ford Rotary and his mother Carol at LVHC. Eric’s older brother LTCMark Balcavage was stationed in Iraq where his troops came across a small four year old boy in need of help. This little boy, Mohammed Kareem, was born with a birth defect that required him to have a colostomy soon after birth.

Operation goodwill: An Iraqi child's story
By Ann Wlazelek | Of The Morning Call      
   to read the next chapter of the Mohammed Kareem story.

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