Solidarity Bridge founder, Juan Jinojosa beside some of the donated medical equipment the organization recently shipped to Bolivia.

The headquarters of this cross-cultural service organization are in a converted loft in the sort of out-of-the-way location retailers optimistically call a "destination" - a place that must be travelled to on purpose rather than come upon by chance.

Those who turn down the alley and locate the door to Solidarity Bridge may find it a fitting entrance to this modest organization, dedicated to serving the poorest people in Bolivia, South America's poorest country.

From these Evanston headquarters a team of three Solidarity staff members coordinates seven programs dealing with urgent medical care, fair-trade market expansion and educational collaboration.

as pacemaker implants, open heart surgery or neurosurgery.

Since the program's inception, Solidarity doctors have performed 1,459 operations and seen 10,151 patients in clinics and have brought to Bolivia more than $5,889,000 worth of supplies, equipment and medicine. Of the 200 volunteers who have made the trip, some have gone many times.

Though its vision and goals are avowedly Christian, Solidarity Bridge accepts missioners and recipients from any - or no - religious background. Jews, Sikhs and Muslims are among those who have served as volunteers.

Since the program's inception, Solidarity doctors have performed 1,459 operations and seen 10,151 patients in clinics and have brought to Bolivia more than $5,889,000 worth of supplies, equipment and medicine.

The organization's founder and executive director, Juan Lorenzo Hinojosa, Ph.D., says he patterned Solidarity Bridge after a medical mission launched by Roman Catholics in the Joliet Archdiocese with the help of a Bolivian anesthesiologist.

Dr. Hinojosa, a native of Bolivia, approached a newly appointed Cardinal George with his idea in 1999. The Cardinal gave his blessing for the organization to become a mission of the laity of the Archdiocese of Chicago - on the condition that it be self-supporting and operate autonomously. Solidarity Bridge has its own board and the support of private donors and local Roman Catholic congregations, says Dr. Hinojosa.

A look around its Evanston headquarters points to the scope of the organization's activities. The main room accommodates a conference table and the desks of Dr. Hinojosa, associate director Ann Rhomberg and economic development coordinator Jennifer Moran - and also opens to a large warehouse.

The warehouse shelves, usually piled high with pharmacueticals and medical equipment solicited from corporations by the non-profit clearinghouse Americare, is emptier than usual on this July day. Solidarity recently shipped a container - its first - with medical equipment valued at $500,000 but actually worth four to five times that, says Dr. Hinojosa.

The warehouse is filling up again; last year donations of medical supplies, equipment and medicines totaled $1,721.200, according to Solidarity's annual report. Dr. Hinojosa points to a pile of packaged heart pacemakers donated by Medtronic. Each package, not much bigger than a DVD, is worth between $9,000 and $11,000, he says - and that does not include the necessary leads, which cost some $900 apiece.

In Solidarity Bridge's pacemaker surgery program, social workers and cardiologists in one of the agency's several Bolivian offices assess patients' medical and socio-economic situations and then arrange for surgery. Working with their Bolivian counterparts, Solidarity doctors implanted 105 pacemakers in 2007.

Solidarity Bridge also runs a neurosurgery program. Among the supplies in the office are bits for craniotomy drills the organization has contributed to hospitals in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Medical education goes hand in hand with the organization's surgery projects. Side-by-side teaching occurs in operating rooms and group discussions, as American and Bolivian doctors work together. While general medical training is adequate in Bolivia, says Dr. Hinojosa, doctors usually have to leave the country for specialized education.

In an effort to boost economic development in Bolivia, Solidarity Bridge has also established a fair-trade program. Solidarity Clothing produces cotton polo shirts in four cooperatives that provide living wages for 80 people in the city of Cochabamba. The shirts can be embroidered with a team or school or company logo and are being marketed on a new website, www.solidarityclothing.org.

Though Evanstonians may not recognize the name Solidarity Bridge, many know one missioner who will be on the fall trip. Father Robert Oldershaw, who retired recently as pastor of St. Nicholas Church, will be travelling again to Bolivia in October to serve as chaplain to an organization whose vision statement says it was founded "in a spirit of mutuality...[to] create a channel for the abundant good will and generosity of individuals and organizations to reach the poor."

Learn more about Solidarity Bridge at www.solidaritybridge.org .

Japan, the "Land Of The Rising Sun," is also the land of rising intensity for supremacy in solar-power manufacturing - and wherever there's a lot of money to made, the competition will always be, shall we say, "high-powered."

Japan's solar equipment suppliers - like Kyocera, Sharp and Sanyo - are the world's leaders, but when sales were looking promising indeed back in 2005, the government sus-pended all subsidies. Domestic sales plunged and German and Chinese companies came rushing in to take up the slack. But Japan is now seeing a new dawn in its domestic solar business: Officials are now calling for "drastic" subsidies and tax breaks that will cut the cost of domestic solar systems in half. These measures come along with a national target of lowering emissions by a whopping 60-80 percent by 2050 and equipping 70 percent of all new houses with solar panels by 2020.

The Starlight Concert Series continues through July 29.

The music returns to Dawes Park when Evanston's Ken Arlen Orchestra performs at 7:30 p.m. on July 29. Bring a blanket, pack a picnic and enjoy music under the stars. Refreshments are available for purchase. In case of rain, the concerts will be moved indoors. For the latest site information, call 847-448-8058 after 4 p.m. on concert day.

Evanston Starlight Concerts are presented by the City of Evanston's Cultural Arts Division and sponsored by Evanston Fourth of July Association, Chicago Public Radio, Chicago Reader, Quince at the Homestead and the Evanston RoundTable.

Award-winning actress Yahdina U'Deen stars as Nina Simone in Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre's production of "Nina Simone: Between the Keys," opening July 26. Written and directed by Ebony Joy, the show is a musical journey that chronicles Ms. Simone's life and struggles, from child music prodigy to civil rights activist to international star.

Performances of "Nina Simone" are at 7 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, July 26-Aug. 10, at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St.

Tickets are $15, $10 for students with ID, and $7 for seniors aged 55 and older. Group discounts are available. For more information, call 847-448-8260.

An African-American theatre company, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre produces theatre and cultural events that address the African-American experience or reflect the culture of people of African descent.

Families with children in preschool through second grade are invited to hear stories in English and Spanish at South Branch Library, 949 Chicago Ave., and to share art and refreshments on Tuesday, 29 from 7-7:45 p.m. Drop in or register at 847-866-0333.

Acompañenos y invite a su familia a escuchar cuentos en inglés y Español para niños entre edades pre-escolar a segundo grado. Nos divertiremos con artesanias y compartiremos refrigerios.

Los Martes, 29 Julio del 2008, 7-7:45 p.m. at the South Branch Library, 949 Chicago Ave., 847-866-0333.

"Bug and Insect Crafts" are ready for busy fingers at the Main Library as part of the Summer Reading Game. Intended for all ages, these Thursday drop-in crafts are free in the Children's Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.

Children aged 5-11 can "Catch the Reading Bug" on July 26 at 10:00 a.m. in the Community Meeting Room of the Main Library. Here they can learn fun facts about insects in the Chicago region and around the world, participate in a presentation with cool pictures and facts, learn how to identify some insect families and end with a game of insect bingo featuring bug prizes. Participants can see what they have learned by taking the insect identification quiz and checking out a large pinned insect collection.

No registration required. Call 847-448-8610 for more information.

The Evanston Symphony Orchestra will hold auditions for all strings on Tuesday, Sept. 2 beginning at 7:30 p.m. The ESO is an all-volunteer orchestra. Under the direction of Maestro Lawrence Eckerling, the orchestra performs four regular series concerts at Pick Staiger Concert Hall. The ESO also performs a holiday concert and a summer pops concert.

For more information and to schedule an audition time, contact Paula Fisher at 847-679-3898.

Evanston writer Joan Corwin earned first-prize honors for her novella, "Safe Shall Be My Going," in the first annual Press 53 Open Awards Writing Contest. Writers from 33 states and seven foreign countries participated in the contest, which offered awards in eight categories. First-prize winners will receive an etched-glass award and publication in the forthcoming Press 53 Open Awards Anthology, due out in October 2008.

Multi-award-winning author Roy Kesey, who judged for the novella category, said of Ms. Corwin's work, "‘Safe Shall Be My Going' is more than a little miraculous. It refers often to the old masters (with quotes from Shakespeare and Browning, nods to Dickens and Arnold, winks at Flaubert and Austen) but is its own full source of authority; it is frequently light-hearted but never slight; it is many-voiced but wholly consistent; and most remarkably of all, it often slows its pace to work carefully through moments of great emotional complexity - the kind most writers shy away from or make a hash of -- but never once loses its forward drive, its powerful What Happened Nextness. It is clever and it is wise and I enjoyed it a very great deal."

Press 53 founding editor and publisher Kevin Watson said, "We're limited [as] to the number of books we publish each year, so this contest gives us the opportunity to give more deserving writers recognition for their work. Besides the winning entries, we plan to also publish a few of the honorable mentions."

The second annual Press 53 Open Awards Writing Contest is now under way. Complete guidelines for entry are available at www.press53.com .

Participants prepare to place flags around the Dawes Park lagoon in the "Parade of Nations" ceremony.

The annual Ethnic Arts Fest, held last weekend at the Lakefront, featured music, crafts and food from around the world. In photo on page 8, children prepare for the opening ceremony, the "Parade of Nations," featuring the flags of more than 100 countries.

Evanston artist Elizabeth Davis, pictured at right, creates affordable baby carriers using organic fabric.

City information also listed these Evanston artists whose works were featured at the festival: Sarah Buffet, Nicolette Jones, Sonia Sanchez, Juanita Stansberry and Diane Thodos.

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