California, where he had done his resi- dency, to retrain as a hand surgeon and remained on the teaching staff until 2009. Lehoang first returned to Vietnam in
2000 and began making regular trips, donating used orthopedic equipment and surgical instruments, performing surgeries, and teaching at the Hospital for Trau- matology and Orthopedics, and eventu- ally started bringing Stritch orthopedic residents with him to help with surgeries. He is proud of the medical assistance these trips bring to those in need in Vietnam, but is equally concerned with familiarizing American students with tropical medicine and a sense of duty to help those in need. “We learned in medical school that
the world is not fair,” Lehoang says. “One can be born to riches or destitution, and one has the obligation to help the less fortunate.” In 2006, while traveling to Vietnam with
his wife and two of their children, Lehoang was introduced to a married couple who were hosting 12 expectant teenage moth- ers and 22 toddlers in their small home. “When we went to see these children,
they reached up to us. They were curious, they wanted to be held, they wanted for us to play with them, and our family gladly obliged,” Lehoang recalls. Moved by this experience, the Lehoang
family opened a nonprofit organization in partnership with the Sisters of the Holy Cross and raised funds to build an orphan- age that was completed in 2008. It now houses 96 orphans and 6 expectant moth- ers, and fundraising is under way for a bigger facility nearby. For his commitment to medicine and
service, Lehoang was awarded the 2014 Stritch Medal—the school’s highest honor—November 22 at the 64th Stritch Annual Awards Dinner. And with the love and support of his family, he continues to make a difference in other people’s lives, as he did the day he applied a bandage to a child’s leg many years ago.
INSTITUTE OF PASTORAL STUDIES Serving families a world away
Timothy Metcalfe (MA ’90) traveled far to learn about a lifestyle centered on social justice. Metcalfe, a New Zealand native, spent 11 years with the Marist Brothers, an international Catholic organization that focuses on education and spirituality. After returning to New Zealand, with hopes of expanding pastoral work in schools there, he began looking into graduate programs in America.
“The style of learning and exploration that
Loyola offered really inspired me to apply,” says Metcalfe. A scholarship confirmed Metcalfe’s enrollment in the Institute of Pastoral Studies, and, after traveling more than 8,000 miles, he arrived at Loyola focused on social work and community building. “I’ve always felt that the studies and personal
development I did in Chicago have equipped me very well for the community development and leadership roles that I’ve carried,” Metcalfe says. Metcalfe currently serves a small community
as executive officer of Jigsaw, located in Whan- ganui, New Zealand. Jigsaw, a national network of 45 independent community organizations, works to prevent child abuse, neglect, and family violence, with an emphasis on the whole family. In the Māori language, it’s called whanau, which loosely translates to “extended family.” “We strive to promote indigenous models of
engagement, and work very hard to piece those networks together,” Metcalfe says. Other than fundraising, Metcalfe’s challenges
include community building and networking. “How do we engage families? How can we be a catalyst for support groups?” Metcalfe says.
Brenda McKinney (JD ’13) interviewed Tim Metcalfe (MA ’90), executive officer of Jigsaw, as part of her children’s rights research in New Zealand.
One of the trends Jigsaw relies on is social
media and modern technology. “We’re using closed groups on Facebook to reach our audi- ence and start the conversation that’s geared toward learning and young parents,” Metcalfe said. Metcalfe credits these parents—ordinary moms and dads who must overcome huge ad- versities—as his inspiration: “They are working courageously to overcome difficulty,” he says.
It’s a small world after all. Brenda McKinney (JD ’13) has taught Norwegian in Minnesota and English in China, Japan, and Brazil. After receiving her MEd from Boston College and a law degree and certificates in child and family law, as well as public interest law, from Loyola, she completed a legal internship at the White House. And now McKinney is in New Zealand through a Fulbright award, studying toward a Master of Laws degree and specializing in children’s rights and the effects of restorative juvenile justice practice. McKinney has con- ducted dozens of interviews around New Zealand. Her work led her to Jigsaw to interview Tim Metcalfe (MA ’90) in September, where they discovered they are both Ramblers.
WINTER 2015
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