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Interview with Dick Bail

Posted: June 6, 2019

“I am because we are.
We are because I am.

– John Mbiti/African proverb

On February 11, 2019, Beau Stubblefield-Tave, Managing Principal of the Center for Culturally Fluent Leadership, interviewed Dick Bail, MD, the co-founder of Communities Without Borders. The video is available on YouTube.

Dick talked about being a physician, FUUSN, anti-racism work, his involvement in world health and Africa, Communities Without Borders, teamwork, Ubuntu, philosophical ideas, cultural competency, gratitude, family, and facing cancer and death. Beau summed it up to Dick: “Your life has truly been amazing and inspirational.”

The full video is A Conversation between Dick Bail and Beau Stubblefield-Tave.
A segment on how Dick became interested in Africa starts HERE.
A segment on CWB immediately follows, starting HERE.

 

Filed Under: News

The Passing of Richard Nelson Bail

Posted: June 6, 2019

Richard Nelson “Dick” Bail Jr., 76, of West Newton, Massachusetts, passed away on May 29th, 2019, surrounded by family. He was born to parents Richard Nelson Bail Sr. and Vivian Gibbs Bail on October 28th, 1942 in Brockton, Massachusetts but spent many summers on his grandfather’s farm in rural Pennsylvania.

Dick graduated from Whitman-Hanson High School and Bowdoin College, where he was a James Bowdoin Scholar and majored in Physics. Inspired by the physician-polymath Albert Schweitzer— and the civil rights movement of the late 1960s— he completed a medical degree at Harvard Medical School in 1969 and worked at the Centers for Disease Control in Michigan and Maryland for two years. After serving as Chief Resident at Boston City Hospital, he practiced internal medicine at Harvard Vanguard Healthcare (previously Harvard-Pilgrim Healthcare), Mt. Auburn Hospital, and Cambridge Hospital.

During a summer abroad in Germany, Dick became interested in conflict resolution and reconciliation. In the early 1980s, he joined Physicians for Social Responsibility and Physicians for Human Rights. In 1985, he co-founded Trust Through Health, a non-profit organization that led good-will missions to the Soviet Union during the height of the cold war. He worked with the Chief Epidemiologist from the USSR to develop a public health training program in Tanzania. He also worked on disaster relief efforts in Armenia. In 1987, he testified before Congress in support of the International Health Corps. His participation in such efforts— and Dick’s belief that social and medical problems were deeply intertwined— inspired him to pursue a Master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health from 1987-1989.

In 1991, Dick accepted a position with the World Health Organization as the Health Strategy Coordinator for the African Regional Office in Brazzaville, Congo, where he served until 1993 and supervised employees from 43 countries. He played a major role in the effort to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa by consulting with governments, the United Nations, and various non-profit organizations.

In 1993, Dick returned to his career in internal medicine in Watertown, Massachusetts where he served hundreds of patients in the Greater Boston Area. He also volunteered one morning a week at the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, which serves underprivileged clients. In recognition of his skill and service, he received the Physician Practice Connections Recognition Award and was recognized by the National Committee for Quality Insurance (in Medicine). He was much more proud, however, of the close relationships he developed with his patients.

In 2000, Dick founded Communities Without Borders (CWB), a non-profit organization that serves underprivileged communities in sub-Saharan Africa, and Zambia in particular. CWB constructed two public health centers in Zambia, provided funding to more than 6,000 young people to complete secondary or post-secondary education, and Dick’s legacy continues through its ongoing work.

One of his greatest pleasures was mentoring young physicians in the clinic, or as an adjunct faculty member at Harvard University and Boston University. He also produced ten peer-reviewed articles during this career (often via collaboration with his students), and received the Community Service Faculty Award from the Harvard School of Public Health to recognize his work with medical students in Africa.

Dick remained active in serving social justice causes within the Greater Boston area during the last decade of his life. He was a founding member of the Watertown Youth Coalition, a joint program between Harvard Vanguard Health Care and Watertown Public Schools to serve the complex health issues many underprivileged youths face in the area. He was the recipient of this organization’s Community Service Award in 2018.

Because of his distinguished career and passion for public service, Dick was awarded the prestigious “Common Good” award from his alma mater in 2014. To further recognize his many contributions— and much to his embarrassment— the mayor of Newton Massachusetts, proclaimed April 28th, 2019, “Richard Bail Day.”

In addition to public service and scholarship, Dick was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed hiking, biking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, camping, tennis, swimming, and long-distance running. His passion for the outdoors took him from the highest peaks in Europe and Africa to the American Rockies and Hawaii— and many other trails in between. He was particularly fond of exercising on crisp New England mornings with canine companions who were among the few living organisms that rivaled Dick’s endless energy, and his enthusiasm for nature.

What set Dick apart from others was his inextinguishable belief in the potential for good in all people— even Yankees fans. He looked for value in every single human interaction. His altruism inspired others, and he worked tirelessly to connect with people across geopolitical, racial, and religious divisions— inviting dozens of refugees and students who were in need of housing to live in his house because of his undying faith in humanity. He learned German, French, Russian, and Swahili during this life; tutored young men in prison; and participated in civil disobedience on numerous occasions to confront injustice and all forms of discrimination. Many of these activities were arranged with friends from the First Unitarian Society of Newton.

Dick is survived by his beloved wife, Arlynne (Lawless) Bail, eldest daughter, Lisa Bail, sons Jeffrey Bail and Christopher Bail, sister Caroline Bail, eight grandchildren whom he absolutely adored (Mei Lee, Connor Lee, Amaia Bail, Jasper Bail, Zarina Bail, Cormac Bail, Charlie Bail, and Teddy Bail), three nieces and nephews (Jonah Jonathan, Geneva Jonathan, and Orelia Jonathan), son-in-law Wai Lee, daughters-in-law Kari Bail and Maureen Murphy, and brother-in-law Darius Jonathan. He was predeceased by his brother Fred Bail, whom he loved dearly.

The memorial service will be held on June 15th, 2019 at 2pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Society in West Newton Massachusetts. The family requests that visitors make donations to support his non-profit organization (Communities Without Borders), in lieu of sending flowers. Donations can be made via the following website: https://www.communitieswithoutborders.org/

Written by Chris Bail

 

Filed Under: News

Voices of Hope – Benefit Concert for CWB

Posted: February 14, 2019

Voices of Hope
Benefit Concert for CWB

featuring
The Triple Helix Piano Trio:
Bayla Keyes, violin; Rhonda Rider, cello;
Lois Shapiro, piano
Michelle LaCourse, viola; Paul Glenn, bass
World Premiere by Francine Trester
Vocal quartet: Deborah Selig, Britt Brown,
Gregory Zavracky, Ryne Cherry
FUUSN Choir
Anne Watson Born, conductor

⋅

Franz Schubert, Piano Quintet in A Major, D.667 (“The Trout”)
Triple Helix Piano Trio
with special guests Michelle LaCourse, viola; Paul Glenn, double bass
Francine Trester, Sekelela (Rejoice) (2018) World Premiere
based on the words of Zambian students and teachers who have benefited from the work of CWB
Triple Helix Piano Trio
Vocal quartet: Deborah Selig, Britt Brown, Gregory Zavracky, Ryne Cherry
First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton Choir
Anne Watson Born, conductor
Robert Schumann, Piano Trio #2 in F Major, Op.80
Triple Helix Piano Trio

⋅

Ticket holders are invited to a pre-concert talk by the musicians at 3:15 pm.

Sunday, April 28, 4 pm
First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton
1326 Washington Street
Newton, MA

Tickets: Adults $30, Students $15

All proceeds benefit Communities Without Borders, which supports education for orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia.
We thank the musicians who are donating their time and considerable talents, and we thank the church for donating its space.

 

Zambian Crafts and Student Photo Project at Concert

While you are at the concert, you can shop for Zambian crafts and visit the Student Photo Project display to see fabulous photos by Zambian students who had never before touched a camera! Please support the photo project by making a donation to CWB and choosing a framed image to take home.


When the award-winning and internationally known Triple Helix Piano Trio musicians—violinist Bayla Keyes, cellist Rhonda Rider, and pianist Lois Shapiro—joined together in 1995, The Boston Globe described the results of their union as “the livest live music in town,” with “wildly imaginative, emotionally charged, virtuoso playing” that was “sophisticated in musical detail, wholeheartedly interactive, uninhibited in emotion, and touched by a special grace.” Subsequently, the ensemble has become known as one of the best piano trios on today’s musical landscape. Read more.


Michelle LaCourse has appeared as soloist and chamber musician on four continents, and has released two highly acclaimed CDs of works (all world premiere recordings) for viola and piano. She was formerly a member of the Lehigh Quartet, the Delphic String Trio, and the Aeolian Trio, and has performed at numerous festivals such as Aspen, Bowdoin, Skaneateles, Musicorda, the Heifetz Institute, Campos do Jordão (Brazil), and Positano (Italy) and in major musical centers around the world. She currently teaches viola and chairs the String Department at Boston University’s School of Music. Read more.


Paul Glenn concertizes on both double bass and cello. The former principal cellist of the Concord Orchestra, of the New England Philharmonic, and the former principal bassist of the Civic Symphony of Boston, Mr. Glenn currently plays with the Lexington Symphony and Wellesley Symphony.  He also performs frequently in solo and duo recitals, with Boston chamber groups, and in various amateur chamber music festivals.  A student of the eminent pedagogue George Neikrug, Paul earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in physics at Harvard.  Read more.


Francine Trester is Professor of Composition at Berklee College of Music. She has had commissions from the Mirror Visions Ensemble, Shelter Music Boston, Kenneth Radnofsky, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Nahant Music Festival, the Scottish Clarinet Quartet, and the Rivers School Conservatory. She has been the recipient of a Tanglewood Fellowship and grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Fromm Foundation. Trester holds doctoral and undergraduate degrees from Yale University and has been the recipient of a Fulbright in Composition. Read more.


Soprano Deborah Selig’s voice has been described as “radiant,” “beautifully rich,” “capable of any emotional nuance,” and “impressively nimble.” She performs repertoire spanning music from the baroque to contemporary in opera, oratorio and art song. She has degrees from University of Michigan and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and she serves on the voice faculties of Wellesley College, Brown University, and the summer Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Read more.


Boston-based mezzo-soprano Britt Brown has performed with Boston Midsummer Opera, Boston Opera Collaborative, MetroWest Opera, the Boston Lyric Opera, Odyssey Opera, Guerilla Opera and the Boston Pops. She premiered several pieces with Juventas New Music Ensemble. Britt is a graduate of Stetson University and the Boston Conservatory and continues to teach and perform locally as a sought-after new and sacred music singer. Read more.


Praised for his fine musicality, “glowing intensity,” and “clarion tone,” Gregory Zavracky maintains an active performance schedule on concert and opera stages, including Boston Lyric Opera, American Repertory Theater, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Saratoga, Opera in the Heights, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Utah Symphony. His compositions include several song cycles, three operas, and a number of choral and chamber works. He has a DMA in voice performance from Boston University, and teaches at the University of Connecticut, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and Brown University. Read more.


Baritone Ryne Cherry is an opera, oratorio, and ensemble singer based in Boston. He has premiered numerous new works. In the summer of 2017, Ryne enjoyed his second season as a vocal fellow at Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home. “Baritone Ryne Cherry has a voice of real beauty and his velvety tone was well-suited for Pietro’s legato passages.” (Examiner.com) Read more.


Anne Watson Born is the Music Director of the Nashoba Valley Chorale. She is also the Director of Music Ministry at the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton. She is the Board chair of the Music Leadership Certification Committee for the Unitarian Universalist Association. She has been a faculty member at Roxbury Community College and at Bristol Community College. Ms. Watson Born holds a M.M. degree from New England Conservatory. Read more.


 

 

 


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Filed Under: News

Chisala’s Dream

Posted: December 14, 2017

Chisala (wearing yellow) with her family

Chisala has been in Communities Without Borders Programs since preschool. Many CWB travelers have met her throughout those years. Toni Tasker, who went on the 2017 trip, was moved to write about meeting Chisala.

I was especially touched by a discussion Dick Bail and we had with one of the children supported by CWB, Chisala. I see her as a perfect example of the importance of the mission of CWB in Zambia in supporting the education of those who cannot afford it.

Chisala is smart, hard-working, self-confident, realistic, polite, funny, proud of her heritage, loyal to her family, and profoundly poor: a description that would cover most of the students we met in Zambia. An excellent student in school, Chisala wants to be a doctor. She knows it will take considerable hard work and luck to proceed through the education she will need to be a physician. At 17, she is somewhat cynical and worldly in her view of her chances, but she has to fight daily to rise above her life in the compound, and has earned the right to that scrappiness.

Dick asked her to show us her home in the Garden compound, which she did readily, and introduced us to her family: a grandmother, mother, and several siblings who had come to Lusaka a few years ago to find better work for her father, who has since died. She is proud of the larger home they now occupy, a cinder block structure about 500 square feet in size. The family is cooking and doing the wash outdoors when we meet them, and Chisala becomes the local celebrity as we take pictures of her and her family in this tightly-packed community.

Her grandmother talks to us in Bemba, their tribe’s language, which Chisala translates into excellent English. Her grandmother clearly is the family leader, responsible for teaching her family their cultural history and stories. Chisala tells us that her grandmother is the one who has taught her about ubuntu, the African philosophy of sharing, caring and willingly accepting responsibility to and for each other. This drives her desire to be a doctor. Chisala demonstrates it in the warmth and care she shows her aging grandmother and infant brother. She is a very lovely young woman.

I saw Chisala later in a Days for Girls class my friend, Meg, and I taught at the school. Days for Girls classes are concerned with education on women’s health, and bring brilliantly-designed reusable sanitary supplies to the girls to use each month. Many miss a week of school every month as disposable supplies are not affordable, making progress in school even harder. Chisala was engaged in the class: listening, answering questions and laughing at our jokes. She has a beautiful smile.

But without contacts at the university to help open doors, or the means to finance post-graduate education, Chisala’s chances to realize her dream are limited. Next year in the graduation ceremonies CWB leads at the schools it supports I hope that Chisala will tell Dick that she has succeeded, that she has found a way to the university. The world needs more young women like Chisala to be successful.

— Toni Tasker, 2017 CWB Traveler

Toni says: I’m a member of First Parish in Lexington, a retired physical therapist and educator. It was a gift to have met so many wonderful Zambians who are dedicated to improving the health and education of their country’s children—despite the hardships and struggles in doing so. And the kids just melted your heart!

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Filed Under: News

Gates Foundation Match on #GivingTuesday

Posted: November 27, 2017

Donate Tuesday (only!) for Matching Funds from the Gates Foundation

On #GivingTuesday, November 28, 2017, starting at 8 AM EST:
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match up to $2 million in donations that are made on Facebook to eligible nonprofits.
Facebook will waive all fees on donations.

To make your donation, eligible for a match:
* Donate early! Set a reminder for Tuesday morning (Nov. 28) at 8 AM EST.
* Login to Facebook, and go to the Communities Without Borders Facebook page.
* Press the Donate button at the top of the CWB page.
* Select amount, and pay using a credit card or PayPal account.

Thank you for helping CWB get these extra funds for our students in Zambia!

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: News

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News

Our Condolences on the Death of Kenneth Kaunda

To our friends in Zambia, We at Communities Without Borders were greatly saddened to hear of the death of Kenneth Kaunda. As you begin a period of mourning for him in Zambia, we also remember that this man was instrumental in Zambia’s independence and its identity as an important country. He was a force for equal rights and democracy in Africa. In 2002, our […]

The Dick Bail Fund

Communities Without Borders has a firm commitment to provide education to the most disadvantaged children in Zambia by supporting community schools and providing scholarships for hundreds of secondary school students. With your continued help, we have an opportunity to significantly benefit over 300 more children in the spirit of our founder Richard Bail, who passed […]

News from Sekelela

To reduce crowding during the June-through-August term, schools in Zambia were open only for students in grades 7, 9, and 12, who were preparing for exams. They will start writing their exams next week. CWB recently repaired and added desks at the Sekelela Community School, making it possible for students to maintain a safe distance. […]

Soft Lockdown in Zambia

ZOCS (Zambia Open Community Schools), our partner in assisting the Sekelela School, notified us that Zambia was closing all schools and colleges and ending public gatherings as of March 20. We asked our contacts at the school to give us some news about their situation. The head teacher at Sekelela School, Always Kaumbi, told us […]

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