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November 06, 2005
The Saint of Staten Island: Coping with her own loss, Elissa Montanti found a cause worth her passion: helping war-wounded kids
Since 1996 Montanti, 49, has helped 45 children, most of whom have lost limbs in war zones, by personally arranging visas and shepherding them to the U.S., where she hosts them in a three-bedroom Staten Island facility provided by New York City's Catholic archdiocese. With help from one part-time volunteer, she arranges for free surgery, treatment and prostheses (paid for by the Shriners). Montanti's nonprofit group, Global Medical Relief Fund (GMRF), subsists on donations from the Richmond County Savings Foundation and others who know her work. Her reputation for saving kids eclipses a shoestring annual budget of $150,000. "Elissa has helped every child I've asked her to help," says Maj. Glenn Rubalcava of the U.S. Military's Humanitarian Operations Center, which deals with Iraq's civilian casualties. "She always has a game plan."
Posted by Michelle at November 6, 2005 04:18 PM