Welcome

Dr. Whitelaw received his medical degree from Boston University in 1971. He then trained in orthopedic surgery at B.U. Medical Center and Oxford England. Dr. Whitelaw joined the faculty of the Orthopedic Department at B.U. from 1978 thru 1995 where he became Chief of Orthopedics at Boston City Hospital. During this time he was involved in volunteering his time in Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Ukraine, and most recently in Costa Rica. Over the past several years Dr. Whitelaw has run the Costa Rican branch of Orthopedic Overseas, which is an organization in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons that helps to facilitate MDs to volunteer their time in under served areas throughout the world.

Mr. Strapp attended the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he majored in Business Administration. Mr. Strapp is a Vietnam era veteran who held a number of non-commissioned command positions during his six years with the U.S. military. For the past 28 years, Mr. Strapp has worked with Saucony Footwear. He was president of the Spot-bilt Footwear Division until the company was sold. Mr. Strapp recently started Pentagon Sports, a sporting goods wholesaler specializing in equipment, apparel and accessories for sports officials. He also serves as president of C&S Associates Consulting.

He currently works as Senior Vice President of Investments at Wells Fargo Advisors. Stephen graduated from Boston University in 1979 with a BS in Finance and Marketing. Stephen was formerly on the board of directors at Notre Dame Academy heading up the development committee that oversaw the capital campaign that funded the new science wing. Stephen brings his experience and passion to Children’s Well-Being in assisting with fundraising, marketing and donation outreach missions. In Steve’s spare time he is a great enthusiast of outdoor sports. He recently held the position of Head Varsity Coach for the Alpine Ski Team at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Ma. He previously served on the board of the Hingham Sports Partnership. Steve and his family reside in Hingham, Massachusetts.

Dr. René Contreras Mora; Graduated with Honors in Psychology from the University of Costa Rica; Guanacaste Regional Headquarters in 2003.

From 2003 to the present he has worked as a freelance psychologist, being a Forensic Expert in the Department of Social Work and Psychology of the Judiciary in the Liberian Courts of Justice. 

His university teaching performance includes being Coordinator of  Psychology and Teaching at the Universidad Latina Regional Headquarters in Santa Cruz, Professor of Psychology at the University of Costa Rica Guanacaste Regional Office, Latin University of Costa Rica, and UACA, Santa Cruz Office, Guanacaste.

In 2001 he participated as a volunteer in the Psychological Intervention carried out on the affected population in El Salvador after the earthquakes of January and February. He also collaborated in the development of the Training Workshops on Disaster Situations in El Salvador.

In the year 2000, he participated with the National Emergency Commission in the Post-Natural Disaster Psychological Intervention in the Bajo Caliente, Ojo de Agua, San Martín and Palmital Communities in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

D.A. has held Board and committee positions with many non-profit organizations such as Eugene Kinasewich Fund, Portsmouth NH; Urban Edge Housing Corporation, Roxbury MA; Shirley Eustis House, Roxbury MA; Jamaica Plain Symphony Orchestra; Volunteers of America of Massachusetts; Bos-Line Council for Children, Boston MA; and, most recently was President of Historic Winslow House, Marshfield MA. D.A. has worked in the political campaigns of many well-known Massachusetts leaders and has covered local, state, national and international politics. He been an Editor, Reporter and Columnist for many newspapers such as the Patriot Ledger, the Providence Journal, The Duxbury Clipper, Points South Magazine, Marshfield Mariner, Ukraine Business Online and others. D.A. has written widely about architecture, economics, education, sports and transportation. Over the last 20 years D.A. published some 150 articles about Ukraine and other former Soviet-bloc countries. D.A. graduated from Harvard College.

Dr. Hendren's innovative developments revolutionized the practice of pediatric surgery. In 1969 he became the first surgeon in Boston to successfully separate conjoined, or Siamese, twins. Dr. Hendren is the Distinguished Robert E. Gross Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, in Boston, Mass.; emeritus chief of surgery at Children’s Hospital Boston; and an honorary surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Dr. Hendren has mentored many surgeons in pediatric surgery and pediatric urology from both MGH and Children’s Hospital, most of who are serving in academic positions today. He has performed surgery in more than 36 cities in 26 countries, including Syria, Pakistan, China, Russia and other remote locations on 6 of the 7 continents. He has found it very educational to do this and urges colleagues to do this form of “giving back.”