Editor, Gazette-Journal:

As a "come here," I am proud that we chose to live in an area where people care for one another. Where restaurants open their doors on holidays to feed those less fortunate. Where organizations put on spaghetti suppers to help a family pay their unexpected bills. Or where neighbors help neighbors when Mother Nature unleashes her wrath.

It is within this context that I would like to share why I financially support the Gloucester-Mathews Free Clinic and why it is, in my opinion, a good investment for our community.

The clinic began in 1998 and has grown from serving several hundred patients to being the primary caretaker for over 2,000 patients. The statistics concerning the clinic are awesome. In 2011, over 250 volunteers, many of them being doctors, nurses and pharmacists, gave 11,088 hours of their time to the clinic. Our on-site pharmacy filled 27,492 prescriptions last year and millions of dollars of medical service was provided.

However, the clinic is about more than statistics—it is about individuals whose lives are saved, whose pain is reduced, and whose chronic illness is brought under control. It is about individuals who live with us in our community.

There is so much about the clinic that I wished I could share with you, so many patient stories that would touch your heart, information about dedicated volunteers that would make you proud, statistics concerning the value of services provided and the fact that we are able to leverage every dollar donated into more than $7 worth of services. Although I cannot do justice to the clinic in this letter, I would like to offer the services of our staff and board to speak to any organization or group who is interested. Simply call 804-210-1368 to schedule a speaker. Or call us to arrange a tour of the clinic and learn more.

Ann Quinn

Vice president

G-M Free Clinic Board of Directors