Joan Blanco
Blanco's passion for cultural diversity and students carried over into her personal life when she married Jorge Blanco - a native of Colombia, South America - and former Bergen student. The Blancos were married for 25 years; their union would come to a tragic end in 1998 when Jorge died suddenly of a heart attack.
Though brokenhearted, Blanco felt compelled to further engage her passion for international cultures and working with young people as a way to honor her husband's memory. She channeled her strength and filled the void left by her husband's untimely passing by traveling to Third World nations to serve a medical assistant. Blanco logged many hours helping physicians perform various procedures and providing children with a friendly face. The daughter and sister of physicians, Blanco continued in what had become somewhat of a family tradition - helping the ill. Along the way, she also became a local celebrity of sorts after a highly-circulated area newspaper detailed her exploits in a three-page feature story.
In the following years, Blanco continued her outreach efforts. "I've lived my entire life with passion and purpose," she said. "It's helped me to know that you can go forward in life - you can change a negative into a positive." But Blanco wanted to do more.
In the local humanitarian's latest endeavor, Blanco partnered with her friend Colleen Hekemian, of Saddle River, to begin the Bergen County Chapter of International Surgical Mission Support (ISMS), a 501c3 non-profit charity organization that brings medical teams and assistance to children around the world. Since its first mission in 1997, ISMS teams have visited eight countries in Asia and South America. Blanco's Bergen County chapter will travel to Morocco, where she claims residence part of the year and has served as an elementary school teacher.
Blanco initially became interested in becoming a part of ISMS after meeting with a Southampton, N.Y. physician, Dr. Medhat Allam, and outlining the trials of a 14-year-old boy with hemophilia that she helped treat in Morocco. (Blanco came to know Dr. Allam from spending time at a house she owns in Southampton). Recognizing her humanitarian efforts, Dr. Allam suggested Blanco charter a chapter of ISMS. Along with Hekemian, the group worked to create a framework for the organization and eventually finalized the details.
Now, the Bergen County chapter is preparing for its first endeavor: Sending a team of local physicians, medical personnel and Blanco to a hospital in Marrakech, Morocco. When the team arrives in May, Blanco expects to provide medical support to several hundred rural children. Blanco said continued support from local donors will make future missions possible.
"I want people to see no matter where in the world, you need to help children," she said. "Our chapter of ISMS is not just another charity for the benefit of foreign people. We as fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers have our own children and we know how important they are to our lives - think of how important these children are to their families that are unable to help them because they are poor and live in countries with limited resources. That's why this is important - we are helping children."
Blanco believes her experience as an international counselor at Bergen enriched her life and planted the seed for her humanitarian outreach efforts. "Bergen opened up new world for me," she said. "The College took me places that I have never dreamed, enabled me to meet wonderful people and allowed me to develop strengths that I did not know I possessed." Those interested in sending a tax-deductible financial contribution to help Blanco's cause can do so by sending a check to:
International Surgical Mission Support, Bergen County Chapter
Attn: Joan Blanco
5401 Rio Vista Drive
Mahwah, N.J., 07430
About Bergen Community College
Bergen Community College is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling more than 15,000 students in Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degree programs, and certificate programs. More than 10,000 students are enrolled in non-credit, professional courses through the Division of Continuing Education, the Institute for Learning in Retirement, and the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center, located at 355 Main Street, Hackensack. Information about the College is available at http://www.bergen.edu or by phoning the Welcome Center at 201-447-7200.
Photo Caption: Joan Blanco, center, shares a moment with three children from a village where she has provided aid.
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