Autobiography - The Galindo Group

Ram Galindo THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN Page 216
HOME (Chapter 4), my daughter Lis was a key factor in helping him accomplish his
goal. Despite my initial misgivings, Ricky delivered on all the expectations we had for
him and he now makes me a proud father-in-law. He is more living proof that in
America, even today, those who want to can still lift themselves to unprecedented
heights.
While speaking of self-help, I feel compelled to share the story of Raul Veliz. During one
of my trips to Cochabamba to see my parents in the early 1990s, my sister Toqui
introduced me to a nun from the Midwest, Sister Frances Kerjes, who worked there as a
missionary for the blind. She was affiliated with the U.S. Maryknoll Catholic Mission
Society. I saw an opportunity to restore some dignity to these handicapped people by
directly supporting her efforts to help them. Through her I met Raul Veliz, a Catholic
priest who was blind himself. At age 19 Raul had a basketball accident as a
consequence of which he totally and permanently lost his eyesight. Instead of falling
into despair and misery, he studied to be a priest motivated by his desire to help other
similarly affected people. When I met him he was running an institute for the
advancement of blind people that he had founded.
Inspired by his courage and leadership and confident of the nun’s help with fiscal
management, I sent him funds to seed some of his many projects. My wife Susan and I
also convinced other compassionate people, including my generous friend Phil Adams,
to complement our donations. Over the years we funded electronic musical equipment
for a band that had been organized by four blind teenagers. They played at parties and
made some money in the process. We helped enlarge their Braille library to teach
reading. We provided the investment to set up a bakery that employed a few partially
blind people and baked enough bread for several other charitable organizations, and
also for sale. This revenue helped Father Raul buy other supplies for his own institute.
No doubt Father Raul was a dynamic leader, and as such he attracted many admirers.
A young lady who worked at his office fell in love with him and wound up expecting his
child. At this news the Catholic bishop of the area defrocked and unceremoniously
removed him from his own institute, which had been chartered under the church’s
authority. Raul wrote me explaining that he wanted to continue serving the blind but that
he would not bring a new life to the world and then abandon it. He loved the mother and
the child very much and he saw no conflict between this love and his work. I agreed.
In response, Susan and I announced that we would continue helping him with his work.
Raul’s new business plan was to set up an artisan’s shop where vision-impaired people
could weave wicker baskets, make brushes, brooms and other similar products. At this
point, the Cochabamba Diocese secretary called me to suggest that I send him the
money instead. I point blank denied his request. However, I had already made
arrangements to remit the money through the Maryknoll Catholic Mission to Bolivia, who
assured me that the full remittance would be handed over to the former father Veliz and
that it could still be classified as a deductible charitable contribution under the IRS code.
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