Partners & Friends

Each year, Hands Across the Americas honors individuals who have made a financial contribution or personal commitment to improve the lives of people in the Americas who are less fortunate. We realize that the talent, time and energy given by our volunteers to help these communities are truly a gift from the heart. We also recognize that without those willing to offer financial support, our efforts would not yield the life-changing impact that we have been able to provide for so many people.

Occasionally an organization is blessed with special people who contribute more than we could have imagined. For us, those special people have been:

Aris Melissaratos,
Special Advisor to the President Johns Hopkins University

Nancy Grasmick, Superintendent of Schools,
Lou Grasmick, President of Grasmick Lumber

Capt. Lorenzo Di Casagrande, Vice President of Mediterranean Shipping Co.

Dr. Benjamin Carson

Our Goodwill Ambassador
We are fortunate to have Dr. Benjamin Carson, Director of the Craniofacial Center at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Professor of Neurosurgery, Oncology and Plastic Surgery and Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as our Goodwill Ambassador.

"One thing that becomes immediately apparent to almost everyone when they are very ill is that their health is the most important thing that they have. Hands Across the Americas recognizes this before people are on their death bed and tries to provide important medical intervention across the Americas to increase both longevity and quality of life for the myriad of underprivileged people. I am delighted that there is an organization such as this that is willing to actually do something, rather than just talk about it. I hope you will be inclined to join forces with this organization for the sake of humankind."
Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D.
Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurological Surgery,
Oncology, Plastic Surgery, and Pediatrics Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions