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Ray Schmidt, Operations Director and Vice-President
Ray is a graduate of Eugene Bible College, where he graduated Suma Cum Laude in 1986. After spending two years in Germany as a German club basketball player and coach, he returned to the U.S. and worked for Professional Media Networks in Eugene, Oregon, as a radio show engineer, writer and producer. He then worked as a Desktop Publisher and Marketing Coordinator for United Horticultural Supply in Salem, Oregon, before becoming the Youth Pastor for Keizer Faith Center in Keizer, Oregon.
Ray joined Assist International in 1997 as the Operations Administrator. His duties include project logistics including equipment and supply procurement, equipment refurbishing and preparation, shipping, volunteer teams, project budgeting, and project oversight in the field. He is also responsible for maintaining USAID and other government related aid program relationships.
Q & A with RAY SCHMIDT:
What's Your Most Memorable Moment with Assist?
"One of my most memorable moments happened in Zanzibar where a mother who had just given birth was dying and 5-6 nurses and a doctor were standing by her bedside unable to do anything to help. Our nurse trainer, Betty Earle, and I were standing and watching this scene unfold. Betty told the doctor that the mother's life could be saved. He hesitated but then instructed the hospital's nurses to do what Betty said. She jumped in to help, connected the patient to the monitor and then began directing the staff. After a few minutes the patient was stabilized and her life was saved."
You have 30 seconds to tell someone about Assist International:
"Assist International strives to impact the poor and needy in developing countries by providing homes and assistance to orphaned and abandoned children and improving healthcare for those most in need."
What AI 'Issue' is Most Profound to You & Why?
"I enjoy bringing life-saving medical equipment to hospitals and clinics that have watched patients die because of a lack of equipment, particularly when that equipment is for infants. I have seen the lives of mothers and babies saved because of the equipment we were able to install and the training we were able to provide. Saving lives never gets old."
Is there a country or region you have a particular affinity for?
"Picking a favorite country is tough because every nation, every culture, has so much to offer. But if I had to choose, it would be Vietnam. Every time I go I am blessed by the warmth and the kindness of the people."
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Ray manages a wide range of tasks, including coordinating shipping and receiving, government relationships, budgeting, and more.
Hobbies: "I love to be with my wife and kids, whether it's watching them play soccer, or tai kwan do, or ballet, or just hanging out. I enjoy fly fishing a great deal and I keep saying that someday I'm going to pack my fishing gear and try fishing some of the rivers in the countries where we do projects, but there never seems to be enough time."
 Email Ray Schmidt
 Read Ray's Blog
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