When I set out to create Ethos Health Group, a healthcare company that would change the way TBI and knee pain are treated across the country, I immediately knew that even that daunting of a mission just wasn’t enough. As much as it was unbelievably rewarding to watch lives change every day as patients regain the joy that’s been missing from their lives, I felt like I had an even bigger responsibility to effect change. I just couldn’t put my finger on exactly what that would look like.
I received the clarity I was looking for after my family served as hosts to a group of young girls who had travelled from Uganda for a choir tour across the United States. Three children and a chaperone spent several days with my family sharing meals with us, playing with my three children, and somehow overcoming a huge language barrier. I remember thinking what a huge step it must be for these girls, who had never left their hometowns before, to fly halfway across the world and experience things they’d never even dreamed of before.
When their choir performance came around on Sunday night, I was there to watch with my wife and kids. In between the songs, they would play videos showcasing a “day in the life” of several of the children in the group. I watched footage of these girls we’d gotten to know walking several miles to school from the rudimentary huts they lived in. They weren’t burdened by this, but rather thrilled to have access to an education, clean water, food, and clothing.
I learned that for a sponsorship of $30 a month, these children would have their basic needs met. They would also have an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty that has plagued many parts of the world. At that point it hit me like a ton of bricks: THIS was the bigger purpose that I’d been searching for. These were not anonymous children halfway around the world that I saw on television, but real people with very real needs that I was more then capable of meeting.
For this reason, a portion of our proceeds is donated to fund the missions of groups like the Esangala Children’s Choir from Uganda.
It was with this mission in mind that Ethos Health Group was founded. Ethos refers to the underlying culture of a people group or organization, and our “ethos” is communicated in our mission statement of “changing lives locally and saving lives globally.” It is a privilege to help patients suffering with knee pain and TBI get back to walking around the block, dancing with their spouses, and getting out of bed in the morning without pain. But an even bigger joy is to be able to help patients achieve this while at the same time helping feed, clothe, and educate children across the world.
Regards,
Dr. Jonathan Walker
CEO, Ethos Health Group