Memorial Fundraising Concert Will Honor Dr.MacGuffie

S.H.A.R.E. will hold a Memorial Fundraising Concert on Saturday, September 10, to honor the life of its founder, Dr. Martha “Bobby” MacGuffie, whose death in early March was a huge loss to the organization and to the Rockland community as a whole. The concert will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will take place at 23 Dogwood Lane in Pomona.

created SHARE in 1987 after losing her two young sons to AIDS. The non-profit organization, which stands for “Society for Hospital and Resources Exchange,” is made up of doctors, nurses, business people, and others who volunteer to help those affected by the AIDS epidemic in Kenya, Africa. Throughout her life as a reconstructive and plastic surgeon, Dr.MacGuffie traveled to Kenya frequently in order to make a difference in the lives of children and families there.

“When I was in Kenya, driving through the villages, I can say that almost everything good in the area has something to do with Dr.MacGuffie,” says Jerry Warshaw, a member of SHARE's board. 

Dr.MacGuffie is an irreplaceable part of the SHARE community. Those who are currently involved in the program will not forget the headway she made and are working hard to continue her mission.

“Dr. MacGuffie was such a unique person who achieved so much in her life through so many devastating situations,” says Lynn Cluess Manzione, SHARE’s newest board member. “The person that she was needs to be remembered. We can’t let her memory die.”

The funds raised from the concert will go to purchasing a school bus for the AIDS orphans in Kenya. According to Manzione, the bus will make it safer for the children to get to school and will also provide transportation for the SHARE board when they are in Kenya on missions.

“Villages are scattered and hard to get through there”, says Warshaw. “With this bus, we can monitor all of the orphans in the community and take them back and forth to the boarding school.”

The musical tribute will feature violin performances by Conductor Ed Simon, who started the Rockland Symphony close to 60 years ago.  There will also be pianists and African drum music played by individual musicians.

In addition to the music, a silent auction will be held and a film honoring Dr.MacGuffie will be shown. Mikhail Baryshnikov, who has donated $5,000 towards SHARE’s efforts to continue Dr.MacGuffie’s work, is the honorary chairperson for the concert.

“Bobby is a role model and she wanted to make sure that SHARE was left in good hands,” says Usha Wright, who has taken on the role as president of SHARE and worked with Dr.MacGuffie for 10 years. “She has touched not hundreds, but thousands of lives. We have to continue her legacy.”

Watch this video for a visual story of how Dr.MacGuffie changed the lives of so many for the better.

Tickets are $75. To purchase, visit www.shareafrica.org or mail a check to:

S.H.A.R.E.
P.O. Box 71
Washingtonville, NY 10992