PLC does so much more than just heart surgeries; they truly care for the Iraqi people and work to show them that they matter. I was astounded to see how much is invested in the lives of the children and their families and how big of a difference it really makes.

HELP PLC IN THEIR ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF IDREES BY GIVING TO HIS SURGERY IN HONOR OF A FRIEND BELOW:

	Idrees is slated for surgery in January 2010. PLC will be collecting money for his life-saving surgery throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. What a chance to make a profound difference in the life of a child and his family!
	GIVING IN HONOR OF ANOTHER In honor of a friend or family member, donate the amount of your choice to fund a January surgery for Idrees by entering it in the field below. PLC will send you a Christmas card about Idrees along with a Preemptive Love Coalition “Hope for the Holidays” magnet as a physical expression of your gift on behalf of another. Donation:

Cayla Willingham came to Iraq in October 2009 as a supporter and friend of the Preemptive Love Coalition because she wanted to see first hand what the work was all about. When not vacationing in lovely countries like Iraq, Cayla and her husband, Matt, live in Thailand where they live under the patronage of the Royal Princess.... and yes, it really is as cool as it sounds!

5 Months Post-Surgery & Shwana’s Gained Weight & Started School

October 14, 2009 by matt · Leave a Comment 

Schwana is the success story most parents and PLC staff members dream of. Only 5 months after receiving a crucial heart surgery, his parents proudly told us that he’d started school, gained weight and that we should have a feast! So we did!

Check out this spread:

Matt Willingham came to Iraq in October 2009 as a supporter and friend of the Preemptive Love Coalition because he wanted to see first hand what the work was all about. When not vacationing in lovely countries like Iraq, Matt and his wife, Cayla, live in Thailand where they live under the patronage of the Royal Princess.... and yes, it really is as cool as it sounds!

An Interactive Graphic Overview of What We’ve Been Up to for the Last Few Years

August 23, 2009 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

Drag and drop and click and scroll and comment and push and play your way through some of our [online] activity from the last year.

Special Features of Note:

Be sure to Click on Map>Play Events for a Worldwide Conversation of Sorts Between Our Offices Around the World

View fullscreen below for more room to play around!

Jeremy Courtney lives and loves in Iraq as a co-founder and Executive Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. He's also the father of two spectacular children, and married to the lovely Jessica Courtney. When not absorbed in PLC work he can be found writing songs and singing about hope and future.

Banquet & Carnival in Iraq Celebrates Hope & A Future for Twenty of Our PLC Alumni Kids

August 20, 2009 by Jeremy · 1 Comment 

Eight year old Ahmad was on the brink of death when we met him. Now he’s rambunctious and carries his little sister all around the place!



Turkey Director, Scott Bertrand, with Hospitality Coordinator, Abby Bertrand, and Rezhin’s family.



Physical Therapist and Family Advocate, Ruth Simpson, at the banquet.



Executive Director, Jeremy Courtney, with Roman and his father amidst the fun and games.



PLC 2009 Summer Intern, Joshua Gigliotti, and Mohammed

Dear Preemptive Lovers,

In the midst of our most recent series of life-saving surgeries being conducted in Istanbul, Turkey for Iraqi kids we wanted to pause on the drama and reflect for a moment on what you’ve helped us do in the past year together. To date you’ve helped us give 44 children the surgeries they so seriously needed and we’ve raised/given away over $250,000.

In celebration of this we hosted our second annual PLC Alumni Kids Banquet on July 17, 2009 in Iraq for all of the children we’ve served between August 2008 and June 2009. We had over twenty families in attendance, a small team of volunteers from a church in Texas that helped fund the banquet, and 8 summer interns from all over the U.S. We also had special guests from the local community, including renowned artists, political players, and medical professionals.

But the stars were, of course, the children themselves. What a joy it was to see little boys with brand new soccer balls - a gift that would have previously been something of a cruel joke for most of these boys. The girls came decked out in the party attire and the children were showered with thousands of dollars in gifts from supporters in the States.

It’s been a great year (we just missed announcing our second organizational birthday amidst the flurry of activity) and it’s hard to believe that we’re able to live out this dream. And we wouldn’t be able to without you… So here’s to you and the kids you’ve helped. It’s a joy to be a facilitator of your love and kindness in the world.

For Hope & Future,

Jeremy Courtney
Executive Director

Jeremy Courtney lives and loves in Iraq as a co-founder and Executive Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. He's also the father of two spectacular children, and married to the lovely Jessica Courtney. When not absorbed in PLC work he can be found writing songs and singing about hope and future.

Shwana Better Than Ever At Home in His Village Once Destroyed By Saddam Hussein

July 9, 2009 by Ruth · Leave a Comment 

Qaladzya is a village in northern Iraq that was completely destroyed by Saddam Hussein in the late 1980’s as part of his Anfal Campaigns against the Kurdish population. This and the destruction of 4,000 other similar villages prompted a mass exodus of Kurdish families to the Turkish and Iranian borders at the close of the decade.

Shwana’s parents are survivors of Saddam’s terrible attacks. Today they live in a small two room house where they raise Shwana and his three brothers and sisters. Shwana’s father is a science teacher.

In spite of their meager monthly earnings, when PLC executive director, Jeremy Courtney, and Family Advocate, Ruth Simpson, visited Shwana’s family along with two of PLC’s summer interns on Tuesday we were treated to a feast of rice, beans, chicken, beef, stuff tomatoes, onions and peppers, and banana pudding. Plus loads of tea! Shwana received his heart surgery in May and has been recovering quite well every since.

It was a celebration to behold as we enjoyed the gift of life that so many of you around the world have worked to give nine year old Shwana. The food was great, but it was the smiles and the obvious gratitude that give us such continued joy in serving the people of Iraq as we seek to undo the effects of Saddam’s reign.

Ruth Simpson is a Family Advocate for the Preemptive Love Coalition in Iraq and a certified physio-therapist. Ruth also hails from Ireland, though she's slowly losing her amazing accent amongst all the Americans. When not sharing her life with PLC's kids in Iraq, she's most often serving some other constituent group with her rehabilitative skills and compassion.

Heran & Shwan In Airport Headed Home After Life-Saving Surgery

June 2, 2009 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

Things happened so fast we never even introduced you to Shwan… but 10 year old Shwan also had life-saving heart surgery this week. Heran finished strong and left the hospital in a little flower hat… Thanks for all you’ve done!

Jeremy Courtney lives and loves in Iraq as a co-founder and Executive Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. He's also the father of two spectacular children, and married to the lovely Jessica Courtney. When not absorbed in PLC work he can be found writing songs and singing about hope and future.