Letter from Jack Tieder

Dear Friends,

Welcome to our new website: www.MercyCentreUSA.org. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed developing it. From now on, our old site - www.hdcf.org - will redirect you here.

First and foremost, thank you for your support of the Mercy Centre over the years. Father Joe, the staff of Mercy Centre in Bangkok, and the, by now, thousands of abandoned, trafficked and street children and HIV/AIDS patients who have benefited from your generosity are most appreciative.

Charlene McNabb, our long term Secretary, has resigned from our Board. Many of you know the Mercy Centre primarily through Charlene and we will miss her. At its February 21, 2012 meeting, the Board of Directors passed a unanimous Resolution of Appreciation; certainly an inadequate recompense for all her work, but deeply felt.

On the very good news front, we are pleased to welcome three new members to our Board, Dr. Terry Fletcher of Bristol, Tennessee, Michael Simms of Los Angeles, California, and my wife, Rufus Tieder. Both Terry and Mike have been very generous with their resources and time over many years. Terry visits Bangkok often where he contributes his medical knowledge. Mike, a retired firefighter, and his wife are also frequent visitors to Bangkok. Mike started a woodworking training program which, among other benefits, provides some of the older children with a viable trade after they leave the Mercy Centre. Rufus has been an active participant since I started working with the Mercy Centre. She will work with True on day-to-day matters. She has also been very creative in the fundraising department. Profiles of all three will soon be available on this website.

The administrative office of Mercy Centre USA has moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to Annapolis, Maryland, where Vice-President and Board Member Patricia (True) Rowan will now handle the day-to-day business of our foundation. True has retired after a 21-year career as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and can now devote her considerable talents to Mercy Centre USA. This is another blessing for which we are truly grateful. Also, I as President and Chairman of the Board, Rufus, and our very active Board Member, Matt Daley, live close to True. This will allow us to work closely together.

We have now officially changed our name from Human Development and Children Foundation to Mercy Centre USA. This will have no effect on our 501(c)(3) status and your contributions will remain fully deductible for U.S. income tax purposes. The reason for this change is to identify us more closely with the mission of Mercy Centre in Bangkok and our sister charity in the United Kingdom, Mercy Centre - U.K. In modern corporate parlance, we our “branding” our name. For those Federal Government employees who wish to contribute through the Combined Federal Campaign, our number is 19248.

Effective immediately, our contact information is:

Mercy Centre USA
P.O. Box 1604
Annapolis, MD 21404-1604
Telephone number 443-837-7303

Please be assured that none of these changes will affect our policy of forwarding virtually all of your contributions to Mercy Centre, Bangkok, officially known as the Human Development Foundation. We have no paid employees and no rent; all of this is provided by volunteers. Only an annual audit required by the Combined Federal Campaign and miscellaneous accounting and fundraising expenses are paid for from donations. Indeed, you can help reduce even further our expenses by providing us with your email address on the space provided on this website. This will allow us to keep you informed of news and activities at the Mercy Centre without incurring stationary and mailing costs. We promise not to overuse your “in-box.”

We are pleased to report that, thanks in large part to your generosity, Mercy Centre has recovered from the Bangkok floods and life is getting back to “normal.” “Normal,” of course, for the Mercy Centre is the daily challenge of providing for an ever-increasing number of street children and HIV/AIDS patients. No child has ever been turned away and each day brings a new story and a new chance for healing and growth.

We also have a favor to ask. As our needs always seem to out strip our resources, if any of you are planning a fundraiser or have suggestions for fundraising events or know the names of foundations that support organizations such as Mercy Centre, we would be very pleased to hear from you.

Please contact me, Jack Tieder, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 703-749-1059 or True Rowan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 443-837-7303, if you have any questions.

Thank you for your continued support.

Jack Tieder
President

P.S. Please don’t forget to provide us with your email address. It reduces our costs and keeps you informed.