A deeply religious family committed to helping those less fortunate than themselves, the Kotys’ were struck by the extraordinary medical services Wasyl received during his battle with cancer and wanted to offer the same opportunity to others. Daughter, Milena, remembers when it became clear how the family could accomplish this goal: “When my father was bedridden, his backside wounds reminded me of those I’d seen on homeless people to whom I provided medical care in the Howrah train station in Kolkata. While there, I cleaned and dressed wounds and helped bring the critically ill to Nirmal Hriday (Home of the Pure Heart), Mother Teresa’s home for the dying destitute. In thanks for the quality medical care my father received and to honor him and his life, we decided to help the poor of Kolkata receive the best quality medical care possible.”

Through Milena’s work in India, she befriended Noah Levinson, director of Calcutta Kids and became an avid supporter of Calcutta Kids’ mission of providing quality medical assistance to pregnant women and children in the slum areas of Kolkata. In February 2008, Milena again visited Kolkata for the official launch of the The Wasyl Kotys Memorial Fund.

The Wasyl Kotys Memorial Fund is an endowment, assets from which will be used to permanently fund the Calcutta Kids weekly health camp. The weekly health camp is an integral part of Calcutta Kids’ Maternal and Young Child Health Initiative which ensures a safe pregnancy for women and exhaustive health services for children ages 0-36 months. Part of this initiative is ensuring access to quality healthcare for the beneficiaries of Calcutta Kids.

In 2007, Calcutta Kids facilitated 52 health camps in the slum of Fakir Bagan in which the doctor saw an average of 40 patients per camp consisting of both pregnant women and children under the age of three. The average cost of operating these health camps (depending on which medicines are dispensed) is US $80 per week. Due to the Kotys’ desire to permanently fund this program, The Wasyl Kotys Memorial Fund must raise an initial principal of US $50,000.

This principal will be conservatively invested in India where it is projected to yield enough returns to fully finance the Calcutta Kids’ health camps.