The anchor and welcome sign to Mercy Ships in Garden Valley is pictured May 18, 2016. Mercy Ships provides international health care through hospital ships. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

As former President George H.W. Bush is laid to rest in Texas, his Points of Light organization honors a family that has committed their lives to serving those in great need through their work with the Lindale-based nonprofit organization Mercy Ships. 

Mercy Ships volunteer Dr. Gary Parker, his wife, Susan, and their children, Carys and Wesley, of Seattle, received the Daily Point of Light Award, according to a news release Thursday from the organization. 

“We are proud to award the Parker family for their lifelong commitment to service with the Daily Point of Light Award,” said Natalye Paquin, Points of Light president and CEO. “They are symbolic of the great humanitarian spirit that shows up in times of need, which we hope will inspire others to give their time, talent and resources to build community.”

Dr. Gary Parker is the chief medical officer of the Africa Mercy, the world’s largest charity hospital ship. In its 40-year history, Mercy Ships has provided more than $1.53 billion in services, directly impacting more than 2.71 million people.

In 1986, after five years working as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Parker wanted to make a difference in the world. He volunteered with Mercy Ships for what he thought would be three months — but since then he has never left the organization. He met his wife on board, and they married and raised their two children while continuing to volunteer full time on the ship. Susan Parker has served in several key roles, including training director and the Africa Mercy’s senior chaplain. 

Gary and Susan Parker have served on board for more than 30 years, a true embodiment of the dedication to service that the Daily Point of Light Award recognizes. Carys, 24, and Wesley, 20, grew up on board and graduated from its school, the Mercy Ships Academy.  

“Dr. Gary is a world-class surgeon serving Africa’s most needy — those who have almost no access to health care,” said Mercy Ships founder Don Stephens, who was also a Daily Point of Light Award recipient in 2014. “Every one of his patients has looked into Dr. Gary’s eyes and seen his love, compassion and care. Dr. Gary is a role model for all of us.”

“We are honored and humbled to accept the Daily Point of Light Award, and do so on behalf of all of the ship’s crew and staff worldwide who volunteer their time with Mercy Ships,” Dr. Parker said. “Five billion people in the world live without access to safe, timely, affordable surgery. Our family is proud to be part of an organization working to change the global surgery crisis by transforming lives and extending dignity to thousands of people in great need.”

Mercy Ships aims to address this global surgery shortage by working directly with governments of African nations. The nonprofit agency provides free surgeries and medical treatment to people in need, training local medical professionals so they can provide better care to their patients and building up the local medical infrastructure through development projects

Mercy Ships works with each host country to build a five-year partnership model. The first two years are spent analyzing the country’s needs and planning for the ship’s arrival. The ship then docks in a single port for 10 months at a time, providing free surgeries and other life-changing medical care to thousands of people.

After the hospital ship departs, Mercy Ships continues to work with the local government for two years of ongoing support, development of the local medical infrastructure and evaluation reporting to guide that nation’s future efforts.

This work is done almost entirely through the efforts of volunteers like the Parker family, with a crew of more than 400 people from more than 40 nations who give their time and talents to serve in medical and nonmedical capacities, including surgeons, nurses, cooks, electrical technicians, housekeepers, engineers, anesthesiologists, hairdressers and dentists.  

The Africa Mercy is currently docked in the port of Conakry in the Republic of Guinea to provide relief to the backlog of surgeries left in the wake of the Ebola crisis of 2014. Guinea was among the three countries most severely impacted by the epidemic. That crisis killed more than 11,000 people, including more than 500 health care professionals. This represents a significant loss in a profession that already was suffering from a lack of personnel and resources in one of the poorest regions of the world.

In Guinea, Mercy Ships will provide more than 2,000 surgeries on board the hospital ship; treat more than 8,000 dental patients at a land-based clinic; and train and mentor more than 700 local health care professionals.

Officially endorsed by the late Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Tony Blair, the global nonprofit has delivered professionals from more than 40 nations directly to the shores of low-income nations. The Africa Mercy is an extraordinarily efficient platform, allowing the organization to deliver quality care to regions where clean water, electricity, medical facilities and personnel are limited or nonexistent. 

Points of Light is the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, mobilizing millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities across 37 countries and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 5 million volunteers in 20 million hours of service each year.

Visit pointsoflight.org for more information.