Our Mission

The Paul Chester Children's Hope Foundation provides vital assistance to improve the health and well-being of families in developing countries. Our programs fuel the potential for lasting good, by providing early intervention to children or young adults where services are unavailable due to logistics or financial reasons.

The Foundation harnesses the expertise of medical professionals and volunteers to identify opportunities for maximum social impact in the developing world, and then funds and completes the medical or surgical interventions it has identified worthwhile. The Foundation initiates global outreach programs that create the possibility for a better life while observing the following: 

Integrity

Yield highest impact

Aid family and community health in developing countries

Leverage local resources and relationships

Accountability in the spirit of public service

Highest professional standards

The Foundation was co-founded by Dr. Bill Chester and Roxolana Kuzmak in 2004 to honor the memory of Paul Chester, whose tragic death at age 16 cut short a life determined to help those less fortunate. Paul's last days were spent in preparation to accompany his father, Dr. Bill Chester, on a medical mission. The Paul Chester Children's Hope Foundation was established to honor the spirit and passion of this remarkable young man, and to sustain the vital work that Paul had hoped to accomplish in his life.

During its founding stage, The Paul Chester Children's Hope Foundation was sponsored by the Pan American Medical Society (PAMS). PAMS was established over 70 years ago as a scientific, humanitarian, and educational institution in Washington, DC, and has recently begun an active program of overseas medical missions serving the countries of South and Central America. Missions to South and Central America will continue to be run as a joint effort between the two organizations. Dr. Bill Chester is the President-elect for 2005 of PAMS.  

PCCHF Management

Oksana Pidhoreckyj: Executive Director: Oksana Pidhoreckyj is a fashion expert and has worked in all realms of media, from broadcasting & live events, to print design & photography, and has even appeared in several commercials. After being introduced to PCCHF in 2005, Oksana’s first trip was on a medical mission to Quito, Ecuador. With a passion for creating visuals of those in need in order to create awareness, she joined PCCHF on a mission to Kenya in 2007 to document the indigent tribal lifestyle of the local community of Laikipia. Not only is it her versatility that plays such a key role when the PCCHF team ventures into new terrain that makes her such a valuable member of our team, but it is also her cheerful & hospitable nature that helps everyone involved feel like part of the family.

Michael Youngblut: President: Michael Youngblut arrived in Washington, DC in 1981 to work for NGO start-up to coordinate best practices among the many NGOs providing healthcare and public health services around the World. The National Council for International Health (NCIH)served as a clearinghouse of information collected from its members and an international forum where practitioners, policy makers, local stakeholders and other would come together to share lessons learned. NCIH (now known as the Global Health Council) got its start through the urging and support from The Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization. A graduate from the University of Illinois, Mr. Youngblut focused on health policy and health planning & economics and was one of the collaborators of the first and second health plans for the State of Illinois.

Dr. William Chester: Co-founder: Dr. William Chester is an Anesthesiologist with twenty-five years of service providing humanitarian medical aid.  For Dr. Chester, medical missions have been a passion and an opportunity to experience the world in a meaningful way.  During his first year at the National Naval Medical Center, Dr. Chester was invited to participate in an Operation Smile program in Kenya.  He remembers, "That first mission was like an awakening. It touched on all the things I was interested in - travel, seeing new cultures, giving people a real chance for a better life."  Dr. Chester has worked with several non-profit organizations such as Operation Smile, Children of the Andes and Pan American Medical Society (PAMS). In 2003, Bill lost his son Paul in a tragic car accident. One year later, he co-founded the Paul Chester Children's Hope Foundation (PCCHF) in memory of his son, an extraordinarily bright and compassionate young man who showed a deep commitment to humanitarian work.

PCCHF Board Members

Dr. Ali Tehrani - Past President 2016-2021
Dr. Ali Tehrani is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon in Southern California. He is dually trained and licensed in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery as well as General Surgery. Dr. Tehrani is committed to providing the finest surgical treatment available and offering the most state of the art procedures to his patients. He combines outstanding surgical skill and a keen eye for aesthetic enhancements to provide natural results. Dr. Tehrani’s passion includes reconstructive surgery and his experience along with the time he commits to his practice has allowed him to bring the most cutting edge techniques to his clients. Dr. Tehrani not only maintains a private practice but is also highly involved in philanthropy work. He is dedicated, methodical, and incredibly compassionate with each patient, providing the personalized attention and detail that brings unparalleled results.

Patrick Heaphy - Past President 2012-2016
An entrepreneur in the marketing & advertising industry owner of LCM247 Digital Marketing and co-founder of WhoDIK.com, Patrick Heaphy brings that expertise to further the awareness of PCCHF’s humanitarian efforts.  His involvement with PCCHF began while filming the foundation’s first mission to Quito, Ecuador in 2005. Witnessing the incredible impact that the work of the volunteer nurses and doctors had on the lives of children and their families, he felt a shared responsibility to see their work continue.  Today, he is active in the day-to-day operations of PCCHF and continues to be vital part of sharing the experiences and accomplishments of the foundation with supporters around the globe through multimedia. A life long New Yorker, Patrick now resides in West Nyack with his wife and two daughters. 

Nastassja Many - Past President 2009 - 2012
Nastassja Many studied political sciences in Belgium and England and attended the Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in Brussels. She has also worked for the United Nations, UNICEF and The European Union. Nastassja’s deep passion for and extensive travel in Africa motivates her to work with PCCHF. She recently starred in and was the executive producer of the French play La Dame Aux Camelias, in which she held the lead role as Marguerite Gautier. Her generosity allowed for part of the play’s proceeds to go directly to PCCHF. In July 2010 she joined the rest of the team on a mission to Malindi, Kenya, with her husband and 8-year-old twin boys. Nastassja served as PCCHF President from 2009-2012.

Alina Chester
Alina Chester is an Investment Banking Associate in Miami, FL. She studied Middle Eastern Anthropology & Political Science at University of Florida and went on to get an International Masters in Business Administration at Florida International University. She is a registered broker and owns a marketing and sales consulting firm based out of Miami. 

Alina is Paul's sister and has been traveling with PCCHF since she was 15. It inspired her to make volunteering a part of her life. Throughout her high school, college and masters degrees she volunteered at the Red Cross, the Office of Human Rights, Make A Wish Foundation, SOME (So Others Might Eat), DC Charter Schools tutoring, Invisible Children, and Young Bahamian Marine Scientists. For Alina, giving back began and continues with PCCHF.

Dr. Robert Darling
A founding principal and chief medical officer of Guardian 24/7, Dr. Robert Darling has provided health care to people at the highest levels of the U.S. military and government, and specialized in preparing for and responding to emergencies, disasters and other challenging conditions around the world. In 1996, Dr. Darling became the first board-certified emergency medicine physician to serve as White House physician. In addition to caring for the president, vice president, their families and other senior U.S. government officials, Dr. Darling traveled to more than 40 countries planning medical contingency operations for presidential visits.

Dr. Darling has served as director of the Navy Medicine Office of Homeland Security; director of the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland; and as a flight surgeon aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He also has served as flight surgeon and director of the Aeromedical Isolation Team at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

After graduating from Adelphi University in 1981, Dr. Darling was commissioned in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps. He received his Doctor of Medicine in 1985 from USUHS and completed his medical internship at Bethesda Naval Medical Center and basic flight training at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, Florida.

Dr. Darling is an assistant professor of Military and Emergency Medicine at the USUHS, where he serves on the medical school admissions committee, and continues as medical consultant to the CDHAM. He has authored numerous publications and has lectured both nationally and internationally. A member of the Adelphi University Board of Trustees, Dr. Darling lives in Germantown, Maryland, with his wife and three daughters.

Mihir Goswami
Founder and President of Sun Asset Management, a New York based commodities trading firm started in 2005.  Having graduated from Lehigh University in 1991 with a B.S. Degree in Finance, he began his career in the financial industry in 1991 at J.P. Morgan as a junior trader in the global securities lending department.  In 1993 Mr. Goswami left J.P. Morgan to join Refco Institutional Management, at the time one of the largest institutional futures and commodities desks in the world, as an execution trader/research analyst.  In 1998 Mr. Goswami joined Connecticut based commodities fund Graham Capital Management, initially as a U.S. futures markets trader and eventually running Graham’s Asian futures trading desk.  In 2003, Mr. Goswami left Graham to join Unifund, a $2 billion private investment firm based in Geneva as a senior portfolio manager.  At Unifund, Mr. Goswami was co-manager of an internal $20 million global macro fund and developed the quantitative strategies and risk management models used by the fund.  Mr. Goswami left Unifund in 2005 to work full time on the development and refinement of the trading strategies which are currently in use by Sun Asset Management.

Jessica Holcombe
Jessica Holcombe, a native of North Carolina, currently owns and operates Short-Term Stow, a travel service business in New York City which she opened in 2013. After being introduced to PCCHF in 2008, she joined the team on a mission to Tumaco, Colombia in 2009. Since then, she joined the board to help with daily operations, fundraising and mission logistics. With a background in finance working at Morgan Stanley, Jessica helps track funds donated, maintains missions statistics and requests corporate funding. She has joined the team on several missions to Africa, Colombia & Dominican Republic.

Soon Kwon 
Soon Kwon is a New Jersey native and a Penn State graduate. She works for the creative services department at Showtime Networks, Inc. in New York City, managing the on-air broadcast design studio as well as writing & producing promotional materials for the network. Motivated by the desire to utilize her talents to make a difference, she began her volunteer work with PCCHF in January 2008. Soon helps with the administrative & production duties surrounding PCCHF’s fundraising efforts. She plans to focus her efforts on helping to further develop the Student Volunteer program as well as expand the marketing & branding for the organization in the upcoming year.

Gregg Navins 
President of The OMARA Organization, Inc., a Manhattan-based construction management firm.  He has worked as a project engineer and manager in the construction industry for twenty years, and has a background in mechanical and civil engineering.  Having joined the PCCHF Board in 2010, Gregg shares in the commitment to expand the reach of PCCHF to children and their families in developing areas of the world. Gregg lives in Westchester, NY with his wife and two daughters.

Anwar Wazir
Anwar Wazir is a Dutchman born in Paramaribo, Suriname, which was then a Dutch territory, currently living and doing business out of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Through his consultancy firm “Aatrios Management &Consultancy” he is involved in various eye-catching projects in the Middle East, the Orient and South America. Coming from an entrepreneurial family with established businesses; business ethics and social skills were daily routine. After primary school he attended high school in Paramaribo, and studied further while taken over the family business and expanding them with his own ventures. Among a few was a successful travel agency with a concept that also made it possible for the less fortunate citizens of Paramaribo, to travel and reach distant destinations.

He was also the first Franchisee for Exxon Mobil (ESSO), with the largest gas station “On The Run” in Suriname. One of his greatest successes being the creation of a chain of exclusive coffee bars in Suriname “The Zeeland Coffee Beanery” and “The Coffee Corner” which still operates till date. Anwar had fulfilled several terms as Executive Board member in the following NGO and business community as well as in government; the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM, one of the Founding Board members), the Suriname Chamber of Commerce (the youngest elected in Suriname history), the Suriname Travel Agency Association (ASRA), the American Society of Travel Agents in Suriname (ASTA), the Suriname Manufacturers Association (ASFA), the Suriname Tourism Authority (STS),the Special Olympics Committee, the Leo Club Kankantrie (Lions International) and Special committee member to the Minister of Justice and Police (for the Intellectual property rights legislation). Anwar Wazir received his MBA from the University of Maastricht in 2006 on the subject of Corporate Strategy & Economic Policy.

In 2014 and 2015, Anwar did several postgraduate courses in International & Foreign Relations, International Security and International Negotiations at the esteemed Clingendael Institute The Hague. As an initiator, manager and entrepreneur, Anwar realizes the need for Creating a Synergy in Economic & Social Wealth.

Consuela J. Cruden-Parham
Consuela J. Cruden-Parham, MD, MPH, FACOG is a practicing Obstetrician/Gynecologist OBGYN in West Virginia. She is also an assistant professor at the West Virginia University School of Medicine where she balances clinical, academic and administrative roles daily. Consuela was born and raised in Suriname and has retained strong connections with the social and medical communities of her former home. Her strong desire to return to provide humanitarian medical expertise and aid to the women and children who need it most, led her to create her Surinamese foundation CRUCON.

Consuela’s mission toward helping women take care of themselves, their children and their families through health and education was achieved while connecting with PCCHF in November 2017. In January 2019, Consuela led the first PCCHF ENT mission for orphaned children in Paramibo, Suriname.