Garreth Wood and David Cunningham, Co-founder & Chairman and CEO at Kids OR, Episode 204
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Garreth Wood is a Scottish philanthropist and advocate. He and his wife Nicola founded Kids Operating Room with the vision of ‘A world where every child has equal access to safe surgery.’ He believes that generosity requires tenacity; the ability to hang on when letting go appears most attractive. He is inspired by the tenacity of the surgical teams KidsOR supports worldwide. The grit, perseverance, and resilience they show every day, often in impossibly difficult working environments, is an inspiration to him.
David Cunningham is passionate about achieving Universal Health Coverage. This includes ensuring every child has access to high-quality healthcare when they need it – no matter where they were born. A strong advocate of the Sustainable Development Goals, David is a global leader in developing charitable programs for children’s health. He has provided leadership to healthcare projects in the UK and across the world, impacting the lives of millions of children. David is a highly regarded charity regulation expert. He is a Board member of the UK Fundraising Regulator and a member of the regulator’s Standards Committee, setting the rules for all fundraising in the UK.
Garreth and David join me on the show to discuss Kids OR’s mission and how they help hospitals in developing countries by providing the equipment and facilities they need to provide pediatric surgical services. Garreth and David share their individual journeys into generosity and how they came to work together at Kids OR. The pair also dig into the details of the artwork used in the operating rooms and explain why the bright, bold colors have such a positive impact on doctors, nurses, and, most importantly, their tiny patients.
“If you get the right people, it makes life very easy.” - Garreth Wood
“Our goal should be to support countries to get to a place where they don't need our aid.” - David Cunningham
“Our artwork is hugely beneficial in terms of the journey to the OR for children.” - Garreth Wood
This Week on The Wow Factor:
Why Garreth moved from the restaurant and hospitality industry and became committed to helping children who need surgery in developing countries
Some of Garreth’s entrepreneurial failures and how they taught him to move forward
What David learned from going in at the bottom at a cancer non-profit in Scotland
How Garreth and David met and why they decided to work together at Kids OR
The personal circumstances that made saying yes to a philanthropic project in Uganda easy for Garreth
Godwin, the first baby they operated on in Uganda, and the impact of that moment on the mission and Godwin’s family
How they help countries in the developing world to create working operating rooms by being respectful of their grassroots needs
Why the artwork on the walls of an operating room is so impactful for both the clinical teams and their patients
Garreth’s perspective on generosity and the kind of people who are generous with their time or money
The responsibilities of wealth transfer and how to foster generosity within that
David Cunningham’s Word of Wisdom:
Having empathy is vital in leadership — kindness is courageous.
Garreth Wood’s Words of Wisdom:
It's so vital for leaders to share the success with their team and recognize them regularly and publicly,
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