Non-Profit Not Just Tourists Comes to San Diego, Delivers 53,000 Masks to Wuhan-Area Orphanages


China is really struggling right now. I just thought if they have a shortage of masks and we can help, we should. I’m so grateful to those who have pitched in to make this donation a reality.

San Diego-area wealth management firm Reilly Financial Advisors is teaming up with non-profit organization Not Just Tourists to help those in need.

Late last week, Carl Eaton, head of Not Just Tourists’ Orange County and San Diego chapters, and his wife Tara joined forces with other community members in order to send 53,000 respirator masks to Wuhan-area orphanages in China.

Ordinarily, Not Just Tourists gives travelers suitcases full of medical supplies to take along to the countries they are visiting. Upon request, the organization will even help to locate a clinic in need at each traveler’s destination. But with coronavirus creating a unique situation, special measures needed to be taken.

In this case, Not Just Tourists provided all masks to be donated, while several others, including Reilly Financial Advisors, pitched in to fund the masks’ shipment via FedEx.

Perhaps most notable among contributors to the cost of shipping were Nick and Sophia Sykes. The couple, who lives in China but is currently in Southern California for business, adopted a daughter, Faye Sykes, from an orphanage in Wuhan, China, just last November.

Said Eaton, “China is really struggling right now. I just thought if they have a shortage of masks and we can help, we should. I’m so grateful to those who have pitched in to make this donation a reality.”

Although Not Just Tourists’ Orange County chapter alone has donated more than 10,000 pounds of supplies to more than 30 countries since its founding in early 2018, Eaton says that this shipment marks the chapter’s very first donation to China.

This week, Reilly Financial Advisors becomes Not Just Tourists’ first and only San Diego location for suitcase pickup. Said Eaton, “I’ve known the Reilly family for some time. In fact, Frank, the firm’s president, and other members of the Reilly family have delivered multiple suitcases in the past. I’m thrilled that his firm is able to serve as a pickup location for Not Just Tourists, expanding our reach into San Diego County and giving us the potential to help even more people in need.”

If you, or someone you know, would like to get involved with Not Just Tourists, the process is simple. Simply complete the form on Not Just Tourists’ website (njt.net) at least one week prior to your departure, pick up a suitcase from one of the many pickup locations around the world (Reilly Financial Advisors will be your pickup point if you live in San Diego), and deliver the suitcase to a clinic in need upon landing. It’s that easy.

About Not Just Tourists

Not Just Tourists was founded with the purpose of getting medical supplies to those who can’t afford them. Ordinary tourists are given the means to change the lives of the locals they visit. After seeing firsthand the serious lack of medical supplies in Cuba in 1990, Dr. Ken Taylor and his wife Denise—from St. Catharines, Ontario—started taking medical supplies to remote areas in Cuba. Soon others who were traveling to Cuba began approaching them to take medical supplies too, and the Not Just Tourists phenomenon started.

Since its inception 25 years ago, Not Just Tourists, with chapters across North America and the UK, has delivered more than 10,000 suitcases across 82 countries. The project does not accept funding, is non-political, and is non-religious. Everything is accomplished through volunteers.

To learn more about Not Just Tourists, or to find a chapter near you, visit njt.net.

About Reilly Financial Advisors

Reilly Financial Advisors is a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor established in 1999 to provide clients with an integrated approach to all their financial needs. By acting in fiduciary standard, Reilly Financial Advisors is responsible for putting clients’ best interests first, before that of its own compensation.

Reilly Financial Advisors serves clients across the United States and around the world with the tools critical to achieving financial success. Many of Reilly Financial Advisors’ clients first came onboard during a period of transition, such as nearing retirement, after divorce, or after having recently been widowed. Reilly Financial Advisors works with clients and their portfolios to appropriately manage each individual situation.

To learn more about Reilly Financial Advisors, visit rfawealth.com.

Share article on social media or email:

Leave a Reply