Elie's Story

A contractor on a medical mission project. How would that work? What could a contractor possibly do? As it turned out – everything. Elie Rothenberg was a general contractor in Jacksonville, Florida who donated his time, talents and eventually his life in support of children’s health care for the country of Grenada. Elie joined CHORES on the tenth anniversary project to Grenada in 1999. During this project Elie coordinated a team of CHORES volunteers to renovate an unused space near the pediatric ward in the old General Hospital to a functional playroom with new windows, floor, paint and furniture.

It was during this project that Elie became an indispensable part of CHORES. This project was the only the start of Elie’s contribution to Grenada and CHORES. Over the next five years Elie was the “most valuable player” on most CHORES projects. Working not only during the weeks in Grenada, Elie worked on getting ready for the next project as soon as one project finished. He was instrumental in the coordination of many shipments of containers full of donated medical materials for the children of Grenada. Elie not only called hospital and clinics to see if they had materials to donate but then he would pick the materials up, store them and then working with local Port authorities organize the donation of huge containers and then fill them with the donated materials to be shipped to Grenada. This was an invaluable function as CHORES had not been able to do this with any consistent success without Elie.

From the tenth anniversary project on, Elie, taking from his work and family, participated on each project to Grenada. Elie was able to make significant contributions to pediatric care not only during the projects but even after CHORES had left Grenada. In addition to creating the children’s playroom and repairing the floor of the children’s ward of the old hospital, Elie was able to install fans and night lighting for the wards of the old children's ward and when the new hospital facility was completed, Elie again placed both night lighting and fans on the children's wards. On each project there were always calls for Elie to help. Doctors and other health care professionals can easily see what does not work – but Elie could actually fix what was wrong. From repairing a floor to making a splint to fixing a delicate surgical instrument – Elie could do it all.

After Hurricane Ivan devastated Grenada in September of 2004, Elie helped coordinate a fifteen ton relief shipment of water, food and building supplies to Grenada which was one of the first relief containers to arrive in Grenada. When CHORES asked how it could help after the disaster, the only CHORES member that they really needed was Elie. Not doctors, not nurses, Elie; a man who could get some real work done. Elie left for Grenada to help in any way he could. Elie went to the General Hospital to see how he could help with the roof that had been damaged during the storm. After successfully repairing a hole in the roof of the pediatric ward, Elie tragically slipped and fell to his death. A senseless tragedy that no one could have ever imagined. Grenada and CHORES will never be the same. The man whom we all had come to love and trust had died. So many people’s lives both in the United States and Grenada have been made better for having Elie in them. He gave us all his knowledge, his time, his insight and his heart. And he gave his life.

Elie loved Grenada and going to make a difference in the lives of the children, their parents and the staff at the hospital. We will never be able to make sense of such a senseless tragedy, but we will persevere, knowing that is what Elie would want us to do. The Government of Grenada, recognizing all Elie’s contribution and his final sacrifice he has given to the children of Grenada, has honored Elie by changing the name of the pediatric ward at the General Hospital to the Elie Rothenberg Pediatric Ward. Although Elie is not physically with us on our projects to Grenada, he remains in our hearts and minds as continue our good works in Grenada and not a day goes by where we do not miss him greatly.