Our Founders, The Rev. Dr. Stephen Szilagyi and S. Jean Szilagyi
SARA was founded in 1988, when a young man with severe scoliosis appeared two times to Stephen. It was in front of a bar in a village in souther Hungary.on a hot summer day. “You don’t have to hit me over the head for me to know I must help this boy” Stephen talked to God like this frequently.
As Stephen and Jeannie traveled to Hungary and Transcarpathia, Ukraine, after this first encounter, more and more sick and deformed children popped up. The Shriners’ Hospitals for Children provided the skills of their surgeons, not only for the children, but for visiting doctors from all over the world. You would be surprised at the. number of hospitals that were anxious to heal the children and allow foreign physicians to learn and update their skills. SARA literature and phone calls blossomed the work into an international mission. It started in Ohio, at the office of the Ohio Conference(Heartland Conference now). Stephen and Jeannie traveled to six states, other board members made presentations to service clubs and churches.
This is the story, the beginning of SARA.
Sadly,our dear Stephen passed away in May of 2019. The love and fellowship of the Board of Directors have decided, unofficially, to continue his vision. Please check our “contact” information if you wish to hear more about SARA.