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About World Medical Relief

Meet the Founder

Irene M. Auberlin

“I’m just a housewife- God is the one turning the sins of waste into the miracles of mercy.”

Why one TV clip changed everything

In Nov. 1953 a Korean-War newsreel showed a blue-eyed orphan shivering in Incheon.

Irene, then a 57-year-old Detroit grandmother, prayed that God would take her life and put it to greater use. By morning she was knocking on doors for diapers, penicillin samples, and crib slats.

How her kitchen became global HQ

World-Class Beggar. Irene’s classified ad “Invest $10 here, reap a hundred-fold in Heaven”, emptied attics across Michigan.
Sleeves-Rolled-Up Faith. She and husband Lester ate standing up, every chair held an incubator bound for Korea. During Detroit’s 1967 riots they sold their bungalow and slept on a cot inside WMR’s warehouse to guard medicines destined for cholera wards.
Inventive Mercy. She repurposed a horse stable into a “clinic-in-a-box” line, persuaded U-of-D students to sort scalpels on Saturdays, and fought regulators until Michigan issued WMR its own pharmacy license (1966).

Years of Service

1953 – 1999 (passed at age 102)

NIckname

“Mother Teresa of Detroit” — Michigan History Magazine

Signature Motto

“The relief of human suffering is a language all people understand.”

Legacy Programs

Free Senior-Prescription Pharmacy • Durable-Medical-Equipment Bank • Global Hospital Outfitting

What WMR Looks Like Today

Proof her vision endures

“Every box we pack is a sermon.”

- Dr. George V. Samson, President & CEO

Annual Shipments: ~50-70 forty-foot containers to 120 countries.
Local Impact: 38,000 Michigan seniors receive life-saving prescriptions each year.
Equipment Bank: 5,000 wheelchairs, walkers & hospital beds placed with low-income families in 2023.
Volunteer Corps: 30,000 “Angels of Mercy” sort, test, and pack in our 65,000-sq-ft hub.
Faith in Action: Pacemakers re-implanted, cancer meds re-dispensed, Ensure™ delivered to HIV & hospice wards.

But those numbers only hint at the true story.

Angels of Mercy pulls you inside the boldest chapters—riot-night diaries, Nixon’s private visa telegram, the time Irene “out-begged” Lee Lacocca; all rendered in stunning illustrations.

And every copy you buy fuels our global mission, turning your support into real-world hope.

Each book purchased outfits a hospital bed abroad.

how Irene’s single care-package became our standing mission

From One Living-Room Warehouse to a Global Lifeline

We rescue surplus medical resources and place them - free and in perfect working order - into the hands of people who would otherwise go without care. We serve locally, nationally, and worldwide without regard to race, creed, or politics; our only credential is need.

“God has no hands but ours.” – Teresa of Ávila, quoted daily in the WMR sorting room

4 Pillars of Mercy

RESCUE- medicines & equipment otherwise headed for landfills.
RESTORE- refurbish, test, and repackage every item to medical functional standards.
REACH- deliver where commercial supply chains cannot or will not go.
RELIEF- bring unwavering care, without reservation, to alleviate the suffering of the world's poorest sick- uplifting individuals & communities, even if only one step at a time.

... Every $1 you give releases $200+ in material aid- a 20,000% return on compassion.

How we put the pillars into practice

Our Board, team, and volunteer corps Follow a Framework daily:

called F.L.A.M.E -Inspired by Irene's Candle

Finding Surplus- Rescue life saving supplies before they reach landfills.
Lifting Standards- Inspect, repair, test, and certify every item for frontline use.
Aligning Networks- Partner with individuals, healthcare, faith, academic, corporate, civic, and governmental organizations worldwide into one global Mercy Network.
Multiplying Mercy- Expand on proven programs, successful shipments, medical missions and training models in new regions whenever capacity and partnerships allow.
Ensuring Continuity- Ambassadors’ follow‑up reports trigger replenishment shipments and spare parts so hospitals & clinics keep care flowing for years.

servant leaders on duty

Meet the miracle makers

Irene once said, "All I did was light a candle."

Today, our leadership makes sure that candle flame still guides every life we touch.

We map every route, sign every manifest, and keep scaling the mission from three barrels to ~50-70+ container shipments each year that can touch 120+ countries.

Thanks to our blueprint thousands of Angels of Mercy flow through our doors: filling wheelchairs, testing pacemakers, sorting & packing vital supplies, refilling 38,000 life-saving prescriptions for Michigan seniors and processing donated supplies from generous community partners & individuals from different backgrounds.

Every coordinated lift proves that lives like the orphan in Incheon, Korea still matters and that your hands can matter too.

Without our leaders, the candle’s glow vanishes. With them, the flame of mercy burns on.

learn moreabout our leaders

need a place to start?

How You Can Extend the Miracle

in 3 simple steps:

STEP 1

start with the story

Fast-track the full, rare origin that connects you to WMR’s humble origin. Discover how Detroit’s own “Mother Teresa” transformed a tiny living-room warehouse into a global relief powerhouse.

Understanding the roots shows you how a single act of compassion can ignite hope and multiply care around the world.

Step 2

lend your hand

Having seen Irene’s single act ignite World Medical Relief’s global mission, step into WMR’s warehouse and bring that spark to life- each box you sort and pack becomes vital relief reaching
individuals facing illness and hardship, offering comfort when it matters most.

Sort, pack, and send life-saving care.