The Arthur Guyton Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization that strives to support both global and local health through a variety of initiatives intended to raise awareness and action on issues afflicting the well-being of youth worldwide. Based in Martinsburg, West Virginia, the organization was founded by Syed R. Akhtar and Varun K. Menon and formally incorporated on May 30, 2014. The foundation is named in honor of the late Dr. Arthur Clifton Guyton, who overcame polio during his medical residency to become a world-renowned physician, physiologist, inventor, educator, author, and community leader whose achievements had an exceptional impact on the health and well-being of humankind.

 

The organization has already raised over $5,000 in its initial campaign to support the final eradication of polio in the three remaining epidemic-status nations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. Partnering with the End Polio campaign of Rotary International has associated the foundation with recent major advancements in the battle against polio. The Shepherdstown Rotary announced that co-founders Syed R. Akhtar and Varun K. Menon would be named Paul Harris Fellows by Rotary International on July 14, 2015 in recognition of major donations made through The Arthur Guyton Foundation's first year of fundraising for End Polio. To capitalize on these successes, The Arthur Guyton Foundation launched the Guyton Global Health Initiative to provide a diverse portfolio for childhood health and well-being in some of the world's most underserved communities. Since then, the Guyton Global Health Initiative has also helped fund child nutrition, vaccination, and medical care, for youth in rural India, and provide scholarships for West Virginia University students traveling to Central America for medical volunteer work.

 

In 2015, the organization experienced the loss of inaugural board member and lifelong mentor Dr. Francisco Sabado: This inspired the establishment of the Sabado Community Health Initiative to raise awareness and funding for health issues affecting the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and the surrounding area. With a special focus on youth health, the foundation plans on partnering with local institutions to combat some of the most serious issues faced today. To date, the Sabado Community Health Initiative has helped fight childhood hunger in Berkeley County, construct a renewable energy powered recreation center in West Virginia, and provide supplies for drug recovery and neonatal abstinence center treatment.

 

Grant applications both the Guyton Global Health Initiative and the Sabado Community Health Initiative undergo a thorough screening process. Charities and volunteer organizations that apply for funds must provide thorough justification for their expenses to ensure that the Arthur Guyton Foundation's money goes directly to those in need. Our foundation has very minimal operating costs because we believe that charitable contributions should go directly to children in need. Our staff is made up of volunteers and our fundraising events are paid for almost entirely by sponsorships.