Interview with president of Long Island nonprofit, the M.A.N.

Long Island Business News, Apr 8, 2005 by Ken Cerini

After a nearly 20-year hiatus from charitable endeavors, Noreen Von Zwehl saw something that brought her back to the fold.

In 1995, I flew over to Vietnam. A local nun showed me an old convent that was near collapsing, and it was one of the most touching things. It was built by soldiers during the Vietnam War, said Von Zwehl. The nun also told Von Zwehl that a convent for 300 girls could be built at the site for about $100,000. A facility that size would cost more than $1.5 million in the United States.

They would remove all the old bricks and provide all the labor as long as we could raise the money, said Von Zwehl, who today is the president of the M.A.N. Foundation, a not-for-profit devoted to helping mankind. We didn't know where to start, but we came back, had a St. Patrick's Day party, raised the $100,000 and built the convent.

Because the foundation is a relatively small organization, it has to limit its services to helping the very, very poor, Von Zwehl said, adding, It doesn't just have to be a catholic effort, as long as it's an effort small enough for us to serve.

Ken Cerini: Was this convent a one-time project for your organization, or have you helped build other structures around the world?

Noreen Von Zwehl: In total, we have built about 30 convents, churches, school houses and medical buildings across the developing world. In addition, we have done work in numerous other countries.

In China we built two convents. In Africa, we constructed two schoolhouses and renovated an old church. In Israel, we helped renovate St. Joseph's hospital; there we helped rebuild the operating room. We're now working in the Philippines, India, Africa and Vietnam. We built a chapel on the Thailand-Vietnam border and are building another chapel there.

Four years ago, someone donated an old abandoned church to us in upstate New York, right near Cooperstown. I was very touched by it because it had the most beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother, under the title Rosa Mystica, and I don't believe that any church should be abandoned. We bought 20 more acres and now have 48. We went to Vietnam and built a 30-foot crucifix. Our next stage is to build bungalows so that guests can go up there and clergy can go and renew themselves. We've also created a cross museum there. We have programs planned throughout the summer and expect over 5,000 visitors.

Cerini: What programs does the M.A.N. Foundation offer in addition to its construction efforts?

Von Zwehl: We started a few divisions under the M.A.N. Foundation. My love is building up the Catholic Church, which I dearly love, and we educate the poor.

I also believe that America needs more priests, and we need to educate them wherever we can. Twelve years ago, we started a 'guardian angel' club, and, with this, we've been educating at least 50 seminarians from all over the world. Whether or not they come to America, they're still reinforcing our church. We also have a 'rice club' for the poor. When I went to Vietnam, we used to feed the leper colonies and buy the lepers rice, but now we split up the rice money between Africa, the Philippines and Vietnam to feed the children on the 'street.'

Cerini: What's the main message that the M.A.N. Foundation is trying to get across to people?

Von Zwehl: We try to tell them that we're all one people around the world and we have to help each other. We're all just one body of people, one people under God. We think it's a gift to the poor, and it's more wonderful when a person gives than when a person receives, because when you give, you learn humility. It's not that it's our obligation, but it's part of our nature to want to help the less fortunate.

M.A.N. Foundation

Address: 1121 Oyster Bay Road, Muttontown, NY 11732

President: Noreen Von Zwehl

Telephone: (516) 624-9033

Web Site: www.manfoundation.org

Founded: 1992

Staff: 0

Annual Budget: $375,000

Fund-raised Budget: $310,000

Program Services: 90 percent