The February 27th. Program Summary.....

John introduced Sunrise, Evening and Healdsburg Rotarians and spouses who traveled to Nicaragua in January for a dental and vision improvement project.  In absentia but clearly remembered included five Peace Corp members, Hector & Daniel, Costa Rican volunteers and Nica DDS couple Javier and Anna  Fonseca, and Sunrise Rotarian Eloise Tweeten's daughter Kristen.  The 2014 Team was 28 strong.  In three days the Vision Team dispensed 646 corrective lenses and 745 sunglasses.  The dental group performed 221 extractions and 149 fillings, a record in the club's history.  The village of Esperanza, Spanish for "Hope", a small town with a school was this year's locale.  People from the surrounding area receive notice of the vision & dental clinics over a local radio  broadcast and word-of-mouth. For most, it was their first contact with a toothbrush, and step toward better oral hygiene.  

Sunrise Rotary has been conducting health enhancement missions to under served areas for many years.  The International projects began in 1995 and include tours of Haiti, Vietnam, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.  During these trips, over 9,000 people's sight has improved,  over 100 surgeries corrected cataracts, and  900 extractions and 149 restorative dental procedures increased smiling and oral health.

Ask anyone who has experienced the somewhat spartan conditions in the fields served and each one will tell you how much their lives were enhanced by their three to four days of Service Above Self.

Link to more photos