Yearly Review - 1998-1999

print this page

This page still needs updates.  Anyone with information for this section, please contact the Club Historian, Wulff Reinhold.

Club Officers:

President	Art Sweeney
Secretary
Treasurer
Sgt. @ Arms

Theme: 

Fundraisers:

Projects:

In 1998, while Art was Pres.-Elect, the current Pres. Vida Jones and Art spent two weeks in Yarina Cocha, Pucallpa, Peru.  They were accompanied by a Miguel Hilario, a Shipibo-Conibo Indian who lives here and acted as our guide-translator.  They were investigating funding a medical clinic that would serve the indigenous Indian population.  Their focus was improvement of the Nueva Magdalena Medical Center so that it would serve as a five bed hospital.  Rotary International funded the trip by a HHH Grant.  Finding an ethical partner in Pucallpa who would handle our funding was a difficult task.  It took some time and many meetings before they found Hugo Lopez, he is just such a person and member of the local Rotary.  They met a dozen government and private people who quickly showed a prejudice and hatred of the Indians Rotayr was intent upon helping.  Art and VIda rushed to take a shower after meeting a few of them.  Hugo was our ideal partner in Pucallpa.

Because their guide was a Shipibo Indian, they were able to fly float plane two-hours upstream on the Ucayali River.

Because of Art's status at RPDPS, the city donated a 2 1/2 ton ambulance that was due for replacement.  They had the ambulance flown to Pucallpa by the US Army in a C5 airplane in 2000.  They also packed the rig with 20 sets of Fire turn-out gear, dozens of crutches, wheel chairs, cots, a dental chair and old medical gear. They had arranged for the Army Reserve Medical Corp to take 40 Doctors, Dentists and others to Pucallpa for two weeks active duty training.  They took a portable hospital and did a hundred surgeries while there, everything from heart bypass to the most popular cleft palate surgery.  Our dream of a small hospital was accomplished when the Army left almost everything they had brought for use by our clinic.

They finished the project in Pucallpa in 2000 after doing all we could. Sadly, 9-11 resulted in cancellation of the scheduled planned return by the Army Reserve.

Pictures:

 Art and Vida at the Nueva Magdalena Medica Center, Pucallpa, Peru

Emergency Medical Supplies at the Medical Center.

 Art and Vida in Pucallpa, Peru