2008 Eyeglass Mission
to Cuautla, Morelos Mexico. Jan 19 to Jan 26th.
DG Bob Price
District F, MD 25, Indiana Lions
Our mission this year was a great success,
we had agreed to see six thousand patient’s
over the five working day’s of the Mission. We served six
thousand two hundred and sixty seven, (6,267).
The oldest was a 102 year old man.
The youngest was four year old boy.
I know about these two, there may have been others. There were thirty six of us on this
trip. There were twenty seven from
District F, One from District A, two from District G and six from District E-1.
A great mix! Dr. Vonda Heverly, an Optometrist
from Mitchell, In. & Dr. Jodie Parks, an MD from Avon
Indiana was a most welcome addition to this mission. We
departed Indianapolis at 7:20 am
and flew to Atlanta, a change of planes and on to Mexico City. We were met at the airport and preceded thru customs
and on to the bus for the ride to Cuautla.
It was a new bus, however the air conditioner did not function properly
and there was no way to open a window!
It got rather warm and we had to stop for our Lions to get off and get
some fresh air, and bottled water.
We arrived at our hotel and the room
assignments went as planned with only a couple of minor adjustments. A few of the group went to the work site to
insure that all was well there. With just one minor adjustment, moving a table.
We were ready. The first day, Sunday, we saw eight hundred and forty
eight.(848) far below the twelve hundred we were supposed to average per
day. The rest of the week we made up our
numbers, Monday,1,269. Tuesday 1,361. Wed 1,314 and on Thursday we saw
1,475 this made 6,267 for the week..
There were nine first time members for
this mission, we also had two young & ladies 12 and 13 year’s old. They were Leo Megan Robbins from Connersville and Madeline Tippe from St Louis, Mo. Megan was with
her parents, Steve & Julia Robbins and Madeline was with her grandmother,
Dee Nix of the Elkhart Lions. I agreed
to take both girl’s with the understanding that this was a work mission and not
a vacation. They both served above and
beyond what we wanted. It was a pleasure to work with them both. I have some handout’s that describe a typical
mission. This will give you an idea of
the overall scope of what we do. This is
a team effort. No one person is better
than the other. I think Dr Heverly said it best when I asked her how she was
getting along? She said everything was
fine and that she wasn’t a Dr. down here but that she was just a team
member! I thanked her for that, BUT that
she was a Dr. and we would not forget that.
The Mission site was a bit smaller than we have had in the past but everything
worked out. The work site staff was
always attentive to our needs . We ate our morning and evening meals at the
hotel and the noon lunch at the
work site. We were close enough to the hotel that some of our people walked
both ways. I must say thank you to a
some of our group that went above and beyond that call. In preparation for the mission Lions Sharon
& Mike Crull from the Hope Lions worked countless hours on airline tickets,
recruitment, hats, shirts, insurance and give away items. Lion Paul Shane set up the computers which was
a long process. Everyone worked very
hard. In years past we have had more
people on the mission and that allowed for a wider spread of the work load.
Lion Mike Crull was in charge of the Auto
refactors, He had PDG Newell Clifton, Lion Sharon Crull, Lion Terry Fowler
& new Lion Kent Bennett. The next stop for each patient was at the
screening table where Dr Heverly and new Lion Dr. Parks set up shop. Next was Lion Paul Shane in charge of
the computers. He had PDG Jack Buckland, Lion Myrna Shane, Lion Don Stowers,
Lion Jean Acre and Lion Pat Foley. Lion
Jerry Ruge was in charge of the “pickers” he had Lion Betty Whittemore, Lion
Steve Foley, Leo Megan Robbins & Madeline Tippe. The fitters were led by DG / PDG Bob Price,
they were PDG Ray Collins, Lion Tom Miles, Lion’s Harold & Mabel Utt, Lions
Harriet & Allen Dillman, Lions Bud & Mary Brown, Lion Judy Clifton,
Lion Donna Kumli, Lion Tayrn Harrison, Lions Julia & Steve Robbins &
Lion Dee Nix. Lion Bob
“Bear” Fowler was working with Lion Rodney Blasé with the reading glasses. Some of these jobs changed over the course of
the week. But for the most part this was
the make up. On other mission’s we have
had more “fitter’s” but this group really came together and got the job done.
We had a couple of Lions that picked up a new “nick name” Lion Jerry Ruge became the “Maytag Repairman”
because the fitters picked up on the
conversion of scripts from positive to negative! Lion Steve Foley became the “epimerize bunny”
because he just kept going & going.
I don’t know yet about next year. I will pass that word around as soon as I
hear from our Mexican coordinator, Lion Delia Iniestra, of Mexico City.
I have come to really enjoy the mix of
Lions from other District’s. We have found that even though we are from
different areas of Indiana we are all Lions and work for the common goal. Each person paid their own way down, and a
combination of Lions and Mexican Government picked up the tab for meals and the
hotel. It would be hard for another
District to start an independent mission.
, Many things come into play, not the least of
which is preparing the number glasses needed for a mission. We had sixty thousand,(60,000) pr. At the completion of our mission the
remaining glasses were prepared for a District A mission in Feb.
This mission’s are the most rewarding
things I have done as a Lion. We not
only help those in need of better vision, it gives our Lions a better insight
to the Mexican people. Life long
friendships are established.
I
thank all the Lions of District F and the multiple District 25 for the great
support all mission’s receive.
PDG Tom Slattery
Mission Leader
Pictures
of some of the people and locations:
102 yr old man . young
man with glasses
Ray Collins fitting man
PDG Ray Collins, Mayor of Cuautla, PDG
Tom Slattery