Humanitarian Efforts in Mexico

Posted by Kelly Boyd 
 
Jim Hewlett, BOCO, CFO, and newly elected by the certificants of the Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification (BOC) to their Board of Directors, submitted a personal account of his participation in a very recent humanitarian effort. 
 
An active member of Rotary International, the "world's first service club" organization boasting more than 1.2 million member volunteers - Hewlett is proud to cite the Rotary motto, "Service Above Self."  

The week of January 22-26th was a busy one for the Redding Sunrise Rotary Club who embarked on an International project south of the U.S. border into Mexico.  "We had collected about $12,000 worth of braces, splints and post mastectomy products.  We took them to the City of San Luis, RioColorado, Mexico.  The Rotary Club of San Luis met us at their Mexican border customs station where we needed to get approval to import these items as donations for the de Servicios Medicos Municipales and Red Cross," stated Jim Hewlett, BOCO of Redding Sunrise Rotary Club.  Hewlett and Rocio Melton CMOF of Fort Yuma Rotary took charge of the collection of orthotics and preparation of the donations.   The Director of the Mexican Red Cross unit, Dr. Rafael Guevara Rubio, signed off on the necessity the service group's items which permitted their cross-border passage. There are an incredible amount of people who would otherwise go without braces and splints that will truly benefit from the Rotary's endeavors. 

"In my retirement, my goal is to stay active within the profession and to continue to help the less fortunate, as it provides a great personal feeling of accomplishment;  to see the smiles on people who need this help is second to nothing," said Hewlett.  Doctors Armando Payan Martinez, a surgeon and Ricardo Diaz Armenta, in addition to the Red Cross Director, Dr. Rafael Guevara Rubio, assured the U.S. Rotarians that no one other than the poor would receive these orthotics and miscellaneous items.  Dr. Rafael Guevara Rubio said, "there is a real need for such items, we are extremely grateful for the donations and the time the American Rotarians have spent making this project a reality."  The Rotary Club President of Club Rotario San Luis, Francisco Javier Gutierrez Tabanico, also made firm assertions that his Club will personally oversee the distribution of all the much needed supplies.  Dr. Ricardo Diaz Armenta is a fellow member of the San Luis Rotary Club.

The last day of the project the Redding Sunrise Rotary Club went to the Bethel Orphanage- home to 39 abused and abandoned children.  Dr. Bruce Farrell, president of the Sunrise Club addressed the children and presented them with over 100 children's books, 500 toothbrushes and shampoo, while fellow member, George Ireton made a very generous donation of a guitar.  George played the guitar for the children and led them in singing a few Mexican Ballads.  The Bethel Orphanage has been a favorite personal concentration of Hewlett's for over five years.  He has led several work projects to construct improvements for the Orphanage's property, contributing greatly to an improved quality of life to the orphans.  Jim Hewlett can be personally contacted at: jim.hewlett@transworldsystems.com

Story from BOC EZNews