At the beginning of this year, San Diego Paradise Valley Rotary club members traveled on an important medical and dental mission. Their destination - the Philippines - where they visited four different rural areas. One area was Olongapo City which is about 97 miles north of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and the other three sites were located in the southern part of the Philippines (Dumanjug, Badian and Calapan, Mindoro island).
They traversed the land by driving from one location to another to different islands and by ferry boats. It was a daunting task at certain times since they drove for a few days in three vans carrying medical supplies and encountering areas with heavy rain, potholes and flood areas to reach the locations at specific date. Through perseverance, faith and determination they somehow met these challenges and arrived at their destinations and completed their medical and dental mission.
The locals greeted them with open arms and were humbled to see them. Their smiles and hospitality gave club members the energy to do the work them came to do. A total of approximately 4,500 people were helped including providing 85 wheelchairs that were donated to five different regions of the Philippines.
The club is proud of its passionate San Diego Paradise Valley Rotary members, their phenomenal local volunteers, dedicated members of the Philippine Armed forces, supportive Philippine local government, and the love from the Filipino people at all four sites who patiently waited for them to provide medical and dental services.