Home Safe & Sound

We are happy to say that all members of the Kenya 2011 trip made it home safe and sound on January 26. Thank you to everyone who helped make the trip and everything that was accomplished during it a reality. We are very excited to see how all the hard work plays out. Keep checking back to learn more about the Spanda Inc. events and happenings.

Trip #4 Begins

The Spanda team is packed and ready to embark on the 4th trip to the Kenya health care clinic. The flight takes off early tomorrow morning from Cedar Rapids and will arrive in Africa 20-22 hours later.

As well as the hand-knitted dolls mentioned before, the team will be bringing with them supplies to help the dental clinic expand, an industrial chlorinator for the clinic well, ideas for irrigation and hearts ready to help.

Check back often while the team is gone to learn progress and updates as Dr. DeAnn Fitzgerald blogs about their experiences.

Kenya 2011: Embarking on Trip Number 4

Spanda Inc. is excited to embark on its fourth trip to Kipkaren, Kenya. The team will leave Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on January 12th and will return January 26th.
The 2011 team includes: Mark and Lauren Cannon; Jim and Joan Chalupsky; Sharon Dieter, Carolyn Hamilton; Jennifer Pershing; and Dr. DeAnn Fitzgerald.

This year’s team will focus on the following goals:
· Installation of an industrial chlorinator for use at the clinic well
· Soil testing and analysis for a possible passion fruit farm
· Irrigation strategies and methods for crop production
· And, 500 dolls hand-knitted by Cedar Rapids, Iowa, volunteers Mary Uthe and Lorie Meyer will be distributed to the village children.

“This is an exciting time for all of us at Spanda Inc. It will be gratifying to see the wells in operation as well as the new dental chair being used at the clinic! A huge thank you to everyone supporting Spanda with your time, money and positive thoughts as we embark on this awesome journey," said Spanda Inc. founder, DeAnn Fitzgerald.

Clean Water at the School

Last month's Dental Banquet was huge, we are still so greatful for all those who participated and made the fundraiser a success. However, a new dental chair at the Kipkaren Clinic wasn't the only exciting thing to happen last month. September also brought clean water to the Chebaiywa School. Check out these amazing pictures to see how excited the school children were.

KipKaren has a dental chair!

Saturday was the big banquet! We had a great turnout with over 250 people present in the ballroom of the Crowne Plaza. Local channel 9 news anchor, Beth Malicki was our Mistress of Ceremonies; and both Dr.'s DeAnn Fitzgerald and Karen Besler gave presentations. The night included a fabulous silent auction with over 60 items and a live auction with 6.

Thanks to our awesome sponsors and our many volunteers who worked to make this event a success, we were able to meet our goal and send a brand new dental chair to the KipKaren Clinic! Jeremiah is still in training, but when he gets back to the clinic he will now have a great place to treat his patients.

Downtown Farmer's Market

Spanda Inc. will be at the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmer's Market tomorrow morning, Saturday August 7. We hope you will come see us at our booth and learn more about our fundraisers and projects to help our friends in KipKaren. Don't forget, we have the KenYa See MY Future In Your Eyes Dental Banquet coming up next month. Visit www.spandainc.com to learn more about how you can attend or donate!

Dental Services are Vital!

Won’t you help us help others? Here is the type of dental services currently received in Kipkaren, Kenya:

“Today at the clinic, we saw some interesting patients. We saw a boy with an infected tooth cavity and he needed to get it removed. The extraction was intense and pretty hard to watch. There was no dental chair, spotlight or x-ray machine. Teeth must just be pulled. I watched as the dentist just climbed over behind the poor boy with one leg up and loosened, then yanked the tooth out.”
~Nursing Student at Kipkaren Clinic (8-11-09).

September 18, 2010, is the KenYa See MY Future In Your Eyes Dental Banquet at Crowne Plaza in downtown Cedar Rapids. Tickets can be purchased by going to www.spandainc.com or by contacting Dental Associates, (319) 363-0267; Dr. Fitzgerald & Associates, (319) 366-3500; or Spanda Inc., (319) 364-2311. All proceeds will benefit the Kipkaren Clinic and help them to receive those vital dental services. Tickets are $40, $25 fair market value, or $350 for a table of 10. The evening will include a live and silent auction, and feature Kenyan food. Hope to see you there!

The Visionary Behind Eye Care Kenya

As our team begins preparing to depart on our upcoming October Kenyan mission, it seems only fitting to introduce you to a true visionary and the founder of Spanda Inc., Dr. DeAnn Fitzgerald, OD.
Doc, as her patients, family, and friends call her, has been a practicing optometrist in the corridor community for the past 25 years. Her private eye care practice provides comprehensive eye care services to over 10,000 patients annually. Realizing her passion for optometry and health care as well as her desire to do more for our local and world communities, she founded her own nonprofit, Spanda Inc., in 2006.
Spanda Inc. is based on the notion that “it takes only a single idea, a single action to move the world”. With that thought, she has sponsored two mission trips to Kipkaren, Kenya. Through fundraising efforts and her own generosity, a health care clinic was built and local villagers were trained to operate the clinic. Doc also purchased a satellite, which has enabled her to keep in contact with the villagers. Currently, she is working with Rotary to provide fresh water to the clinic and village. She is also working with Dr. Karen Besler, a local Cedar Rapids dentist, to bring expanded dentistry services to the clinic. She is also working to establish a supply route for a therapeutic food designed to combat malnutrition. (Please stay tuned to future blogs describing all of these projects in greater detail.)
When asked why she began this mission work, Doc replied, “The moment I knew I wanted to do this---it became a process. I never thought “little ole me” could ever be able to do something like this. It was like a steamroller---other community members, businesses, and colleagues all became involved. I have been outside of my comfort zone as I embarked on this journey. But it did not matter. I realized that a piece of my destiny was to bring hope and humbly empower and inspire my Kenyan neighbors. I totally believe there is something bigger than each of us. It is amazing to be a part of all of this!”
One need not look any further than Dr. DeAnn Fitzgerald to see a leader with tremendous heart and spirit ready to “take a single idea”, create a strong team, and develop dreams that make our community and world a much better place to live.
Please join us on this journey…..