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.

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!

Making a Difference, One Drop at a Time

The Pure Water Foundation, Inc. - John & Mary Jo Hays

During our upcoming trip to Kenya, we will be taking two water chlorination systems for use at the KipKarin clinic and village. The systems were developed by Iowa’s own John Hays. Mr. Hays is the water superintendent of Washington, Iowa, and has taken on the personal mission of supplying water systems to developing countries. The need for clean water remains the number one need as nearly 40% of our world’s population lacks basic sanitation, while one billion of our world’s citizenry lacks access to clean drinking water. That is a staggering 20% of our world’s population! Uganda has the largest population without safe drinking water—followed closely by Kenya.

The Hays’ have founded their own nonprofit, the Pure Water for All Foundation with the aptly stated mission statement, “Making a difference, ONE drop at a time”. Through their efforts they have supplied villages in Africa, India, Asia, Russia, Europe, Nicaragua, Haiti, Mexico, Columbia, and Venezuela with water filtration systems.

Their chlorination system uses a salt solution that runs through a solar charged chlorine generator several times. The result is chlorine that can treat several hundred gallons of contaminated water.

This picture, courtesy of John Hays, shows a baby cemetery in Tanzania, Africa. When Randy and Carol Luth met with Mr. Hays, he shared with them that he thought this odd looking field was some sort of tribal garden. Unfortunately, he quickly learned this was not a garden but a cemetery where the villagers buried their babies-- many victims of diseases caused by dirty water. Before introducing his water chlorination system to the village, there were over 120 cases of typhoid per month. Today the village is down to just two cases of typhoid per month thanks to clean water! No more baby cemeteries!

Spanda, Inc is pleased to provide the chlorination system as well as the training to use the chlorinator to our Kenyan friends. We are all very excited to work with Rotary International to drill a well which will provide a fresh water supply to the entire KipKarin village. The initial survey has been completed. We all greatly appreciate our Rotary partners and the Hays’ for helping us to bring clean water to our Kenyan neighbors. It truly does take only a single idea and a single drop of clean water to move the world!

Join Us for an Evening of Wine Tasting

Metro Rotary North Fundraiser to Benefit Spanda Inc.

Drinking wine is a luxury many Americans can afford. But imagine for just moment what it would be like for you if you did not have this luxury. Or if water, for that matter, was the luxury. We turn a knob on our faucet and out comes clean drinkable water. This is not true for far too many people on the African continent. While there are millions of Africans without clean drinking water, we can only focus on a relatively small area in the east African country of Kenya for now.

Two years ago Dr. Fitzgerald raised money to build an eye and health care clinic in KipKarin, Kenya. The village needed to add a health clinic. But it’s just not that easy. One need leads to another to another. In order to build the health clinic, the village needed a constant source of clean water. Most of us cannot begin to understand the absence of such a basic human requirement. We need not feel guilty for having clean running water; however, after witnessing conditions where this is not the case, there is a sense of appreciation and pride for having a clean and constant source of drinkable water.

From that pride stems a burning desire to help someone gain what we know to be possible. What is possible is that with money raised here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, through our partnership with Metro North Rotary, a well will be drilled supplying the village with a fresh and clean water supply. It is the goal to begin digging the well this fall. But that creates another need. We have the clinic and we have fresh water (or we will soon). What more is needed? We have identified two new projects. The first is buying an ultrasound machine for the new clinic. The second will be to help KipKarin locals establish a supply of a “Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food” product, which will help to combat severe malnutrition faced by the Kenyans. When given to a child this product can provide life-sustaining vitamins and minerals and the ability to stave off hunger during the current drought and famine. It’s a fascinating food supplement that you can look up on the web for more information.

We are raising money (with the help of Metro North Rotary) to provide a supply of this product to the Kenyan village. Amazingly simple! All we need is the money to provide this life sustaining product. It’s always about the money, isn’t it? In this case, we are drinking and tasting wine as a social event in order to raise money to meet the basic needs of our friends in KipKarin.

On September 17, 2009, Metro North Rotary is sponsoring a fundraising event where we have the privilege of drinking and tasting wines or beers at the First Avenue Wine House in Cedar Rapids. The money we raise will go toward funding of our next two projects. This was the avenue for funding the well project and I believe it will prove just as successful this time. Join us (the Spanda board of directors and staff) for an evening of wine tasting and delightful company.

Sincerely,

Juli Hardin
Spanda Inc. Board Member

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…..