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.

Dr. Rob Kingus - Eye Care Team Member

Hi! This is Dr. Rob Kingus. I have been an optometrist with Dr. Fitzgerald and Associates since August 2006. I graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry, and moved to Cedar Rapids soon after. I have enjoyed working with my patients in our office, as well as working at Vision in Motion as the primary low vision optometrist. I enjoy my job very much, and it is very fulfilling to help people improve their vision and the health of their eyes.

I am married to Heather, who is a veterinarian in Cedar Rapids. We have two young daughters, and enjoy spending time together as a family. We like to visit Clear Lake, Iowa each summer, and also travel to Duluth, Minnesota so I can participate in an in-line skating marathon each fall. Other interests of mine include watching most sports on TV, playing Nintendo Wii, spending time outside, and catching up with friends and family.

I am very excited to go to Kenya again this year. I was fortunate to go there in 2007 to help open the eye clinic, and I am happy to go back to further the work that we started. It is nice to know that I can make a difference in so many people’s lives by just doing what I’ve been trained to do.

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…..

Past trips to Kenya

As we look forward to our departure for Kenya coming up in October, please enjoy a look back at our previous adventures.