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Rotary Global History Fellowship

"We live in the present, we dream of the future,

 but we learn from the past."

 

Why I Am A Rotarian

MAY 30, 2006

 

PDG Dave Fihn and dental students Arselle Fovs and Tina Voxland in 2006Our Dental Mission team was four and we traveled by dugout canoe on the Kruta River.  We worked in two different villages from sunup to sundown. 

 

The line of patients never finished.  Our working conditions were terrible. All of us were tired all the time but at the same time it was very satisfying, as what we were doing was certainly needed.

 

When we returned to Puerto Limpura, a town of only perhaps 1500 and a dirt runway for our military C-47, I spent some time with the resident physician who while meeting with me while doing his required duty to his country.

 

He was frankly not very interested in our work. Then I asked him while making polite conversation "Do you have any Polio in Honduras"?  "NO” he said, “we had a program called Polio Plus and now no more Polio -- It's wonderful" 

 

I said, "I know Polio Plus because I am a Rotarian".  This stranger of a few minutes ago, put his arm around me and with tears said, "Gracias mi Hermano"  (Thank you my Brother). 

 

This was one small, but profound moment for the Doctor and me.  Yes, I now have a brother in Honduras because Rotary cares.

 

Dave Fihn DDS

PDG Dist 5580 1985-'86

Rotary Club of Detroit Lakes, MN Noon

D5580

Section Home • www.historycomment.org/ • Michael W. Abdalla • Ben U.C. Aghazu • Geri A. Appel • Lennart Arfwidsson • Mian Shujja Ashraf • Kelly C. Atkinson • Wm. E. (Bill) Ballou • Edward and M. Patricia Blender • Maureen Bond • Alicia Caparros Botin • William B. Boyd • Ken Burgess • Sylvia Byers • Arnold R. Capuloy • Tony Cerato • Robert A. Cerwin • Linda Coble • Federico Compean III • Kent Converse • Michael Cooksey • Charles Cotten • Talee Crowe • Betsy Demaray • Mike Dennis • Frank J. Devlyn • Clifford L. Dochterman • Mounir Ezz Eldin • Glenn E. Estess, Sr. • Rosendo "Ross" A. Evangelio • Dave Fihn • Sandy Fleck • Bob Frakes • Herman T. Gamboa • Victoria Nanette Garcia • Mary Q. Garrison • Edgar D. (Ted) Gifford • Eldon Greer • Cathy Groves • Paul P. Harris • Sandy Hayes • Vimal Hemani • Florence Hui • Bill Huntley • Matts Ingemanson • Carolyn E. Jones • Joe Kagle • Anil Kale • Norma Beatriz Kalejman • Mohammed Rezaul Karim • Charles C. Keller • Norman F. Kloker • Garry Krischock • Peter Leslie • Ramon H. MacFarlane, Sr. • Jonathan B. Majiyagbe • Jack Mayo • Rodney Mazinter • Russ M. Miller • Fary Moini • Carlo Monticelli • Tom Moore • Susan Motter • Harvey Newcomb III • John Örtengren • Adewunmi Olu Oyewole • R Panchanadhan • Richard W. Passmore • Salomón Pesel • Carolyn W. Pierce • Carl S. Rosenbaum • Marcie Schmidt • Jack Selway • Dens W. L. Shao • John R. Sheehan • Jim Silver • Philip Smith • Anita Stangl • Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar • Jesse M. Tanchanco, Jr. • Abner S. Tayco • Cal Thomson • Charlie Thorp • Derek Tigwell • Cynthia Villis • Arlene Weber • Trevor Wilkins • Wilfred J. Wilkinson • David Williams • Stuart Williams • George M. Yeiter • Sandie R. Zander

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RGHF Mission: As an effort to serve others, RGHF accumulates and preserves the complete history, values and philosophy of the Rotary movement, as well as encourages others to do the same at every level of the Rotary movement, and publishes those histories, values and philosophies on the internet, as well as other forms of media as expedient. 17 March 2003, amended 20 December 2007, Rotary Global History Fellowship Board of Directors.

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