Past District Governor Paul Quintavalla gave a wonderful, heartfelt presentation at the breakfast program last week on Rotaplast International, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to helping children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities.
Child before clef lip surgery.
Rotaplast works with local professionals, Rotarians, and other organizations to send multidisciplinary medical teams to provide free reconstructive surgery, ancillary treatment, and training for comprehensive care for children.
Quintavalla explained that many of the countries where they have had missions in the past have the medical expertise to perform the procedures. However for various reasons, they choose not to help. This leaves many children and adults ostracized by their community and sometimes abandoned by family.
Child after clef lip surgery.
Rotaplast was founded in 1992 initially as a service project by members of the Rotary Club of San Francisco to facilitate a surgical program in La Serena, Chile. Quintavalla is the Past District Governor of Rotary District 7450, serves as Chair of the District’s Rotaplast Committee and on the Board of Rotaplast International.
Families awaiting surgery.
You can download his presentation which shows the remarkable changes to children's lives HERE.
Quintavalla has served on more than a dozen missions and is due to serve on the next mission in India. If you would like to volunteer for a future mission, contact Paul Quintavalla at quintavallapaulj@gmail.com.
Or, you can make an online donation.
If you are a Rotarian, I hope that you are proud of the work that you do. If you are not yet a member, contact us to join.
Find out how you can become a member of the Rotary Club of Chestnut Hill or make a donation to the Chestnut Hill Rotary Foundation.
