Volunteers load a truck with medical supplies that were collected for a clinic in Honduras. (Photo courtesy of St. Francis de Sales High School)

Joe Tafelski, a 1964 St. Francis graduate, served as last year’s chairman of Toledo Rotary’s International Service Committee, which helps coordinate activities between Toledo Rotary and MESA — Medical and Emergency Supplies Abroad, a project sponsored by the Northwest Ohio Rotary Clubs.

The purpose of MESA is to help facilitate international service projects by collecting and shipping equipment, technology and volunteerism to meet humanitarian needs throughout the world. In addition, MESA tries to get the word out to physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities about its programs and solicits donations of new or used equipment and supplies. MESA has a warehouse in Findlay where donations are stored while money is raised for the shipment.

Earlier this year MESA adopted the medical clinic in Santa Cruz de Yoro, Honduras as a project. At the time the building was a mess. Since then, the town’s people have renovated the property.

MESA has already made one shipment to furnish the clinic with supplies having a value exceeding $400,000 plus clothing, shoes and assorted meds.

Mr. Tafelski saw the need and began coordinating the donation of medical supplies and equipment with help from a local physician and St. Francis graduate of 1968, Chris Bates. He also received assistance from The Blade and a group of high school Rotary Club members from St. Francis.

Dr. Bates was moving his practice from downtown Toledo to Sylvania. At Mr. Tafelski’s request, Dr. Bates agreed to donate his old equipment to MESA.

In need of a truck, Mr. Tafelski contacted Joe Zerbey, president and general manager of The Blade, who is an active member of Toledo Rotary and the International Service Committee. Through the generosity of The Blade, Mr. Zerbey was able to provide a truck and ship everything to MESA’s Findlay warehouse along with other equipment and supplies from ProMedica and Mercy Health Partners that The Blade had been storing for MESA.

Mr. Tafelski needed only one more piece to pull this project together: muscle power. He contacted Jim Gill, moderator of the St. Francis de Sales Interact Club, which is the high school chapter of Rotary, to enlist the help of some student volunteers.

On the last day of final exams a large group of students and Blade employees helped Mr. Tafelski move four large examination tables and other miscellaneous supplies and equipment onto the truck. The group then walked to The Blade building and finished loading the truck with the equipment donated by ProMedica and Mercy Health Partners.

Everything was trucked that day to the MESA warehouse in Findlay where Rotarians from the Findlay chapter unloaded it. It now awaits shipment to the medical clinic in Honduras.

The cost for shipments can be quite expensive and is running approximately $10,000 per shipment.

It is the desire of the Honduran people to have a dental, medical and birthing clinic. The equipment accumulated is to serve most of these requests, and six doctors will work the clinic.

All MESA international projects are done in partnership with a local Rotary Club in the host country. Accountability is important in the process to assure that the equipment to be shipped is properly used. MESA relies on the local Rotary Club to oversee the delivery and use of the equipment. Rotarians from northwest Ohio also travel to the host countries to provide hands-on help and training.

The Rotary Club of Toledo is the 15th largest Rotary Club in the world with 450 members. It is part of Rotary International, which has 32,000 clubs in over 200 countries, with more than 1.2 million members.

For more information on MESA visit www.rotarydistrict6600.org.