Teamwork, serendipity help Rotary Club aid Flying Samaritans

A combination of teamwork, determination and serendipity were all at play when the Rotary Club of Folsom donated a van to a beloved cause - the Flying Samaritans. During its Oct. 24 meeting, the Rotary Club of Folsom, along with other Rotarians in the region, joyfully handed the keys of the much-needed van to the President of the Mother Lode Chapter of the Flying Samaritans. The Flying Samaritans is an international organization which serves clinics in the area of Baja, California, with expert volunteers offering free medical, dental, optometry, orthopedic and allied medical help to people in need. This organization is near and dear to Rotarians, with many members who have participated in these missions for years. Pilots volunteer their planes and time, and fly small groups of volunteers into clinic areas such as San Quintin for a weekend, where they provide help to hundreds of people during that short time period. Crews also rely on a van for transport on the ground, yet their current van is in dire shape to the point that it's unsafe. "The vehicle we have is literally dangerous. It's so rusty it was becoming a safety hazard," said Peter Lelievre, President of the Mother Lode Chapter of Flying Samaritans But an 11-seat van was out of the Flying Samaritan's budget. Rotary Club of Folsom President Ramesh Dontha said when the Flying Samaritans reached out for help in finding a new van, the club heeded the call. The board approved a $12,000 donation for a van, but finding one in that price range didn't seem possible. That's where serendipity came in. As it turned out, the Rotary Club of Arden Arcade owned a van they no longer needed and were looking to sell it. "They were planning to buy a larger van and even though their current van is worth more than $12,000, they decided to sell it (to us) for $12,000, which means they are also donating it in kind to some extent," explained Dontha. Christine Jensen, the President of the Rotary Club in Arden Arcade, said this was a win-win for everyone involved; like the Folsom Chapter, their club has close ties to the Flying Samaritans. "For us, when we had this opportunity to partner with (the Folsom chapter) and make this happen, it was a no brainer," said Jensen. "We feel so passionate about the mission that Flight Samaritans has, we were happy to facilitate and make this work, whatever we could do." The Flying Samaritans are beyond grateful to receive this van so they can seamlessly continue their work. Pilot Peter Lelievre has been volunteering his plane and flying skills since 2012 and now goes on a mission 6-8 times per year. Lelievre said he also often helps out in the clinic any way that he can; he will always remember one particular case that got him hooked. "The big moment for me is when I was working in optical and an elderly couple … came in and their eye tests were really bad; they could hardly see," said Lelievre. "We did the full prescription, and when they put both their glasses on and looked at each other, you could tell that this couple had not seen each other for a long, long time. And it was very, very touching … we were all in tears. When you do something simple like that and it makes such a difference in people's lives, I'm totally hooked." Longtime Rotary Club of Folsom member James Padgett is a chiropractor and has gone on ten Flying Samaritan missions; when he goes to the clinic, there are lines of people waiting to see him and it's not uncommon for him to work on 50 patients in one day. It's hard, exhausting work but also so fulfilling. "When somebody stands up and says, 'I immediately feel so much better, thank you.' … There's nothing that compares to that," said Padgett. "Down there with people I can't communicate with, but the pain they have and don't have, there's no borders for that, you know?" Because this effort came together so perfectly, the Rotarians were especially celebratory; Dontha said this is an example of the club's motto, "Better together." There was red tape and complicated details and paperwork behind the scenes that needed to be sorted out before the key hand-off. but the group made it happen, together. "Making these kinds of things happen is not an easy job," said Dontha. "In the end, it seems very easy, but all of the Rotarians are volunteers … and it feels good when you can move a small mountain here to make these things happen."