CRESTVIEW — Needy Belizeans in impoverished villages will receive medical supplies, health education and clinical treatments this month thanks to a local team.
Dr. Joseph Peter, of Crestview Pediatrics and Adolescent Center — along with 16 other volunteers — will visit the Central American country from Aug. 17 through Sept. 1. Four doctors, three registered nurses, a dietician, a respiratory therapist and a pharmacist are among those paying their way to help others.
It'll be the fifth consecutive visit for Peter, who organized fundraisers to purchase medical supplies for use at five villages. Volunteers also will take school supplies, a few toys and gardening seeds.
The trip is a first for registered nurses Fallon Simmons and Loren Wilkinson of Crestview.
Hearing about a co-worker's past medical mission inspired Simmons to join the effort.
“She said it was one the best experiences she ever had,” Simmons stated in an email. “I am personally looking forward to being able to help people who are much less fortunate than most of us.”
Wilkinson learned about the mission after taking her children to Peter’s office for evaluations.
“Hearing about the people his organization was able to help really inspired me to start (and) finish my nursing degree so that I can do my part to help others,” she said in a Facebook message.
It will be an “eye-opening experience” for both women, Peter said.
“They will learn what it is to practice medicine in a third world country,” he said. “We’re going to sweat from the time we land to the time we get back.”
HOW TO HELP
Click here and here to donate toward Fallon Simmons' and Loren Wilkinson's medical trip to Belize, respectively.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview volunteers prepare for medical mission trip