Dr. Robert Foote ’75 administers free eye care to a woman in La Esperanza, Honduras.
Dr. Dale Nester ’75 performs dental work on one of the 1,100 Hondurans who visited the free clinic where he volunteered in March.
By: Laurie Eccles
Public Relations Writer
On their most recent trip to Honduras in March, Alma College alumni, Dr. Robert Foote ’75 and Dr. Dale Nester ’75, provided free eye and dental care to 1,100 Hondurans.
Almost every year since 1993, Foote, an optometrist from Traverse City, has traveled to Central America to administer free eye care through Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity Michigan Chapter (VOSH-MI) Mission to La Esperanza, Honduras. Foote prescribes glasses, treats eye infections and performs cataract surgery.
He has made such a large impact on the community that the Lions Club in La Esperanza constructed the Robert Foote Optometry Clinic in 2000. When Foote is not in La Esperanza, a local doctor in the Lions Club operates the clinic.
Foote and Nester, a dentist in Ithaca, were roommates at Alma College and often discussed undertaking service projects. When the Lions Club in La Esperanza inquired about adding dental care to the successful optometry program, Nester took a weekend journey to La Esperanza with Foote in 2002 to evaluate the situation and determine what the town needed. Upon returning to the United States, Nester started raising funds and securing equipment for the March trip. In addition to support from local Lions and Rotary Clubs, dental companies donated equipment, and the Lake Huron Presbytery provided a $4,000 grant to purchase portable dental units.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Nester about his trip. “I knew it would be an adventure and I knew our work would be appreciated because the people have so little.” Although he thought he would perform mostly extractions, Nester found that fillings and other restorative work made more of a difference for residents. He also encountered numerous challenges, including equipment that did not operate at full capacity because there was not enough electricity. “Now that we have a better understanding of how things work down there, we can do more next time,” said Nester, who hopes to return annually and recruit his colleagues for a “dentists only” trip in the near future.
Foote and Nester also would like to coordinate a trip to La Esperanza during Alma College’s spring break so students could accompany them. “It would give pre-medical students the opportunity to see first-hand how medical professionals are service professionals,” Nester explained. Spanish-speaking students could serve as translators.
“I encourage everyone to do things they don’t think they could,” Nester said. “You find out a lot about yourself when you move outside your comfort zone.”
