9-1-1 Guatemala's Master List of Accomplishments!

The 9-1-1 Guatemala project was a volunteer-based effort to aid the rural area of Polochic, Guatemala. As an account of True Blue Communications and a project adopted by the non-profit organization Charity Anywhere Foundation, student and professional volunteers succeeded in fundraising approximately $7,500 to be distributed as aid to the under developed area.

Through these efforts the group purchased and transported the first full size ambulance to the National Hospital of La Tinta, Guatemala. Also given to the hospital were hundreds of articles of medical supplies collected from Cache Valley clinics, health centers, and medical supply hubs. Hundreds of handmade wooden cars made by Happy Toys were donated to the hospital’s postnatal unit along with dozens of additional toys from individual donors. Six children’s wheelchairs were also delivered, donated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

9-1-1 Guatemala delivered 154 newborn baby kits, 48 hygiene kits, 302 cloth diapers, and dozens of bars of soap donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to Talita Kumi, a local Guatemalan aid organization. Also delivered to Talita Kumi were hundreds of wooden cars donated by Happy Toys, 53 birthday kits donated by a Sunday school in Malad, Idaho, 96 notebooks donated by Marla Dredge, approximately 10,000 children’s vitamins and a desktop computer donated by Charity Anywhere Foundation, and a digital camera donated by Danielle Dredge.

Training curricula was also created by volunteers, in behalf of Talita Kumi, to use as community health trainings in the area. Created courses covered diarrhea prevention and treatment, proper construction of latrines, and nutrition and supplementation during pregnancy and breast feeding. Many of the same volunteers who had created the courses taught their material to congregated mothers in communities during the expedition to Guatemala.

Dozens more classes were prepared by a registered nurse instructor at Eastern Idaho Technical College: Kim Starr. Some of the classes prepared by Starr were hand hygiene, basic first aid for cuts, scrapes and burns, treatment of fever, proper preparation of meats, choking prevention, and many more. Some of these trainings were also taught by volunteers during the expedition and all were donated to Talita Kumi as material for future community health trainings. Every course was translated from English to Spanish by bilingual volunteers.

During the same expedition, 15 project volunteers traveled to Guatemala and constructed a mud-slide retention wall directly above a lower income residential area. The retention wall, located in the community of Nahaula, was being constructed by community members until the lack of resources caused them to stop construction. With donated funds and volunteer labor, the 9-1-1 Guatemala project paid for additional needed material and finished the retention wall.

Expedition members also installed a roof and windows, and painted a school classroom in the community of San Nicolas. Construction materials and equipment were provided by Charity Anywhere Foundation, and the National Hospital of La Tinta, and the 9-1-1 Guatemala project.

Throughout the project True Blue Communication students coordinated with media outlets in order to publicize the charity effort and fundraising events. Coverage of the 9-1-1 Guatemala project included ten articles in newspapers located from Cache Valley, Utah, to Pocatello, Idaho, one radio interview with Cache Valley’s KVNU, a website, a Facebook page, a YouTube video linked from all media, several large banners, and hundreds of posters and leaflets.

Fundraising events were organized by the 9-1-1 Guatemala group and True Blue Communications. These included two charity concerts, participating in two holiday parades, participating with an MTV television show, erecting donation booths at holiday celebrations, asking for donations in exchange for gift cards donated from restaurants and other local businesses, and participating in a Texas Roadhouse fundraising night.

Large donations were also received from Bill Aycock and Kim Starr who contributed $1,500, along with Dr. Thayne Hales who gathered $2,000 from other medical doctors and dentists to contribute to the cause. Another large contributor, Charity Anywhere Foundation, contributed approximately $1,500, construction material, and medical and hygiene supplies.

Volunteers who traveled to Guatemala and endured long drives, questionable food, and foreign surroundings to participate in the construction and community trainings are Brooke Francom, Nick and Lauren Hancey, Josh Hancey, Myles Asay, Danielle Dredge, Tressa Gilbert, Jameson Gilbert, Chris and Natalie Curtis, David Sherwood, and Katie Kealin, Paul Oja, and Jesse Dredge.

Other Guatemalan volunteers who made the project possible were Pedro, Jerson, and Mario from the hospital, Herbert Cu from Talita Kumi, and the Tzep family in Nahaula.

I can't express how thankful I am personally for everyones participation and sacrifice to make this possible. But none of you did this for me, and that is what made it a success.

Jesse Dredge