Programs: Special Initiatives

The Hidalgo Student Education Assistance Program has had a remarkable impact on the lives of the Hidalgo people.

In addition to our clinic programs, LMV undertakes various special initiatives that grow out of the close relationships that develop between our members and the communities we serve. Many of these special initiatives are chapter-specific.

Used Eyeglasses Program
LMV volunteers collect used eyeglasses from local optometrists to be recycled for use on our optometric trips, particularly to Mexico and Oasis. As part of this program, LMV collaborates with Folsom prison, which has a program with local Lions Clubs to collect, clean, grade, label, and package the glasses for trips. For more information, contact Don Wolf for South Bay chapter participation, or Tom Brenner for Gold Country chapter participation.

South Bay Christmas Families' Fund: Every December Rosie Camp and Eloise Torres collect donations to purchase food and gifts for Mexican families who are very much in need and otherwise would have little with which to celebrate Christmas. For more information, contact Rosie Camp.

Hidalgo Student Educational Assistance Program: LMV's South Bay chapter established this program to provide room and board assistance to Hidalgo high school students who cannot afford the required room and board costs to attend high school. Hidalgo does not have its own high school. The nearest is in Grenada, which is too far for daily commuting. As a result, students from Hidalgo have to pay their own room and board to attend school there, making high school attendance prohibitively expensive for some. LMV will match donors with a specific student; to be eligible, students must maintain passing grades, submit a photograph once a year, and submit a written report twice a year that will be shared with the donor. For more information, contact Marty Finefrock.

Wheelchair Program
LMV occasionally collaborates with organizations like the Wheelchair Foundation, the Free Wheechair Mission, and Rotary Clubs to deliver wheelchairs to clinic patients in locations we serve in Central America. For more information, contact Marian Stahl.

Angel Fund: LMV recognizes that not everyone who is qualified to volunteer for our trips has the money to do so. In part to help us fill short-notice spots on trips among volunteers with particular specializations (e.g., interpreters or healthcare support), LMV occasionally uses its "Angels Fund" to pay certain trip expenses for eligible volunteers. Eligibility is strictly needs-based, balancing our need for a volunteer with particular skills for a particular trip, with the ability of volunteers to pay for their trip expenses. For more information, contact the president of your nearest LMV chapter.

LMV Residents' Fund: Los Médicos Voladores welcomes physicians-in-training to fly with us on volunteer missions to Mexico. LMV can be a refreshing break from routine hospital and clinic work, and a valuable opportunity to reaffirm your vocation to help those in need. The fund covers LMV's membership fee and some or all of the trip fee for eligible residents and interns, depending on clinic location. (LMV provides the full coverage for the trip fee for clinics in Mexico or Oasis; support for Central America trips is more likely to be partial, and is decided on a case-by-case basis.)

Who qualifies? Physicians with an MD or DO degree who are currently enrolled full-time in an ACGME-approved internship, residency, or fellowship program are eligible to participate. Medical students who are currently enrolled full-time in an AAMC-approved MD or DO program, especially in their final two years, are also eligible, but available team positions may be limited and preference is given to medical school graduates. All physician specialties are welcome, especially primary care. Pre-medical students and board-certified/board-eligible physicians are not eligible. Non-physicians are also not eligible.

For more information, contact Dr. Clem Schrick.

Santa's Workshop Program
Every winter, High Sierra chapter runs a "Santa's Workshop" at Old Sierra Mountain Middle School in Truckee to benefit local Mexican families who would not otherwise have money to buy gifts as part of their Christmas celebrations. Volunteers gather small gifts that children can "buy" (for free) and wrap for their parents, and help wrap the gifts after they're selected. For more information, contact Rob Lober.