Two ophthalmic students from Volunteer State Community College traveled to Guatemala as part of a Hendersonville Rotary mission trip. While there, they conducted eye exams and fitted over 220 people with glasses. Many of those they helped had been unable to see properly for years. The experience highlighted the extreme poverty and lack of access to healthcare in Guatemala. It also provided the students with practical experience and perspective on global health issues.

1. Office of Public Relations
Contact: Eric Melcher
615-230-3570
Vol State students bring vision to Guatemala needy
during Hendersonville Rotary Mission
They kept wondering why the bus driver didn’t stop for speed bumps. After a while it
became apparent he probably couldn’t see them. Luckily, these Volunteer State
Community College students had just the tools to help.
“He came in and I covered each of his eyes,” said ophthalmic student Courtney Perkins.
“He couldn’t even see the big E. I said ‘good heavens’. I managed to find a pair of
glasses for him. Then he was able to see the 20/20 line. I can’t believe he was almost
blind.”
“Now we know the bus driver is the first person you need to check,” said fellow student
Thor Hendrickson, with a laugh.
The Vol State students just returned from Guatemala City as part of a Hendersonville
Rotary mission trip. It was an experience they say they will never forget. They witnessed
extreme poverty, felt frustration at the lack of medical facilities, and in the end, just did
their best to help.
This is the eleventh year for the mission, which helps children at the Remar and Safe
Passage Orphanages. Last year, Vol State students prepared thousands of eyeglasses for
the mission. This year two of the students went along, to give eye tests and help fit
prescriptions.
Volunteer State Community College, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066
Phone: 615-230-3570 Fax: 615-230-3572 eric.melcher@volstate.edu

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“It was harder than I expected. It was heart breaking,” said Perkins. “There were
hundreds of people in line to get into the clinic. It was overwhelming to see all of those
people and know that there was no way to help them all.”
They did fit more than 220 people for glasses. Perkins remembers a five-year-old boy
named Jorge who wasn’t even part of the orphanage. He was in school down the street
and heard that kids were getting glasses. He walked out of school and stood in the line by
himself.
“He couldn’t see the black board at school and so he came to us to get glasses,” Perkins
said.
She also recalls an elderly woman who was all smiles after being fitted for reading
glasses. She hadn’t been able to read her bible in years.
“There were some people that when you put the glasses on just light up,” said
Hendrickson. “When you put those glasses on, and they can see, they just radiate. It
changes their life.”
It’s international learning for the students. Volunteer State is putting a big emphasis on
such experiences, as a way to help make students better citizens of the world.
“The world is shrinking. We’re becoming a global society, a global economy,” said Dr.
John Espey, Business Dean at Volunteer State. “It’s becoming more important that we
know about other cultures. It’s going to help students be aware of conditions in other
countries and have a significant cultural experience.”
Volunteer State Community College, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066
Phone: 615-230-3570 Fax: 615-230-3572 eric.melcher@volstate.edu

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“I never knew I could react that way under such pressure,” said Perkins. “It makes getting
an education worth while.”
“You realize just what you have to offer. This isn’t just a clinic where everything is
routine,” said Hendrickson. “There you had to use any method you could to find out the
prescription. It was the practical use of everything we learned in class, things you thought
you would never use, or see, here in the United States.”
The Guatemala mission is also an example of service learning. It’s an opportunity for
students to take skills and ideas they learned in the classroom, out into the community.
The idea is to broaden the educational approach and help people in the same effort.
Volunteer State has many service learning projects each semester, most of which take
place closer to home.
The Guatemala mission brought medical, vision and dental help to more than 600 people
during the week long trip. The effort was started by Gallatin residents Dave and Diane
Black, and Hendersonville Dentist Dr. Bill Taylor. The mission trip is planned again for
next year, and organizers could use additional monetary support and help with supplies.
Rotary organizer S.T. Womeldorf says eyeglasses for children are especially needed.
“We going to concentrate and get more children’s glasses donated and if not we’ll buy
some,” said Womeldorf.
The Vol State students say one thing will stick with them for years: the dozens of people
who had to be turned away.
“You just want to pack them all up in your suitcase and take them home,” Perkins said.
Volunteer State Community College, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066
Phone: 615-230-3570 Fax: 615-230-3572 eric.melcher@volstate.edu

4. Office of Public Relations
Donations of children’s eyeglasses will be accepted at the Hendersonville Rotary. For
more information about the Hendersonville Rotary Mission to Guatemala visit the
website www.hendersonvillerotary.org/guatemala
For information about the ophthalmic program at Vol State visit
www.volstate.edu/OphthalmicTech
###
Editors: We have attached four photos. The first shows a five year old boy who received
glasses. The cut line can read Five year-old Jorge couldn’t see the blackboard at
school, until Vol State student Courtney Perkins fitted him with glasses. The second
shows three women. The cut line can read New glasses will help this elderly woman
read for the first time in many years. She is shown here with Left: Stephanie, a
Rotary interpreter from Guatemala and right, Vol State student Courtney Perkins.
The third picture shows four people next to a wall. The cut line can read: This bus driver
(left) was having real trouble seeing the road, until he was fitted with glasses. Shown
here with Vol State students Courtney Perkins and Thor Hendrickson, and a local
guide.
The final picture was taken recently at Hendersonville Rotary. The cut line can read
The Hendersonville Rotary recognized Volunteer State Community College and the
two ophthalmic students who went to Guatemala to prescribe glasses. Thor
Hendrickson and Courtney Perkins prescribed over 220 glasses for those in need of
eye care during the trip. Photo left to right: Dr. Bill Taylor, Kim Kim, Pat
Lebeuchker, S.T. Womeldorf, Courtney Perkins, Kathleen Moore, Steven “Thor”
Hendricson, Jayson Tabor, Rip Lebeuchker (kneeling).
About Vol State
Volunteer State Community College has more than 90 programs of study and offers two-
year degrees, certificates and paths to university transfer. Continuing Education and
Workforce Development extends the college mission to the entire community. For more
information, visit volstate.edu.
Tennessee’s Community Colleges
Volunteer State Community College, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066
Phone: 615-230-3570 Fax: 615-230-3572 eric.melcher@volstate.edu

5. Office of Public Relations
Tennessee’s Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality,
affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their
educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associates degree and
certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-
year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.
Volunteer State Community College, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066
Phone: 615-230-3570 Fax: 615-230-3572 eric.melcher@volstate.edu

6. Office of Public Relations
Tennessee’s Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality,
affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their
educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associates degree and
certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-
year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.
Volunteer State Community College, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066
Phone: 615-230-3570 Fax: 615-230-3572 eric.melcher@volstate.edu