Thursday February 4, 2010
LITCHFIELD - Matthew and Audrey Blondin made their annual trip
to the tropics in January, as usual, it was far from a vacation
The Blondin's participated in a humanitarian mission to San Juan del
Sur,
Nicaragua that was sponsored by the Connecticut Chapter of Volunteer
Optometric Services to Humanity. Matthew Blondin, an optometrist in
Torrington, founded the state chapter in 2001 and with his wife, a
former
selectman, has led nine missions to San Juan del Sur. This year they
were joined by their daughter, Rose, a junior at Emmanuel College in
Boston.
Kevin Creed, another former selectman, also made the trip. The
Blondin's
were among 45 volunteers who conducted a four day clinic that drew
2,853 patients for eye exams and treatment of eye diseases. The group
included six optometrists, two opticians and 15 optometry students from
University of California at Berkeley and the Netherlands. The mission
proved
one of the most challenging for the Blondins and their fellow
volunteers.
Of the 65 boxes of supplies VOSH sent to Nicaragua in the fall, only 35
made it out of customs. Many of the boxes that reached San Juan del Sur
were ransacked. "We made the best with what we had under the
circumstances," Audrey Blondin said, "and were fortunate that most of
the
eyeglasses we had sent down were available for the patients."
The Blondins and their fellow volunteers also handed out a lat of candy,
including four large bags of lollipops donated by LaMonica's Restaurant
in
Torrington.
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