Rotaplast International

A cute story that we thought you would enjoy.

Thank you Michael for supporting Rotaplast for your birthday fundraiser! And more importantly, thank you for your incredible commitment to Rotaplast by being an anesthesiologist on 34 Rotaplast missions since 2003! We cannot wait till the temporary pause of missions due to Covid-19 ends and to be with you on a future mission. Happy Birthday Michael!

We recently lost a great surgeon who contributed his skills and time on Rotaplast missions in India and Venezuela, and was a great humanitarian. Dr. Holman will be missed. Paul David Holman, M.D., age 77, of Santa Fe, New Mexico and Charlottesville, Virginia died August 13, 2020 after an extended battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was the son of Wallace D. and Rosalie (Shimek) Holman. Dr. Holman was born in Waynesboro, Virginia on March 13, 1943, attended public schools ...in Waynesboro, and graduated from the University of Virginia in 1965 (Phi Beta Kappa) and Jefferson Medical College in 1968. He completed his medical internship and General Surgery residency at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC. He served in the United States Navy (LCDR) as the ship’s surgeon on the USS Intrepid during 1970-1972. Dr. Holman then completed an additional 2-year residency in Plastic Surgery at the Phoenix Plastic Surgery Residency Program, and post-residency fellowships in Sweden and Australia focusing on reconstructive plastic surgery. Dr. Holman returned to Arizona and practiced medicine in Phoenix at Phoenix Children’s, Good Samaritan, and St. Joseph’s hospitals. He served for 27 years on the Children’s Rehabilitative Services staff and was the President of the Maricopa County Plastic Surgeons’ Society. As a volunteer, Dr. Holman operated on hundreds of children living on remote Indian reservations assisting with the correction of cleft lip and palate, burn scarring, and other congenital deformities. Dr. Holman’s retirement years were spent primarily in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In retirement, he travelled to India and Venezuela with RotaPlast International, Inc. surgical teams, continuing to use his professional skills to transform the lives of patients with physical deformities. Paul was an artist, a woodworker, a musician, an angler, a naturalist, and a world traveler. He began painting in his early teens and continuing well into retirement. He loved mountain music, made and played dulcimers and built beautiful furniture, much from a mesquite tree grown in his yard. He loved the Native American and Spanish cultures of the southwest. His brother Mark Holman died in 2016. He is survived by his brother, John Holman (Kathryn) of Annapolis, Maryland, his sister, Susan McShane (Michael) of Keswick, Virginia, and nephews Luke of Arlington, Virginia, Thomas (Maile) of San Francisco, California, and James (Kaitlin) of Brookhaven, Georgia. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery in Waynesboro, Virginia. Respecting Paul’s wishes, the family asks that charitable donations be made to RotaPlast International, Inc.

A Letter to the Rotaplast Family - When we started planning for a Rotaplast mission nearly thirty years ago, as a World Community Service Project of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, we never thought our dream would be so successful and take on a life of its own. What was to be a single mission to La Serena, Chile, became a Rotary movement that has produced 220 missions to 26 different countries. The results include life-changing surgery for over 20,000 patients, and the joy ...of service to others for so many volunteers. We are so proud of the Rotaplast Family of individual Rotarians, Rotary Clubs, and Rotary Districts, medical and non-medical volunteers, along with our valued non Rotarian, donors and volunteers, all of whom have volunteered their time, talent, and treasure to make the world a better place. Our gratitude extends not only to those across the United States but to our many volunteers from around the world especially in our host countries. Many of you have become as dedicated as us in our work, and we are excited that the opportunity to serve has been extended to over 2,000 volunteers. We sincerely thank you all. The Covid-19 pandemic has unfortunately brought a temporary pause to our plans until international travel is feasible, and we can safely send surgical teams around the world again. We expect to return stronger and with renewed energy and enthusiasm to help thousands more have a better life. We ask for your prayers and good thoughts to make this possible. As you plan your charitable giving in the coming months, please remember Rotaplast International and the life changing work we do. We want to be ready to promptly send new missions once it is safe. In the meantime, God bless and take care. Angelo Capozzi MD and Peter Lagarias, Co-Founders of Rotaplast

Rotaplast lost a dear friend on May 29, 2020 with the passing of Terry (Hodskins) Fullum. It was Terry’s inspiration nearly 20 years ago that led to the founding of the project Wrap-A-Smile to provide quilted blankets to Rotaplast’s postoperative patients. Terry was a second generation Rotarian and long-time active member of the Wells Rotary Club, joining on June 1st 1987, less than a month after women were first allowed to join. She served as club president in 2014-2015 and ...was a long time board member. Three times she was made a Paul Harris Fellow, and received the Service Above Self Award in 2013 for her demonstrated exemplary humanitarian service to others. When members of her club planned to take part in a Rotaplast service project in Central America to fix cleft lips and palates in children, she heard that post surgery, the children were wrapped in paper blankets, and this was not acceptable to her. So,with her love of quilting, she began the Wrap-A-Smile Program through Rotary. To date, with the work of hundreds of volunteers, including many non-Rotarians, over 25 thousand hand quilted blankets have been produced and distributed to children worldwide,that were then wrapped in their own quilt, post surgery. The most recent quilts made all included a panel with a T in her honor. She will be missed, not only by Rotary and Rotaplast, but by children around the world. More information on Wrap-a-Smile at https://wrapasmilequilts.blogspot.com

Rotaplast International is pleased to report that for a fourth consecutive year we earned the coveted 4-STAR RATING from Charity Navigator! This rating is the highest possible rating for nonprofit organizations and indicates Rotaplast International’s excellent financial health as well as its commitment to transparency, accountability and efficient management. The rating and our mission is enhanced by the loyal, ongoing support of our volunteers, generous donors, Rotarians and staff.

Rotaplast International is pleased to report that for a third consecutive year we earned the coveted 4-STAR RATING from Charity Navigator! This rating is the highest possible rating for nonprofit organizations and indicates Rotaplast International’s excellent financial health as well as its commitment to transparency, accountability and efficient management. The rating and our mission is enhanced by the loyal, ongoing support of our volunteers, generous donors, Rotarians and staff.

The mission to Arusha,Tanzania has returned! Thanks to our generous sponsors, volunteers and hosts, the mission was a complete success. http://rotaplast.org/2017/06/day-5-whatsapp/

Rotaplast International's mission to Tanzania has returned. Seventy-one patients received care and seventy-one lives have been changed for the better! http://rotaplast.org/2016/06/arusha-tanzania-2016-day-3/

Our mission to Lima, Peru has returned, continuing our tradition of care in Lima. Thank you to our generous donors and volunteers. And a special thank you to our hosts Club Rotario El Rimac. http://rotaplast.org/2016/05/11887/

Our mission to Chittagong, Bangladesh was a success! Thanks to the Rotary Club of Agrabad for their support and our generous sponsors, The Charlotte Geyer Foundation and The Rotary District 5130. http://rotaplast.org//chittagong-bangladesh-2016-our-fina/

In October of 2015, Rotaplast celebrated 12 missions and 1,000 patients in Cebu City, Philippines. We are beyond thankful for our hosts the Rotary Club of Cebu City Port Center as well as mission sponsors District 7930, the Charlotte Geyer Foundation, and the San Francisco Rotary Foundation. Click the link below to experience our 12th mission to Cebu City, Philippines. http://rotaplast.org/all/missions/2015-cebu-city/

We currently have two missions underway, one in Faridabad, India and another in Sylhet, Bangladesh. These medical missions provide free surgeries to children and adults and serve as a humanitarian platform for cross cultural communication and understanding. Click the links below to read about the missions. Faridabad, India: http://rotaplast.org/all/missions/2015-new-delhi/ Sylhet, Bangladesh: http://rotaplast.org/all/missions/2015-sylhet/ ... (The Sylhet mission is currently underway, posts will be added daily) See more