Projects - Nicaraguan Ambulance

print this page

The Rotary Club of North Ridgeville, Club #3496, in cooperation with the City of North Ridgeville and Rotary District #6630 outfitted and supplied a decommissioned 1995 Navistar ambulance that was donated to the needy citizens of Managua, Nicaragua.  These folks have a group of dedicated firefighters and EMTs that simply lack the equipment needed to save lives.  A recent donation of a fire truck by another Rotary club is credited with saving the lives of three children in the first week of operation.  Unfortunately the lack of usable equipment is also responsible for unnecessary loss of lives.  We wanted to change that.

On February 23, 2009, our club handed off the keys to our ambulance to Past District Governor Jack Young.  This outdated ambulance that once served the residents of North Ridgeville will continue its service in Nicaragua. According to the United Nations, nearly one-third of the population in Nicaragua lives in poverty and another 46.5% are underemployed. Additionally, very few have access to medical care.

Past District Governor Jack Young waves goodbye to the North Ridgeville Rotarians as he drives off in the ambulance to start its journey to Nicaragua.

Many of the North Ridgeville Rotarians didn't want to miss the send off of our ambulance.  Pictured from left to right are Denny Johnson, Craig Phillips, Carl Commons, Emil Bagi, Shawn Mueller, Adam Sonnhalter, Paul Graupmann, Fire Chief Rick Miller, Dave Gillock, Chuck Sword, & Past District Governor Jack Young.  Not pictured, photographer Kathy LeRoy.

Thanks to all of our generous donors, the ambulance was packed full with medical supplies.

On February 6, 2009 Mayor David Gillock handed off the title of the 14-year-old ambulance to Adam Sonnhalter, President of Rotary Club 3496 in North Ridgeville. 

Above from left to right (Club President Adam Sonnhalter, Mayor David Gillock, Fire Chief Richard Miller)

“We are a proud part of this global nation and we are very glad to help the citizens of Nicaragua,” said Gillock, who is also a member of the North Ridgeville Rotary Club. “We can help another country through Rotary – to make an impact in Nicaragua. It will be a blessing to them.”

Dennis Johnson, North Ridgeville Safety Service Director, was the catalyst for the ambulance project. He and fellow Rotarian Gillock were talking about a similar project where a Rotary Club sent an outdated emergency vehicle abroad to foster goodwill. Knowing that the fire department was about to decommission an ambulance due to its age and outdated technology, Johnson started talks with North Ridgeville Fire Chief Richard Miller.

Rotary members help load supplies into the ambulance.  From left to right, Shawn Mueller,

Emil Bagi, Dennis Johnson, Adam Sonnhalter, David Gillock.

According to Mayor Gillock, City Council also played a role by writing legislation to allow the city to sell the vehicle for $1 and then be sent to Nicaragua. Jack Young, a Past District Governor for Rotary District 6630 (the district to which the North Ridgeville club belongs), will facilitate the transportation first to Houston and then on to Nicaragua.

In addition to the Rotary Club and the city of North Ridgeville, area hospitals and medical organizations also helped with the project by stuffing the ambulance with medical supplies. St. John West Shore Hospital, Fairview Hospital, The Cleveland Clinic, MedWish International, and Life Care were among the many hospitals and organizations that donated gloves, gauze, bandages, cold packs, syringes, stethoscopes, surgical tapes, backboards, alcohol preps – anything and everything a well-stocked ambulance should have.

“This [vehicle] outlived its usefulness as a premium ambulance here, but in a third-world country like Nicaragua, it will be spectacular,” said Fire Chief Miller. “Something as simple as alcohol preps will be a great improvement to what they are equipped with now.”

Not only did the hospitals get on board with the project, ER doctors donated money out of pocket to help buy other supplies and defray some of the transportation costs.

“The area hospitals have been phenomenal,” said Gillock. “They opened their doors and told us to take what we needed. This outdated ambulance will now continue to serve in the capacity it was built for, rather than finish out its life as a tool vehicle.”