There are some wonderful people living here in Santa Cruz County. They give, they share, they smile, and then they give some more. Some of these unsung heroes, like small-aircraft pilot Bill Rush of Boulder Creek, have been using what once were weekend-getaways to set up free clinics in small towns in Mexico and Baja California to treat patients who otherwise wouldn’t receive medical and dental care.
On one of those weekend getaways many years ago, Rush and his friends, increasingly cognizant of the harsh living conditions of the locals of whom they’d become quite fond, decided to do something about it. Since the only clinics available to these families were prohibitively far away, and their towns were not covered by any other organizations, Rush and fellow traveler Tom Hoganco-founded “Comunidad Para Baja California” with volunteer doctors, dentists and translators. Equipped with lawn chairs, flashlights, doctor’s satchels and a lot of good will, Rush and his passengerscame to incarnate the saying, “If the mountain won’t go to Mohammed . . .”
Rush and his passengers each contribute $250 for gas and other traveling necessities and they head out on their “Mexican vacation”, to share the wealth, so to speak, with our neighbors to the south. Undaunted by the task at hand, with as many as a 100 people lined up since early morning, these long-awaited doctors from “el Norte” (the North) calmly treat one person at a time.
Realizing the wisdom of the saying,”Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,”Rush and his dedicated volunteers go even further. They educate the parents and their children about correct dental hygiene, sometimes in separate tents, and sometimeswhile they’re standing in line.
Speaking of education, one of Baja Comunidad’s most stirring successes has been their BECA Scholarship Program, which pays for indigenous children to go to middle and high school, since the Mexican government only provides education through the sixth grade. In 2008, at its inception, BECAsponsored 140 elementary-school students. The program has expanded greatly, sponsoring a total of 267 BECA students in 2017: 58 to attend college and 209 high & middle-school students. All of this has been accomplished through generous donations, where $150 pays for fees and other necessities for a student to attend the next school year.
Baja Comunidadhas joined forces with local groups, and even the Mexican government, to provide essential infrastructural services to towns, benefitting the whole community. For example, they’ve brought potable water to entire towns, and built bathrooms and installed fans and heaters for schools. Rush’s non-profit organization has proven so successful that it’s still going strong fourteen years later, and it’s been having a wonderful trickle-down effect: the younger generation is even more interested in preventative care and in following a healthy lifestyle than their parents were.
Rush explains, “These young people have seen the missing teeth in the smiles of their parents, and they don’t want to follow the same path. Some have cell phones and access to the internet, and they share with each other, developing new ideas of health & beauty. They want to learn from their parents’ mistakes.
Baja Comunidad has room for new doctors, dentists and assistants. If you have time to volunteer, contact Bill Rush at 408-499-5088, or visit their website at www.bajacomunicad.org. To donate, contact Tina Hogan at 408-234-1080.
- Lyse Clivaz McGilvery is both a teacher and student with a passion for Boulder Creek. She can be reached at ly***********@ya***.com.
