Spotlight on Service: Jan Schmeling Blend (Rogerson)
by Debbie Hutchison, December 1, 2010
When she addressed the 2009-2010 program graduates last Saturday, Jan Schmeling Blend (Rogerson), El Centro’s diagnostic ultrasound coordinator, told them: “It is up to you to give back and be the leader. Reach out to those in need.”
Blend speaks from experience, having volunteered her services as a sonographer over 20 years. Serving in Poland, China, Indonesia, Mexico and Guatemala, she said that her experiences rejuvenate her and make her a better teacher. (Above, Blend (Rogerson) prepares for surgery in San Raymundo, Guatemala.)
“I try to show my students that volunteer opportunities are great learning experiences,” she said. “While I was trying to make a difference in people’s lives, I also made lifelong friends and wonderful memories.”
Dr. LaCheeta McPherson, executive dean, Health and Legal Studies, said, “Blend (Rogerson) does a great job wherever she goes, especially in areas with primitive conditions.” And she recalled the years that the entire Allied Health Division participated in a humanitarian effort during the summer in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where Blend (Rogerson) was volunteering.
“We brought health services and donated medical supplies to the people, and the doctors there reciprocated by sharing best practices in working with the Hispanic population,” she explained. “We still have a close relationship with the clinic there.”
Jan’s latest excursion was a week in San Raymundo, Guatemala, in April 2010. “We traveled light, only taking one piece of luggage, two sheets and a pillow,” she explained. “We came back exhausted but happy.”
According to Dr. Ted Fogwell, OB/GYN, with whom she worked there, “Jan provided a critical service with her expertise in sonography. Her highly technical talent was especially visible when contrasted with the relative primitive setting for medical care at San Raymundo.” He added, “It is such a great gift to the people of Guatemala that such talented people will joyfully donate their time and proficiency to the indigent.”
Byron McKnight, DDS, was the April ServingHIM trip leader. “We have led trips to Guatemala for 15 years, starting with just two of us and growing to the latest groups of 50-70 volunteers,” he said. “The secret to the growth and ultimate impact of our mission efforts is selfless volunteers like Jan Schmeling Blend (Rogerson).
“Once she heard about the week-long trip to serve the neediest poor of Guatemala, she not only signed up, but also secured a source to loan her their sonogram equipment, becoming our one woman sonogram team,” he stated. The source was El Centro College; the equipment, its portable ultrasound unit.
“The value was immeasurable, as the surgical team was able to do gall bladder removals, hernia repairs, OB/GYN surgeries, and many others,” McKnight continued. “This year she has even done her best to recruit others to join us in April. I wish I had a bus full of folks like Jan!”