POSTED: MARCH 2007
STORY BY DEE DEE NGUYEN

"A Man, A Van and A Mission"

Meet Mel Potter. A passionate EMW supporter, he worked tirelessly to bring a Mobile Dental Unit to the EMW Dental Program in Central Vietnam

Mel Potter is a man on a mission. You probably wouldn’t know it by his humble demeanor, but Mel Potter is man driven by his passion to help Vietnam.

Mel’s history with Vietnam goes back to 1967. During his Vietnam tour with the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry, he visited Montagnard villages in the Central Highlands, assisting Medi-Cap units in providing basic medical services to local families. Along with a fellow veteran, Mel returned to Vietnam in 1998, and visited the areas of Kon Tum and Plei Ku, returning to many of the sites where he was stationed years ago, including the same wooden church that he watched over during his tour. And for the past three years, he has dedicated all of his time, resources and efforts in the hopes of delivering a mobile dental van to the young children of that region of central Vietnam.

Years ago, Mel worked on several projects to deliver donated medical equipment and supplies to Vietnam to the local Red Cross. During this period, Mel met a colleague who was successful in outfitting a mobile home with dental equipment and delivering it to Serbia. Inspired, he set up a meeting with Mark Conroy, EMW’s Vietnam Country Director, and Dr. Charles Craft, the Dental Program Director, to explore and propose his idea to the team. After numerous visits, he observed that proper dental care in Vietnam was inadequate. “Dental care is so necessary for everyone, especially kids …and I thought that I should do something about it. Up until I started partnering with East Meets West, I had always done little stuff but this project was something that I wanted to make happen for Vietnam.”

Through a generous donation from Barbara and Gil Kemp to purchase the mobile home, as well as donations from medical supply companies and local businesses, EMW will receive a beautifully remodeled mobile home that will enable our Dental Program to reach out to surrounding communities in Danang and Quang Nam Province and bring thousands of smiles to young children in Vietnam.
Mel plans to return to Vietnam again to deliver the mobile dental unit to the East Meets West Foundation in early 2007 – a man who has come full circle with his mission complete. •

 

The average cost to provide dental care f0r a child in Vietnam is about $10 per year. Donate to the EMW Dental Program online or call 1-800-561-3378. •