One Good Turn Deserves Another : * Local Contributions Let Doctor Continue Charity Work in Mexico

Dr. Ted Whittington of San Juan Capistrano believes there is such a thing as doing “God’s work.” He has been able to continue it because of some local contributions that show how far well-spent charitable dollars can go.

The retired Whittington has spent six months out of every year since 1978 in the rain forest of southeast Mexico donating medical services to Mayan Indians. But about four years ago, after making do with a makeshift hospital and inadequate medical supplies, he began to lose one vital tool of his trade: his eyesight.

When he heard Whittington’s story, Dr. Wayne Hoeft, a Fullerton specialist in low-vision rehabilitation and past district leader of the Kiwanis International, called together several local Kiwanis groups to help. Through the assistance of the Center for the Partially Sighted in Santa Monica and contributions from the local groups, Whittington was outfitted with a pair of $1,000 “surgical telescopes,” special glasses that blend bifocals with a telescoping device that can magnify objects up to 10 times larger than they normally appear.

Whittington has been able to continue serving people for whom, he says, “there are no tomorrows.” His important work can continue another day because local contributors cared.