A Brief History of FAMSCO

FAMSCO began with a presentation by Norwood “Bud” Louis to the Iowa City Noon Rotary Club on local history, one of his passions. Bud – not a member of Rotary at the time - agreed, but not without first gaining assurance that he could use the last five minutes of his presentation time to tell about a project in which he had participated to ship fire trucks and medical equipment and supplies to Guatemala. Bud’s role had been to procure used fire trucks for Nebraska and Ohio Rotarians who would ship them to Central America.

Upon hearing of the efforts of Bud and the Nebraska and Ohio Rotarians, members of the Iowa City Noon Rotary Club became enthused by the possibilities of undertaking such a project themselves. They organized an effort to procure fire trucks, ambulances, medical equipment and medical supplies and send them overseas. They also saw to it that Bud became a Rotarian by inducting him into their club. “The Guatemala Project”, originally conceived as a World Community Service project, received a commitment for three years of funding support from The Rotary Foundation.

With the help of Juan Forster of the Guatemala Sur Rotary Club, the first vehicles were stuffed completely full with donated medical equipment and supplies and shipped to Guatemala. There Juan’s Rotary Club received them and distributed the vehicles and the goods packed inside them to Guatemalan fire departments, hospitals, clinics and municipalities that were most in need.

Before the three years of Rotary Foundation support were up, those working on the Guatemala Project realized that this was an effort that could be extended indefinitely. FAMSCO, the Fire and Medical Supply Company, wasincorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose purpose was and continues to be procuring emergency vehicles, medical equipment and medical supplies and shipping them to developing countries. In 2009, the Rotary District 6000 Humanitarian and Educational Foundation was founded with FAMSCO a designated program within the district wide, non-for-profit charitable foundation.

One of the early Presidents of FAMSCO was Pete Peterson, under whose leadership FAMSCO grew into an active and effective organization. Pete, a retired Professional Engineer, a member and Past President of the Iowa City Noon Rotary Club and the author’s father, used his good humor and superb organizational skills to involve many, many Rotarians from Central America, Iowa and other parts of the U.S. These dedicated Rotarians contributed their time and energy to see that FAMCO’s shipments arrived in good condition and were put to good use.

The learning curve was extremely steep in FAMSCO’s early years. One of the things that was soon discovered is that there is no shortage of donated goods to be obtained. Medical and dental equipment from hospitals, clinics, private practices, hospice care facilities and individuals have been donated over the years; most of these goods have come to FAMSCO by word of mouth. Coupled with the discovery of the abundance of available goods was the realization that the two most difficult parts of FAMSCO’s mission were: first, the warehousing of goods prior to shipment, and second, finding shipping arrangements which were logistically manageable, dependable and cost-effective. In FAMSCO’s early days, nearly any available space would be used to “warehouse” donated goods until they were shipped: old semi-trailers, school buses, airplane hangars and the garages of Rotarians were all used at one time or another. Many different transport methods were used to send FAMSCO’s shipments: they went by air in military transport under the Denton Amendment, in long caravans that made the road trip from Iowa to Central America and they were loaded onto semi-trailer trucks and hauled the entire distance. Some were hauled partway by truck, then dispatched by ship from various U.S. ports on the Gulf of Mexico.

Perhaps most importantly, it was quickly evident that committed and dependable partner Clubs and Districts in the destination countries were absolutely essential for FAMSCO to succeed.

Originally a project of the Iowa City Noon Rotary Club, FAMSCO soon demonstrated its ability to effectively fulfill its mission and began to receive financial support from all of the Clubs and Rotarians in District 6000. This enabled FAMSCO to expand its scope, and to date it has sent shipments not only to Guatemala, but also to Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico and Colombia.

Over the years a number of trips to Guatemala have been arranged for District 6000 Rotarians. These trips allow Rotarians to see the ways in which FAMSCO’s donations are put to good use by their recipients and to observe firsthand the many needs that still exist in Central America. Without exception, visiting Rotarians have been gratified to see how the good stewardship of FAMSCO and its partner Rotary Clubs in Guatemala have served to improve the safety and medical care in many communities there. Their direct observation of the many needs that are still unmet in Guatemala have motivated District 6000 Rotarians to continue their support for FAMSCO.

Other Presidents of FAMSCO include Bud Louis, Carl Christensen, Paul Cooper, and Karin Franklin of the Iowa City Noon Rotary Club, Gordon Esbeck of the Tipton Rotary Club, Jim Peterson of the Iowa City A.M. Club (the author of this history and son of Pete Peterson).

Many FAMSCO “old-timers” like Past Presidents Bud, Carl, Paul and Gordon, and Bill Olin were active in the organization for many years, providing inspiration and direction. Dick Kennedy, who served as treasurer for the first 20 years, stepped down in 2010 but continues to serve on the board and in many other helpful roles. FAMSCO draws on his valuable reservoir of experience as well as on the many other resources of District 6000 Rotarians. It also receives support from other Rotary-affiliated organizations such as Universal Heart, Inc/ founded by District 6110 Rotarians to facilitate international humanitarian shipments, and in recent years Universal Heart’s Director, Jessica Settles, has provided invaluable assistance to FAMSCO in finding the most cost-effective and timely methods of shipping its cargoes.

FAMSCO continues to evolve. It now occupies a larger, borrowed warehouse facility, has formed an alliance with the Iowa Hospital Association and enlisted the help of Iowa City Rotaractors and others to warehouse and inventory goods. New partnerships with potential donors and with Rotarians in the US and in recipient countries are evolving and strengthening. FAMSCO's experience has also assisted other District 6000 humanitarian projects including the MOST (Miles of Smiles Team) missions to Guatemala and the Xicotepec Project in Puebla, Mexico. FAMSCO has also facilitated fire trucks and vehicles for Rotary Clubs from other districts. Stateside assistance was given with a shipment of medical goods following Katrina and other domestic helping agencies such as free medical clinics have been provided items to assure that everything donated is used and to support their missions.

Since its beginnings over 20 years ago, FAMSCO has grown and matured and has become a source of pride for the Rotarians of District 6000. There can be no doubt that the100 vehicles and over 300 tons of equipment and supplies that have been shipped by FAMSCO so far have helped to improve - and save - many lives. With the help of Rotarians and the support of Rotary International, this remarkable endeavor will continue to make a real difference in the lives of many in the developing world who struggle daily just to get by.

by Jim Peterson
Iowa City AM Rotary Club