Volunteers without borders

Warwick mother and daughter return from mission to Guatemala Warwick — “I’m doing God’s work. There are no borders, no boundaries. Wherever I go, that’s who I am,” said Dr. JoAnn Quattrone, a Warwick resident who recently returned from her latest volunteer trip, this time to Guatemala. Quattrone, a dentist who practices in Monroe, makes it a habit to volunteer her medical skills in poorer areas of this country as well as throughout the world. She makes about four trips each year but would like to do even more. She said it is her way of giving back to the world. “This is a gift,” said Quattrone. “I know I’m blessed with these hands to do this work. I’m just giving back.” This trip, which had Quattrone in Guatemala from Jan. 25 through Feb. 5, was even more special and gratifying for Quattrone. She has been traveling with her cousin, Connecticut chiropractor Dr. LuAnn Moratto. This time Quattrone’s daughter Francesca Bryson, an eighth-grade student at Warwick Middle School, volunteered as well. “I talk to my kids everyday about how blessed they are,” said Quattrone, who also has two young sons. “It was wonderful for Francesca to experience this herself.” What she experienced was truly moving. Quattrone, Moratto, and Francesca traveled to the highlands of Quetzeltenango, located about five hours west of Guatemala City. It is one of the poorest areas in Central America. The people in this remote village of Tierra Colorado Baja make their living selling handmade crafts along the streets and have little or no medical care. Quattrone saw between 30 and 40 children each day she was there. They were all between the ages of nine and 12 and most had never seen a dentist before. She worked outside in the sunlight with an ordinary chair. “They didn’t react negatively to me,” said Quattrone, who knows how difficult it can be for a child to visit the dentist for the first time. “I wore regular clothes, no white coat. They just sat in the chair and smiled.” She mostly did extractions. Her dental supply company donated toothbrushes and she focused on teaching dental hygiene to the kids. Francesca chipped in as well, helping her mom and then playing with the children when they were done. She also handed out donated clothes that the group had brought from home. “We traveled with three suitcases of donated clothes,” said Quattrone. “We ship lots of clothes.” Francesca certainly got a different view of the world. “It was very nice but the kids were very poor,” she said. “I felt bad for them. It made me appreciate what I have.” Although it was her first time volunteering with her mom, this wasn’t Francesca’s first volunteer trip. Last summer she went upstate to Utica with a local church group to help do home repairs for the elderly. Quattrone didn’t just bring her skilled hands to Guatemala, either. “There are approximately 4,000 indigenous children requiring medical and dental attention in this village,” said Quattrone. “Some of the children have a combination of health problems such as intestinal parasites, skin diseases and malnourishment.” Quattrone also brought herbs and essential oils to help ease their discomfort. So far, Quattrone has done her volunteer work in Israel, the Amazon rain forest and many Native American reservations in this country. She and Moratto are already planning their next mission — an orphanage in Ecuador. It usually takes about four months to iron out all the details. Quattrone usually starts with the internet — posting her interest on medical volunteering sites. She looks forward to the next trip even before returning from the last. “Their faces are all so beautiful,” she said. “They are all so happy and smile from ear to ear. This is not a monetary thing. My heart gets filled helping these children. We are truly blessed.”