"Iowa MOST: Bringing Miles of Smiles to the Indigenous Mayans of Guatemala"

When: Wednesday, October 27th @ 12pm
Where: In Person at MidWest One Bank (across from the Pentacrest, University of Iowa)
Speaker: Deb Dunkhase

Watch Here

Deb Dunkhase with her young friend Sarah 1 year post cleft surgery

Each winter for the past 16 years, a Miles of Smiles team travels to conduct medical missions in the remote Western Highlands of Guatemala. In partnership with Rotary, Iowa MOST has been able to dramatically impact the health and quality of life of hundreds of families through cleft lip/palate and cataract surgeries.  Join Deb Dunkhase, Project Leader, to learn how Iowa MOST embodies Service Above Self to change the lives of some of the most vulnerable, poverty-stricken families in the world.
 

​For over thirty years, Deb Dunkhase dedicated herself to education in the state of Iowa.  Her work has involved direct teaching with elementary level students and leadership roles working closely with parent and teacher groups to bridge the gap between formal and informal education.  In 2019, Deb retired from her role as the Executive Director for The Iowa Children’s Museum, a successful nonprofit organization in Coralville inspiring every child to imagine, create, discover, and explore through the power of play. Dunkhase is a strong advocate for the transformative power of play and it’s link to creativity and lifelong learning.
 
Since retirement, Deb created a new nonprofit called Open Heartland serving over 250 Central American and Mexican immigrant families in Johnson County as they navigate through poverty, lack of food, housing insecurity, and the daily threat of deportation and separation from their children – all compounded by Covid-19.  Dunkhase also leads the annual Rotary District 6000 Iowa MOST (Miles of Smiles) cleft palate and cataract medical mission to serve the indigenous Mayans of Guatemala.
 
Deb strongly believes in Service Above Self and changing the world one small act of kindness at a time.

---