Scott, who had been living in South River near North Bay, grew up in Dundas (his family goes back five generations in that community). Eager to get involved in his new home, ‘Papa John’ (as he has since become known in the west Flamborough community) joined the Lynden United Church and the local Lions club; both had a hand in his recent adventure.

It was at church that Scott met Ginny Bateman, a Troy resident and a registered nurse from McMaster University Medical Centre who has been traveling to the Dominican Republic for the past three years, taking medical supplies, food and clothing to its impoverished families through her work with a group called the Bluerein Foundation. From the start, the Lynden Lions have supported Bateman’s mission work, providing donations amounting to more than $1,500 to help buy medical supplies and food.

Bateman recognized in Scott, “a willing heart,” so she asked him to accompany her on her November trip. Despite being what he describes as “wobbly on his feet” at times, Scott agreed to go along. Now, he’s happy that he accepted the invitation.

“It was heart-wrenching” to see the poverty that many of the people in the Dominican Republic live in every day, he said, but it was also uplifting to see that “they are happy people, very resourceful and willing to share what little they have.”

Bateman has the same impression of the people. She, too, was struck by their willingness to help each other in the most difficult of circumstances.

Using the rural village of La Colonia near Bonao in the country’s central mountains as their base, Scott and Bateman traveled to several surrounding villages to distribute rice, clothing, books, school supplies and Canada pins. “Every time I went out, I put on my Lions vest,” Scott said, explaining, “I wanted to let people know that the Lions clubs are helping as much as they can.”

Scott, whose steadfast work with the Lynden Lions has earned him the moniker of “Ironman John” likens the service club’s assistance to the Dominican Republic as an example of “community helping community.” Bateman agrees that the service club has been a tremendous help, but said support has come from other sources as well, including churches in Brantford, Troy and Lynden, as well as individuals throughout Flamborough. “There’s something unique about Flamborough; people here have such a connectivity with others,” she said.

The Lions Clubs in Sheffield and Copetown have also stepped up, with the Sheffield club offering to sponsor an exchange visit by an 18- year-old Dominican Republic woman to the area sometime this summer and the Copetown club providing financial assistance for the mission.

Scott saw first-hand how grateful the island residents are for any help. “They’re born into poverty; it is their way of life.” The bags of rice that he and Bateman dropped off in the villages were a godsend. “For some, it was the only meal they’d had for three days.”

They visited the medical centre in Ricon, providing used equipment donated by McMaster Hospital and unused medications provided by the non-profit group, Not Just For Tourists, based in St. Catharines. They also distributed Spanish Bibles, pencils, and candles. Wherever they went, they were welcomed with open arms.

“I couldn’t understand a word of Spanish and the people there couldn’t understand a word of English and yet we managed to communicate,” Scott said. “I got along famously with the kids.”

One village they visited left a lasting impression.

Hit by a mudslide just two months before their visit, the village had lost half of its houses. Scott said he observed an old man making the best of his dire situation. “He had lost his house, so he was living under a piece of scrap tin held up by sticks. He did his cooking over an open fire.”

Scott isn’t sure if he’ll ever be able to make a return visit, but he’s willing to do whatever he can to encourage local Lions clubs and community residents to continue their support of the people of the Dominican Republic.

“They have nothing,” he said, stressing that “they aren’t lazy.”

“There’s just no way to make a living there; there’s no work.”