Wheelchair Foundation

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DISTRICT WHEELCHAIR PROGRAM COMPLETES ITS TASK

     For the past eight years, U.S. Rotary districts, along with other organizations, have partnered with the non-profit Wheelchair Foundation to raise funds among Rotarians to send wheelchairs to over 100 countries for children and adults who lack mobility, often from polio, diabetes, or land mines.  Since August, 2005, our own district has joined that partnership, and a committee of Rotarians has made presentations to over 30 clubs to seek donations for our own D7120 Wheelchair Program.  Now, with its recent completion of theat program, the committee has raised more than $10,000 over its original goal of $21,000 needed to send a container of wheelchairs to a country in need.  In addition to donations by clubs and their members, three Interact clubs made donations.

     After serious consideration, the committee decided that its container of chairs will be delivered by the Wheelchair Foundation to Malawi because of D7120’s close ties to that country.  Several of our district’s Rotarians have been involved with on-going educational and RYLA programs in that country, and during the past year we had Rotary exchange students from there.  A district group will be going to Malawi in the fall, and we hope that the chairs may be delivered while they are there.

     In addition, a second container of chairs is being delivered this summer to Jamaica, in part because our excess funds were available for those in need in that country.  And closer to home, the two wheelchairs for children 7-8 years old, that were used for demonstration purposes during the club presentations,  were delivered to our own Camp Haccamo for use by the children attending the summer program there.

     Those whose lives have been changed by the gift of mobility send their grateful appreciation for the district’s generosity.

     The members of the district committee were PDG Ed Cullen, Watkins-Montour; John Deisenroth, Ontario-Walworth; John Fisher and PDG Bob Hunt, Fairport; Jerry Friends, Wolcott; PDG Bob Gaffney, Hornell; Jim Infantino, Spencerport; John Spring, Nancy Meissel and Howard Wood, Perry; and PDG Chuck Turner, Brighton.  They, too, extend their thanks to those who gave so generously to this worthwhile district program. 

Please Visit the  Wheelchair Foundation  Web Site for more information

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