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Rotary Clubs Bring Mobility to Mazatlan, Mexico

Bob Slayback, president of the Lodi Rotary Club, helps prepare wheelchairs for distribution in Mazatlan.

Every year for the past 11 years, the Rotary Club of Foster City has been going to Mazatlan, Mexico to help the less fortunate. The original project was distributing wheelchairs to those without mobility and without the means to obtain it on their own. Since its inception, the project has grown to include building schools and playgrounds.

In October of this year, nearly 70 Rotarians and local Interact Club students, who were led by Linda and Jon Grant, set off to continue the mission of helping those in need. With them was President of the Lodi Rotary Club, Bob Slayback, who accompanied the group to help plan future trips for his fellow club members. Dr. Grant combines contributions received from District Coordinators, such as those forwarded by Tom Harmon of District 5810, and then applies for matching grants from The Rotary Foundation.

Wheelchairs were delivered in person to recipients who were unable to leave their homes, and those who were able to drive or get rides into town received their wheelchair in front of hundreds of family, friends and Rotarians. In total, over 500 wheelchairs were given to individuals, young and old, who had never experienced mobility.

Rick Pietrykowski, of the Rockwall Breakfast Rotary Club, described his experience, saying, “As delightful as it was to see hundreds of smiling children’s faces, it tugged at our hearts to see the tears of many flavors on the faces of the wheelchair recipients: tears of joy mixed with tears of pain during the physical act of moving a torn body into the wheelchair, tears of gratitude intermixed with tears of regret for being in need of the gift, and tears of excitement for their new-found freedom, washing over the tears of being at a disadvantage in a disadvantaged land.”

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Update from Continuing Promise 2011

Image Courtesy Official U.S. Navy Imagery

ACAJUTLA, El Salvador (July 18, 2011) Lt. Erinn Gelakoska, from St. Louis, fist bumps a Salvadoran child who just received a new wheelchair during a Continuing Promise 2011 community service medical event at the Polideportivo medical site. Continuing Promise is a five-month humanitarian assistance mission to the Caribbean and Central and South America. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jonathen E. Davis/Released)

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100 Wheelchairs to the Disabled People at Pengpu Community, Shanghai

100 Wheelchairs Donation

The Announcement of the 100 Wheelchairs Donation

October 19th 2011 – With the funding raised by Brits Abroad Shanghai, the Wheelchair Foundation announced the donation of 100 wheelchairs to Shanghai Pengpu Community. Those chairs will be given to 100 disabled people living in poverty, to bring them mobility, freedom, and dignity.

Group Photo

Group Photo

Mr. Colin Behring, Senior Assistant to the Chairman of Wheelchair Foundation, Kenneth E. Behring, Ms. Katy Gow, President of Brits Abroad Shanghai, and Mr. Ru Yaxin, Director of Pengpu Sub-district Office, and representatives from Pengpu Community disabled people, guests from Brits Abroad Shanghai, and Wheelchair Foundation China Office participated in the donation ceremony. After the ceremony, guests visited the Pengpu Community Sunshine Home and Sunshine factory.

Greetings from Brits Abroad Shanghai

Greetings from Brits Abroad Shanghai

This April, Brits Abroad Shanghai held their biggest party to raise funding for the Wheelchair Foundation, totaling 169 wheelchairs! Besides the 100 wheelchairs to Pengpu disabled people, there were 3 wheelchairs given to a town hospital in Hebei province and 66 wheelchairs to Hebei Liming Children’s welfare center.

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Red Wheelchairs Bring Mobility to Shanghai Lianyang New Community

Redchair Donation Ceremony

Red Wheelchair Donation Ceremony

September 28 2011 – With the funding raised by British International School Shanghai Puxi, the Wheelchair Foundation announced the donation of 32 wheelchairs to Shanghai Pudong Lianyang New Community. Those chairs will be distributed to 6 community residential centers, 18 communities, and Lianyang Health Service Center, as community public wheelchairs, to give mobility convenience to local residents. Mr. Yan Jiawei, Director of Volunteer Management Department, Shanghai’s construction of Spiritual Civilization Steering Committee Office, representatives from the Wheelchair Foundation, British International School Shanghai Puxi, Lianyang New Community have participated in the donation ceremony.

Representatives from Lianyang Community
Accepting the Wheelchairs

In light of the Shanghai World Expo, the Wheelchair Foundation launched the Redchair Program in 2009, which seeks to raise funding for the donation of red wheelchairs, to be distributed to community residential centers throughout Shanghai for public and communal use. Up to now, there are 1,100 red wheelchairs have been donated to Shanghai and nearby cities.Unlike the traditional way of wheelchair donation, the Redchair program emphasis on community and collaboration with social volunteer service, to take the Redchair as a platform to serve the disadvantaged people.

“We find what the Wheelchair Foundation is doing are great, and we’d like to be part of it.” said Coola, student representative from British International School Shanghai Puxi, “The students in grade 6 of our school have raised the money, by many of activities.”

Mr. Chen Ruping, Director of Lianyang New Community Service Center spoke highly of the donation, “Shanghai has entering to aging society, those red wheelchairs will bring true benefit to our senior citizens in Lianyang, and it also gives everyone an opportunity to be a Redchair volunteer, to help someone living in the neighborhood, it’s fantastic.”

3M China also donated 500 car reflective stickers to Lianyang New Community, to encourage safe driving and to help prevent accidents.

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In Memory of Jesse W. Devlyn, PDG District 4170

Jesse Devlyn

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of our dear friend and Rotarian Jesse W. Devlyn of Mexico. After fighting a long and courageous battle with cancer, Jesse died on Friday, August 25th, 2011, at his home in Mexico City surrounded by his family.

Nearly since the inception of Wheelchair Foundation, an alliance was formed with Fondo Unido Rotario of Mexico, which was established by Frank Devlyn. Jesse, besides managing Devlyn Optical with his brothers, and being Rotary Past District Governor of District 4170, also held a prominent role at Fondo Unido Rotario.

We had the pleasure to start collaborating with him very closely from 2003 on, and he quickly won the admiration of anyone who worked with him. He was loved because he was a true friend, a partner one could always rely on, a partner who was ready to help when problems arose, and he was fair, compassionate and generous.

We miss him and will always remember how, through his good deeds, thousands were blessed with mobility and hope.

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