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Personal Stories of Recipients: China

A Gift – 26 May 2011 

Deng Yuanyuan

Deng Yuanyuan, 29, is a middle-level cerebral palsy patient. She lives in Shenyang Huanggu district. On the afternoon of May 19, 2011, Disabled Person’s Federation of Huanggu District Shenyang sent her a gift: a wheelchair.   

She has had no ability to walk since she was born. More than twenty years, she can not go outside of the house by herself. Her parents have retired with low income, which can barely maintain the family’s living. There is no extra money to buy a wheelchair for her.   

Deng Yuanyuan’s parents said emotionally: “Without the help from Wheelchair Foundation and Disabled Person’s Federation in Shenyang, she could not go outside of the door and participate any social activities!”
   

New Change, New Life – 17 May 2011

Lv Furong

My name is Lv Furong, 59 years old, living in Shenyang, a northern city in China. I’m disabled, my living relying on a walking stick. With a lot of inconvenience, each step was difficult and my arms became very tired. I want a wheelchair, but my economic conditions do not allow it.   

On this year’s Chinese Disabled Day, I got a call from the community that Shenyang Disabled Persons Federation decided to give me a wheelchair after knowing my situation. I am so happy about it. The day when the wheelchair arrived at my house, I immediately sat on it; it is so comfortable and convenient. I didn’t know what to say, I only remembered two words, and just said “thank you”.    

Guanquanyuan community, Ertaizi Sub-district, Dadong District, Shenyang city 

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Celebrating 11 Years of Hope, Mobility & Freedom!

June has always been a special month for the Wheelchair Foundation, and 2011 was certainly no exception. Since the year 2000, we have been providing wheelchairs to adults, teens, and children in need and have changed the lives of more than 850,000 people in 153 countries in an effort to distribute at least one million wheelchairs worldwide. Thanks to the generous and continued support of our donors, we’re closer than ever to reaching that goal. On Monday, June 13th, the Wheelchair Foundation proudly celebrated its 11th anniversary, with over a decade of delivering hope, mobility, and freedom around the world.

Rotary and Wheelchair Foundation

Kenneth E. Behring, founder of Wheelchair Foundation, with Smithsonian bust and its sculptor, Marc Mellon.

As the Wheelchair Foundation enters another year, we mark this special occasion by reflecting on how much we’ve accomplished and by looking ahead to what we hope the future will hold.

The history of the Wheelchair Foundation is an inspiring lesson of how one person can make an incredible difference in the lives of others and effect a positive change in the world. It began with one man – a man who embodies the spirit of giving with his kindness and compassion, who believes that history is an integral part of education, benefitting all generations who learn from the past.

The vision of Kenneth E. Behring, founder of the Wheelchair Foundation, became an international cause that would improve the lives of thousands of disadvantaged people across the globe. Guided by Mr. Behring’s core values as a patriot, humanitarian and philanthropist, the Wheelchair Foundation forges ahead with commitment for another successful year of delivering Hope, Mobility, and Freedom.

Wheelchair Foundation

VIDEO – Kenneth E. Behring explains why he feels National History Day is so important to the education of today’s students.

Kenneth E. Behring received an honor few living men have known on June 15th, when the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. unveiled a bronze bust immortalizing the great philanthropist for his outstanding contributions to that institution. Cast in his likeness by one of America’s foremost representational sculptors, Marc Mellon, the larger-than-life sized work of art stands on the second floor of the National Museum of American History.

This award honors Mr. Behring’s $80 million gift in 2000 and his $20 million contribution in 1997 to the National Museum of Natural History. Mr. Behring attended the unveiling ceremony with his son, David Behring, president of the Wheelchair Foundation, in Washington D.C.

The Behrings were also in town for the final round of competition in the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest. Each year, more than half a million students participate by choosing historical

Wheelchair Foundation

topics related to a theme which they ultimately present in the form of original papers, websites, exhibits, performances and documentaries. After spending months on research and preparation, their projects are entered into competitions at local and state levels, and the program culminates in a national competition each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park.

The children who take part in this event develop an appreciation for history – a quality that Kenneth E. Behring, as the primary sponsor, regards as invaluable.

For more information on the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest, visit http://www.nhd.org

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Continuing Promise 2011

Image Courtesy Official U.S. Navy Imagery

The Wheelchair Foundation goes aboard the USNS COMFORT on a five-month assistance mission to the Caribbean, Central and South America.

It is only through the charitable giving of our generous donors that the Wheelchair Foundation, as a non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO), is able to actively participate in such globally-beneficial humanitarian projects as the United States Navy’s Continuing Promise assistance mission. Over the next five months, military and civilian medical personnel aboard the Military Sealift Command’s vessel USNS COMFORT will be providing medical, dental, and veterinary care to nine partner nations in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

We recently received news from Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Stancil, NGO Coordinator for Continuing Promise 2011, regarding the hospital ship’s latest deployment activities, which included the distribution of wheelchairs at their first stop in the country of Jamaica. In his update, he shares the highlights of the journey thus far, with several incredible stories about the lives of our wheelchair recipients.

“Michael is a nine year old Jamaican boy being cared for by his grandmother. He lives with his mother and two younger siblings, but because of slow development, he is considered an outcast and seems to be shunned by his mother. His grandmother was dragging him in by the hand and he was trying to keep up on his tiptoes. Her immediate question to me was, ‘Can I have a wheelchair for my grandson? My boy here, he can’t walk.’ I sat down and talked to Michael and noticed immediately he was different. He was very thin and short for his age. His younger siblings were taller and had healthier appetites. When I asked his name, he put his hands over his ears as if I was talking too loud. The sounds he would make were not words and he couldn’t sit still nor pay attention. As I began to talk to grandma, she told me he was born prematurely and early childhood development was slow. He was blind in his right eye and could not communicate verbally. The mother did not know his diagnosis, but MR or mild CP could have left him mentally and physically challenged. His physical disability, according to his grandmother, was that his long bones were not growing correctly and doctors had performed a surgery to help lengthen them. In the meantime, his Achilles tendons couldn’t keep up and remained shortened, causing him to tip toe permanently. The reason his grandmother was dragging him in was because he couldn’t walk properly. The child had poor gait balance, and would topple over if he had to walk more than a few feet without support. Michael needed a wheelchair. I’m not sure if he really understood the concept, but he did like the color. RED! Once he was in the chair, he would bounce up and down with excitement, wanting someone to push him everywhere.

“A gentleman approached me in a wheelchair, asking for assistance. He reported that he suffered epilepsy, and after going in for a surgical procedure six years ago, he came out paralyzed from the waist down. He was given a wheelchair at the hospital, but it was not fitted correctly. The 60 year old gentleman couldn’t have weighed more than 130 lbs, but he was given a wheelchair for an obese patient. He had been confined to his living room because the wheelchair he was given didn’t fit through any of the doors. Every time he wanted to go to the bathroom, or in and out of the house, someone would have to pick him up, fold up the wheelchair, take him through the doorway, and place him back in the wheelchair after passing through. The long process confined him to his house for many years. I swapped his wheelchair for one that fit, and he is now more mobile than ever! He was so happy for his new chair and you could see the excitement in his eyes.

“A 68 year old man had been robbed and brutally attacked many years ago. He was beaten to the ground, kicked and stomped on, fracturing his ribs and spine in multiple locations. He was never seen by medical personnel, and his bones healed incorrectly, leaving him with permanent back pain and causing great difficulty with ambulation. He used his daughter as a crutch, and even then he could only walk a few feet before needing to rest. Giving him a cane was a viable option, but that would not enable him to travel the long distances needed in order to be active in his community. He did not drive, and everything he needed to get to was a good distance away. When I provided him with a wheelchair, it brought tears to his eyes. He stated that he would never have been able to afford one, but now he hopes he will be able to live a happier life.”

Visit our Facebook page for more updates
from the USNS COMFORT and Continuing Promise 2011!

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Brits Abroad Shanghai – Red, White, & Blue Charity Ball for Wheelchair Foundation

April 23, 2011 – Shanghai

Celebrate for the Royal Wedding

The Union Jacks were flying high in more ways than one at The Fairmont Peace Hotel in the Peace Hall Ballroom on Saturday Night at our Red White & Blue Ball. Ball-goers entered into the spirit of the occasion with an array of ball gowns and jackets, which amply qualified, and in some cases over qualified, for the most appropriate attire for the evening – it was all in good fun and in celebration of the forthcoming marriage of William & Kate.

The happy couple put in an appearance, and were very obliging, standing for over five hours being photographed with all and sundry before being carted off in the wheelchair. The special wheelchair had been supplied by the Wheelchair Foundation – beneficiary of the funds raised on the night – £££££ and our people are still counting.

VIEWING THE WORLD FROM ONE METER HIGH….

Silent Auction Items

500 rmb buys and delivers one wheelchair – this was the message on the night and the reason for raising funds. The Wheelchair Foundation provided this specially prepared wheelchair so that guests could see exactly where their money would be spent.

A full update will be featured in our news in due course to let you know exactly where, when and how many wheelchairs have been delivered. Angie Shen, Chief Representative China (below) addressing guests – explaining the work of the Wheelchair Foundation. Kathy Li, PR Manager, also attended, and two volunteers helped to sell the raffle tickets. Kind-hearted sponsors donated items for the raffle and the silent auction. Fund-raising silent auctioneers provided even more items, and organized and arranged the sealed bidding on the night.

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Rotarian Friendship: A Lasting Legacy

The Gift of Mobility

By: Allison Meagher Paoli

Donald C. Kurth
March 09, 1944 - Nov. 17, 2009

We all have a story. Actually, we all have many stories; some are happy and some are not, some are of struggle and hardship, and some are inspirational stories of triumph. This narrative is a combination of each of these elements. It is my honor and privilege to tell the story of a man whose endeavor began before my days as a Rotarian, but whose legacy will continue on for those suffering with polio and other handicapping conditions around the globe. It is a story of true friendship that one man from the Lake Havasu City Rotary Club, AZ, took on in the name of a dear friend. It was Chuck Denney’s mission to make Don Kurth’s struggle and passing a victory and tribute for all who adored him; one man, even though deceased, has made a difference world-wide.

Don Kurth was born in March of 1944. At the age of 18 months, he was stricken with polio. Throughout the course of his life, Don needed an iron lung to help him breathe, braces for his legs allowing him to walk, crutches to lean on, and eventually, a wheelchair for freedom to move about. While many people would have allowed this disease to consume them, Don was not that type of man. He lived his life to the fullest. He was a loving and devoted husband to his wife Sandie, and a wonderful father to their three sons. Don was also an inspiration to his friends.

Everyday was an inconvenience for Don Kurth, but in the eyes of his peers, you would never know it. He was the Manager of the Reverse Mortgage Department of Wells Fargo Bank, and very good at his job; but what most of us would characterize as an hour or less “morning routine” typically took Don two and a half hours to accomplish. Every morning, Sandie would greet Don with a cup of coffee, and together they would work to prepare him for his day. On Mondays, Don went to the Lake Havasu City Rotary Club meetings where his friends would show up early, wait in the parking lot, and stay late to assist him with his wheelchair so he could attend the meetings; and they did so, happily! And although Don could have used a motorized wheelchair, it wasn’t what he wanted. His chair was simple, and gave him the freedom he needed with just the right amount of independence to meet each day.

On the morning of November 17, 2009, Sandie Kurth went to wake her husband, only to find that Don had passed away in his sleep.

Donald C. Kurth was a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and a Rotary Foundation Benefactor. Kurth’s family requested that the Lake Havasu City Rotary Club preside over his memorial, and they did, with heavy hearts in memory of a friend and fellow Rotarian. Like all of us, there are people who touch our lives in ways that motivate us to commemorate them through acts of good will. For Chuck Denney, Don Kurth was that person.

Denney, a lifelong Rotarian, had been on two life-changing trips internationally with Rotary. In 2004, Denney went with a group to Cairo, Egypt where they actually placed drops of the polio vaccine on the tongues of infants on National Immunization Day. National Immunization Day allows Rotarians to enter countries for vaccination distribution where there is typically civil unrest. They are protected by local military while trying to help the country’s people. In 2005, Denney went to Mexico with Rotary International to distribute new wheelchairs to people in need. Having had these two incredible humanitarian experiences brought R.I.’s polio and wheelchair causes near and dear to his heart. Over the years, Denney recalled these experiences, and has said, “There is nothing in the world like the feeling you get from putting drops of vaccine on the tongue of a baby, or the joy of picking up a person who can’t stand or walk, and placing them into a brand new wheelchair. It is unlike anything I’ve ever felt.”

The sadness that Denney felt after Kurth’s passing gave him a new energy about the two causes that he personally thought were of high importance as a Rotarian. Whether a person was constrained to a wheelchair because of polio, or for some other crippling circumstance, Chuck Denney witnessed the value of the wheelchair through the eyes of Don, and became determined to remember him by raising money to buy and distribute wheelchairs, just like the one Kurth used.

Sandy Kurth, widow of Rotarian Don Kurth, gives Chuck Denney an extra push forward beside Lake Havasu City, Arizona's famed London Bridge.

Jeannie Morgan, District Governor of 5490, appointed Denney to become the “Wheelchair Chairperson” for a period of two years in 2009. Denney researched and found a company who could supply wheelchairs for roughly $125 per chair, give or take. It is the policy of the Rotary Foundation to fund matching grants, so Denney decided the best way to go about raising money for his project was to ask individual contributors to sponsor a wheelchair for about half the total cost.

In February of 2010, during a weekly meeting at the Lake Havasu City Rotary Club, Denney persuaded every member of the club to stand up and donate for wheelchairs. The unanimous reaction gave him the momentum to go to the other two Rotary Clubs in Lake Havasu City, AZ and ask for additional donations. The response to his request continued to be overwhelming; therefore, Denney took his pursuit throughout District 5490. During this time, Denney learned that Jon B. Grant, PDG, in Foster City, CA, was coordinating wheelchair money from his region. We all know the expression: when it rains, it pours… well, when Denney’s fundraising was initiated, the goal was to raise enough money to buy 280 wheelchairs, or one container, but with the help of Jon B. Grant, PDG, George Wheeler, PDG, “Chairman of the District Foundation Grant Program,” District Governor Jeanie Morgan, and Charlie Tegarden, PDG, what was once a “slight drizzle” turned into a “downpour” in wheelchair resources. Collectively, they were able to find wheelchair-designated funds from Rotary Clubs in California and Arizona. With the collaboration and effort of these five dedicated people, along with donation collections and funds previously allocated for wheelchairs, what was once the goal of raising enough money to buy 280 chairs for Mexico, turned into enough money to purchase 2800 wheelchairs that would be distributed all over the globe.

Denney is so grateful to the Lake Havasu City Rotary Club for stepping up to sponsor his endeavor on behalf of Don Kurth. That February day, when the club stood up unanimously, marked the beginning of an incredible journey that would bestow thousands of physically challenged people, along with their devoted caregivers (people like Sandie Kurth), with an increased quality of life.

The details and the passion in this story are far more powerful when told by Denney himself; his undertaking has been a gift of mobility for thousands! It started with a deep level of friendship between two people and the mutual admiration they shared. It transpired because of who Don Kurth was to his fellow Rotarians, and perhaps the most extraordinary part of the story is… that Denney and fellow District 5490 Rotarians were on their way to Puebla, Mexico to deliver the first container of wheelchairs, the week of November 17, 2010; exactly a year from the death of a beloved friend, to indeed, celebrate his life.

Photos courtesy Rotary District 5490.

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