Wheelchairs for Indonesia
What is the greatest satisfaction of being a Rotarian? There are many ways to achieve that and it is different for each Rotarian, but for me it is the look of honest gratefulness in the eyes of people who do not speak my language (and I don’t speak theirs) after receiving a wheelchair that will change their lives (and that of their loved ones) forever. It is hard to put this feeling in words, and the only way you will be able to appreciate my attempts to communicate this to you is by going on a wheelchair delivery trip and experiencing the wonders of service above self.
I again experienced this elating emotion while delivering wheelchairs to those who cannot afford them in Leon, Mexico. On September 3 and 4, 2011, 15 Rotarians from District 5790 in Texas, local Rotarians and their families from the Rotary Club of Leon, Mexico, and I had the privilege of making some 400 families feel like they were on top of the world, as one of their family members now has the capability of being more mobile and less dependent on others.
The Rotary Club of Leon started distributing wheelchairs in their city of ~ 1.5 million in 2004 and after this weekend they have been able to change the lives of some 5000 families! I am proud to let you know that the Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona has been able to assist with the delivery of 1120 of those 5000. None of this would have been possible without a chance meeting on a sidewalk in 2007 at the RI Convention in Salt Lake City, the tremendous efforts and cooperation of clubs in both Alberta and Texas and the full support of our RI Districts 5370 and 5790.
Since we started the wheelchair program in
our club, we have been able to participate in the delivery of some 2000 wheelchairs
and we are not going to stop now. Our next project will be Java, Indonesia, in
May 2012, around the time of the RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, and I like
your club to consider providing funds to meet the goal of $ 45,000 in order to
provide 280 wheelchairs for those that cannot afford them. We have the full
support and cooperation of the clubs in District 3400 and the Rotary Club of Yogyakarta
Tamansari will coordinate locally. Together with our friends in Texas we have
raised
$ 15,000 already and with your support we should be able to reach our goal by
the end of October. We met in May at New Orleans with several people from Indonesia
and District Governor Elect Dwi especially is very excited about the
cooperative efforts to bring wheelchairs to his area.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions, if you like a presentation to your club about the wheelchair program, or if you like to donate funds towards this exciting international project.
Peter Denooy
Past President Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona
Ph.: 780-984-1251
E-mail: pdenooy@eidap.com
