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10-4-01: Linda Watson invited Nancy Burnett of Unadilla to our Rotary Meeting.
Nancy spoke about a book she had just finished, History and Architecture in Unadilla. She did you know that Unadilla was once the extreme Western
outpost of civilization on the NY frontier and was settled before the Revolutionary War? It was resettled in the mid 1780's by pioneers from
Connecticut and Massachusetts. She also told us the entire length of Main
Street in Unadilla is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nancy explained in her book how the wonderful architectural
styles of homes in Unadilla reflect the changing times. She will be
having a book signing in November at Walden Books in Oneonta.
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10-11-01: Mike Wilcox invited Rick Centerwall and his son Graham to speak at the
October 11 meeting. The Centerwalls' restore and restructure older vehicles. We were able to see first hand their 1940 Ford, completely
restored street rod (complete with an American Flag airbrushed on the back of the vehicle.) The also displayed an impressive 1927 ALL Original
Pontiac. This was originally a hobby of Rick's but with the help of his son Graham, has turned into a thriving business. |
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On October 18, 2001 Rotarian Linda Watson gave a program on the
‘Wheelchair Humanitarian Foundation.’
Linda is shown holding the brochures about the Foundation.
ON JUNE 13, 2000, the Wheelchair Founder- Behring, was officially launched in Washington, DC. A frequent traveler to all corners of the
world, philanthropist Kenneth E. Globe often brought humanitarian goods with him on his large airplane when visiting developing nations.
According to Mr. Behnng, he first brought some wheelchairs along with
canned meat donated by LDS Charities to the former Yugoslavia. He was struck by how dramatically it changed the life of a recipient and an
entire family. The impression that it left was not easily forgotten.
Mr. Behring then financed a pilot delivery of wheelchairs to Romania and Hanoi with a shipment of wheelchairs in the spring of 2000. He soon
understood that no other group was doing this kind of work on a large scale, and came to grips with the vast global need for wheelchairs.
It was after the experience in Hanoi that he made his decision to take
this project to the next level. Mr. Behring, seeing the powerful impact a wheelchair can make on a person's life was perhaps the most important
factor in this decision. He explains, "A 90 year-old woman who had just received a wheelchair came up to me and said, through an interpreter,
that life was so hard she wanted to die. But the she pulled closer to me, took my hand and with a great smile said, 'But now I don't want
to.' At that point I realized that a wheelchair means the difference between a person wanting to live and wanting to die."
Mr. Behring announced the Foundation's initial goal: to provide 1 million wheelchairs for people in need by the year 2005.
At $150 per wheelchair, reaching the goal would require $150 million. Mr. Behring got the ball rolling by pledging $15 million from the
Kenneth E. Behring Foundation to underwrite the Foundation's operating expenses.
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The World Health Organization states that over 25 million people around
the world are immobile and without money to buy a wheelchair. In the first 9 months the Foundation has learned that the number is actually
between 100 and 130 million This number is greater than any one-organization can handle, so a
coordinated global effort is the plan of action. The Wheelchair Foundation's plan of action is simple and effective. It teams up with
responsible and well-established non-governmental organization around
the world such as the American Red Cross, Counterpart International and The Salvation Army and Rotary. The Foundation pays to manufacture and
ship the wheelchairs, while the Non-Governmental Organizations identify
needy individuals, distribute the wheelchairs in the country, return a photo of each wheelchair recipient to the Foundation and provides
follow-up care.
With a powerful International Board of Advisors, co-chaired by I King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, the Wheelchair Foundation has
quickly become the world's largest humanitarian provider of wheelchairs.
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As of June 2001 the Foundation has provided 26,504 wheelchairs to 73
countries, partnering with dozens of humanitarian organizations. But with a lofty goal to reach tens of millions of people still in need
throughout the world, the Wheelchair Foundation will keep a narrow focus, and rely heavily on the dedicated individuals that are moving
this global effort forward, reaching out to corporations, service organizations (like Rotary), foundations and governments on the way,
bringing hope, mobility and freedom to those in need, and saving lives one wheelchair at a time.
Any individual or organization can send in $75 that will be matched by the Wheelchair Foundation. This will purchase and ship one wheelchair to
a needy person anywhere in the world. |
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