Mobility devices sought

The Rotary Club of Bethel, in conjunction with the other 39 Rotary clubs in local Rotary District 7780 is collecting “mobility devices” to send to victims of polio, land mines, earthquakes, birth defects and other physically debilitating circumstances.

Cooperating with Crutches4Africa, a nonprofit organization begun by Rotarian Dave Talbot of Evergreen, Colo., who is a polio survivor, the club will collect any unwanted canes, crutches, walkers and wheelchairs and get them to a donated warehouse in South Portland where they will be bundled for loading into a shipping container.

Crutches4Africa figures that it takes approximately 5,000 pairs of crutches to fill a container.

District 7780 and the Bethel club began collection efforts in April of this year, and to date 1,200 devices have been received, about 80 of those from the Bethel area.

In addition to sites in Africa, Rotary and Crutches4Africa hope to send devices to earthquake victims in Haiti and other areas of great need.

To learn more about the project visit www.crutches4africa.org. To donate unneeded mobility devices, place them in the container on the porch outside Atty. Mike Steven’s office on lower Main Street, take them to the Bethel collection point at The Inn at the Rostay in Mayville or call me at 890-8356 for pickup.

Thanks for helping Rotary help others around the world!