WHEELCHAIRS ARE NOT ORDINARY GIFTS

A parent smiles when their child is placed in a wheelchair at Children’s Rehabilitation Institute Teleton (CRITUSA) in San Antonio. A man throws his crutches away when he receives a wheelchair in Mexico. A Mother has tears in her eyes as she hands a “Thank You” note to a member of the Knights of Columbus after accepting the gift of a wheelchair for her daughter in Mexico City. These are examples of the stories telling that needy people do not accept a wheelchair as an ORDINARY GIFT.

During June of each year a Sunday Weekend Fund Raiser is sponsored by Council 7613 at St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in San Antonio. The funds raised average about $35,000 annually. During the current fraternal year these funds enabled re-stocking wheelchairs at CRITUSA in San Antonio and to respond to a request from Sister Michele O’Brien, the Development Officer at Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital. Her duties also involve overseeing the needs of four hospitals in San Antonio and New Braunfels.

Sister Michele also identified a need for one oversized wheelchair at each of four hospitals. A special order had to be made through the American Wheelchair Mission as there was no history of ordering oversized wheelchairs. Sister Michele explained that users of these wheelchairs seldom, if ever, were able to get out of bed. Now there is relief for these men and women. These wheelchairs were obtained at a cost of $3,000 each and delivered by Knights from Council 7613.

These stories are but a few that represent IMMOBILE people becoming MOBILE and they are stories that represent so many more that tell that WHEELCHAIRS ARE NOT ORDINARY GIFTS.