Wheelchairs for San Pedro and Caye Caulker

Some of you may recall back in January when award-winning songwriter and recording artist Kelly McGuire did a Songs for wheelchair concert series to help raise money. The time has come for the fruits of his efforts to blossom, in combination with the Wheelchair Foundation, Belize Rotary and San Pedro Red Cross.

For the past few months, the Wheelchair Foundation group has been working with local communities and the San Pedro Red Cross to do assessments and list members of the communities that are in need of wheelchairs. After distributing 200 chairs on mainland Belize, they will arrive in San Pedro December 4 to distribute wheelchairs to local residents.

Twenty-five individuals living in San Pedro and Caye Caulker will receive wheelchairs from the Wheelchair Foundation. Both San Pedro and Caye Caulker communities are invited to attend the donation ceremony on December 6, 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Den here in San Pedro. Mr. Glenn Perry from the Wheelchair Foundation and Mayor Daniel Guerrero, will be in attendance along with Eiden Salazar; San Pedro Red Cross Board Chairman, who will act as master of ceremonies for the evening.

Based in California, The Wheelchair Foundation helps raise money and distributes wheelchairs world-wide at no cost to locals. The Foundation has given over 1 million wheelchairs worldwide. The group is no stranger to volunteering in Belize as they have brought a shipment of wheelchairs to the country and San Pedro several times. The group’s most recent donation was in 2009 when 35 chairs were brought to San Pedro for distribution.

The Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization creating international awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities. It is their mission to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one. For these people, the Wheelchair Foundation delivers the precious gifts of Hope, Mobility and Independence.

For information on this event or to learn more about the San Pedro Branch of the Belize Red Cross, please contact the Coordinator for the San Pedro Branch, Marisa Salazar at: branchcoordinator.brcsp@gmail.com or 226-3725