Ten Westbrook-Gorham Rotarians attended the District Assembly on April 2 at USM Portland. Our FaceBook pro, Kate Wight got a group "selfie" as we started our day. Unfortunately, Paul Emery missed the photo op as he was networking with one of the 100+ Rotarians from around the District who attended this annual event. It should be noted that our Club had the highest attendance per capita of any club.  Love the enthusiasm!!

 

 

On May 4, 1955, about 3 weeks after Jonas Salk discovered his vaccine,  David contracted polio in Denver CO. He awoke paralyzed and was admitted to Denver Children's Hospital on May 7, to a ward with 18-20 other children. However, because he lived in the US, with access to great health care and physical therapy, by third grade he was living a normal childhood and actively participating in sports. Unfortunately, starting with some noticed weakness in 2001-2003, he was diagnosed with post polio syndrome and currently uses crutches and a brace.

 

A videographer by profession, David spent time in Africa. What he saw there led him to found Crutches 4 Africa to provide mobility devices to help those afflicted by diseases, like polio, and by other causes like land mines. In 2006, he was in Africa where he witnessed adults and children who crawled on the ground because they did not have access to crutches or braces. By the end of that year, David had collected 235 pairs of crutches and shipped them to Uganda. He also joined the Rotary Club of Mountain Foothills in Denver, CO.  

 

To date Crutches for Africa has shipped over 73,000 units to a long list of countries in Africa which has meant that thousands of men and women no longer needed to crawl through mud, garbage, and sewage. 

 

L-R: Jeff Malloy, David Talbot, Candace Talbot, Dennis Robillard

Mobility - Health - Dignity - Access -  These are the goals of Crutches 4 Africa, a non-profit organization created by David Talbot of the Rotary Club of Mountain Foothills, just west of Denver, Colorado. It is estimated that 20M people in Africa alone have a need for a mobility device.

 

 

    

Each shipping container can hold about 3000 units.  A "unit" is a pair of crutches, a cane, a walker, a brace or a wheelchair. It costs $9000 to $10,000 to ship  container from the US to Africa.

 

 

Our Club is hoping to learn from the successful collection activities of the Saco Bay Club and place collection boxes and signage in local grocery stores in both Westbrook and Gorham.  Look for more information about how you can help with this effort.

 

On Friday March 25, a small group of local Rotarians was fortunate to meet with David Talbot, Founder of Crutches 4 Africa, at the Casco Federal Credit Union in Westbrook.  Jeff Malloy, Manager of the branch, was our host.  We were joined by Israel Collins, President of Saco Bay Sunset Club and Dennis Robillard, our District's Crutches 4 Africa Coordinator.

 

During our nearly one hour discussion, we learned that David is a videographer and also a polio survivor.  He was working in Uganda in 2005 when he saw a site that stopped him in his tracks - a woman, a polio survivor, with her leg severely deformed and bent back touching her shoulder.  Also on that trip, at the head of the Nile River, he saw a billboard displaying Rotary's 4-Way Test. This was his first real exposure to Rotary. He liked the straight forward and moral message of the statements of the 4-Way Test.

 

July 17, 2005 was the beginning of Crutches 4 Africa, when he awoke from a dream realizing what he needed to do to help people like the woman he saw, right down to what the logo should look like.  in 2006, he joined Rotary and credits the reach of Rotary with helping Crutches 4 Africa grow to what it is today.  In fact, Maine Rotarians have contributed significantly to this project, shipping items in quantity only second to that of the home base in Colorado.

 

As of this meeting, 73,000 units had been distributed, with 5,000 in transit.  We learned that David and his wife Candace were on their way to Africa, via Maine, to meet and distribute this latest shipment.

 

L-R: Dennis Robillard, David Talbot, Jeff Malloy

 

4/14/2016 - Club Vision Workshop - 6-8PM - South Portland Housing Authority. This 8th in a series of workshops will focus on Membership Retention and Development. It will dovetail with the 3 workshops being held this month centered around membership, hosted by the District Membership Committee.  This even is $9 and includes light dinner.  Contact Tony Wagner right away if you would like to attend as he expects all slots will fill up: tony.wagner163@gmail.com 

 

6/10-6/12/2016 – District Conference at Tarry-A-While Resort, Bridgeton

 

6/28/2016 RYLA Graduation at Camp Hinds - All are welcome to join the students for Dinner at 5:40 PM in the dining hall, no charge. Student graduation program at 7:00 PM.   District Governor Changeover Ceremony to follow back in the dining hall with "pinning" of the Presidents.

 

​11/10/2016 District 7780 Centennial Celebration - 100 for 100 - A celebration of the 100th year of the Rotary Foundation - Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks. Special guest PRIP Ray Klinginsmith.  $100 per person with $26.50 of this to benefit the Rotary Foundation. 

 

 

The speaker assignment list has been posted on our website. Look under Site Pages, Program Assignments. Please let Christine Johnson know as soon as you can once you have secured a speaker or if you need help securing a speaker.

 

Thanks for your assistance in providing a great mix of interesting programs for our meetings.

 

Here is the list of upcoming dates: