Mobility. Mobility is something one doesn’t think about until it is gone.
Several Rotary Clubs in the area are working on a project to bring a container of wheelchairs to seven Rotary Clubs in Bolivia.
With the help of the Wheelchair Foundation in Danville, California, the Highlands Bolivian Mission is trying to raise $28,000 to fund the project. The Wheelchair Foundation will match that amount and send a container of 270 wheelchairs to Arica, a port in Chile, where the Rotary Club of Montero will pick them up and transport the chairs to Bolivia.
“The Rotary Club of Montero is very proud that they have raised $10,000 to transport the wheelchairs some 700 miles over the Andes Mountains to bring them to our consortium of seven clubs in the surrounding area of Montero,” said Dr. John Baumrucker. “I have had the honor and privilege to distribute over 1,000 wheelchairs over the last 20 years, and it is one of the greatest experiences in my life. I have seen people come in with family members carrying them on blankets or in wheelbarrows. Children carried by family members or neighbors. They leave in a wheelchair that frees not only the person in the chair, but also the family. It is an amazing experience!”
While the donations of funds are paramount to get the order in by November of this year to ensure the chairs arrive by November 2027, the Bolivian Mission is offering the Mama Joanna Guest House, an eight‑bedroom facility, free to anyone who wishes to come to Bolivia and experience this event in person. Volunteers would only have to pay transportation costs that run about $1,000 from Asheville to Santa Cruz or $500 from Miami. The guest house has six rooms with two beds and two with a queen‑sized bed. All rooms have air conditioning and private bathrooms with a large modern kitchen and a dining/living room.
For information about how to donate to this worthwhile cause, contact Dr. John Baumrucker at rucker@dnet.net.
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