Wheelchair Foundation Canada
Rtn. Christiana Flessner, Executive Director of Wheelchair Foundation Canada ,visited our club on Apr. 10 2007 and gave the audience an inspirational speech and some touching stories about wheelchair deliveries, and how the lives of the recipients have been changed.
The Wheelchair Foundation was started off by one man delivering a wheelchair to Serbia. It is now an organization with offices in Canada, U.S. and Australia.
The mission is to deliver a wheelchair to everyone, young or old, who needs a wheelchair but cannot afford to have one. It is an ambitious target as it is estimated that there could be as many as 125 million people who might need a wheelchair - there are people who are born disabled, and people who become disabled through the mishap of war, accidents and disease.
Through working with Rotary Clubs around the world, we are getting closer and closer to this target everyday. For more information, contact Christina Flessner at cflessner@wheelchairfoundation.ca or visit their website :
http://wheelchairfoundation.ca
Wheelchair committee was appointed in Rotary Club of Vancouver Centennial after her speech.
"MOMENTOUS REALITY" - From "Hope Through Heartsongs" by Mattie StepanekSeptember 2004
Mattie wrote this poem at the age of 9. He was the best selling author of 4 books of poetry on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Mattie was also the longest living patient of a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. Mattie has been on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and was featured as the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Goodwill Ambassador on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon each Labor Day weekend. Mattie passed away on
We think this poem captures the spirit of Rotary and the mission of the Wheelchair Foundation.
"THE NEXT CENTURY, THE NEXT MILLENIUM IS BEING MADE, NOW, TODAY, EACH SECOND.
WE COULD BE WORKING TOWARDS WORLD PEACE, LIVING AS ONE SPIRIT.
OR, WE COULD BE WORKING TOWARDS DISASTER, CHEMICAL AND NUCLEAR WARS.
THE HARMONY, AND EXISTENCE OF THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON THE HARMONY AND EXISTENCE OF EACH INDIVIDUAL HERE, TODAY.
WE MUST BE BRAVE GOING INTO THE FUTURE.
WE MUST REMEMBER TO PLAY AFTER EACH STORM.
WE MUST NOT LIVE IN FEAR OF BAD THINGS BLOCKING OUR WAY OR OVERCOMING OUR OPTIMISM.
IF WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO FACE THE FUTURE, IF WE CAN UNITE AS ONE, THEN OUR FUTURE WILL LOOK, AND BE, VERY BRIGHT.
EVEN THOUGH THE FUTURE SEEMS FAR AWAY, IT IS ACTUALLY BEGINNING RIGHT NOW. AND WHILE WE ARE LIVING IN THE PRESENT, WE MUST CELEBRATE LIFE EVERYDAY, KNOWING THAT WE ARE BECOMING HISTORY WITH EVERY WORD, EVERY ACTION, EVERY MOMENT.
BECAUSE WE, TODAY, ARE THE HISTORY OF TOMORROW, WE MUST ASK OURSELVES EACH DAY WHAT WE ARE DOING THAT MAY HAVE AN INFLUENCE ON THE FUTURE.
IT REALLY WON'T BE FOR MANY YEARS THAT THE FUTURE WILL INDICATE IF SOMETHING WE SAID, OR IF SOMETHING WE DID OR DID NOT DO, HAD AN IMPACT ON A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL, OR IF IT TRICKLED OUT TO TOUCH THE WHOLE WORLD."