Wheelchair Delivery

The distribution of wheelchairs began on June 18, 2003, and continued over several weeks. A major ceremony was held to initiate the distribution. Representing the Wheelchair Foundation, Pleasant Hill Rotary, and Friends of Merzifon were John, Peggy, Susan, and Brendan Blake. Locally, volunteers from the Disabled and Handicapped Society of Merzifon organized the distribution.

Following an assessment of the need for wheelchairs among the youth and adult populations of Amasya Province in north central Turkey (where Merzifon is located), Friends of Merzifon began in the fall of 2002 to work closely with Pleasant Hill Rotary to raise funds for the purchase and delivery of 280 wheelchairs. The two organizations successfully collected $21,000 which was matched dollar for dollar by the Wheelchair Foundation, said Earl Rupp, President of Friends of Merzifon.

The Wheelchair Foundation shipped a container of 280 wheelchairs to Istanbul from where it was transported overland by truck to Merzifon. Thanks to the contacts of Rotary International and Sister Cities International, no dock fees, customs duties, storage charges, or import taxes were assessed on the shipment.

Besides serving the needs of the disabled and handicapped people of Merzifon and its satellite villages, the wheelchair shipment will greatly aid a children's orthopedic school in Ankara, Turkey's capital.

During the distribution ceremony, a twelve-year-old handicapped boy read a poem he wrote about being handicapped.

"A sister city program helps the citizens of both sister communities..."