The Wheelchair Foundation of Barbados’ goal to assist needy Barbadians with wheelchairs received a major boost with the donation of $30 000 from the Massy Foundation, in concert with the Massy Companies in Barbados, to help with its charitable work. The presentation took place last Friday at the Massy Corporate Office, Massy Dome,
Warrens, St. Michael.
Director of Massy Foundation (Barbados) Inc., Dawn Layne, said her organisation was pleased to be associated with the Wheelchair Foundation’s work and was happy to play its part in helping the “differently able” to maintain their independence.
“It gives me great pleasure to be doing this on behalf of the Massy Foundation. I have been hearing about the work of the Foundation since 2005 and your mandate to ensure that persons who are most vulnerable in society are outfitted with a free wheelchair,” Layne said.
She continued: “We could not have done this without the support of the Massy Group of Companies who give
to the Foundation and we, in turn, can give to deserving cases and causes.”
President of the Wheelchair Foundation, Lionel Weekes, expressed his deep appreciation to the Massy Foundation for the donation which he said would assist in the purchase of 280 chairs and commended them for their public spiritedness, corporate social responsibility and generosity.
Weekes shared that his organisation had been providing wheelchair assistance to needy persons since 2005 and since its inception, it had given out more than 1, 500 chairs to teens and the elderly to promote their mobility, functionality and “their sense of dignity and inclusiveness”.
So far, the president said the Wheelchair Foundation had assisted institutions such as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Thelma Vaughan Memorial Home, the Psychiatric Hospital, the National Disabilities Unit and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
He added: “Sometimes populations with challenges feel that they are not sufficiently included and regarded.
In Barbados, the incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases is very high and apparently, getting worse.”
Weekes noted that this was the third occasion that the Wheelchair Foundation had benefited from assistance from the Massy Foundation and disclosed that previously, funds donated had also been used to construct a storage area
for the wheelchairs.
The Massy Foundation is a philanthropic entity established to support the needs of the community. Since its inception, the Foundation has supported numerous projects and donated annual grants to charitable organisations. (BGIS)
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