The Rotary Club of New Braunfels recently partnered with the Rotary Club of Zacoalco de Torres, Mexico, and the Wheelchair Foundation to assemble and distribute 270 wheelchairs, each adorned with patches of the three partners.
The early December trip included 10 members of the New Braunfels club who were graciously greeted by members of the Zacoalco club at the Guadalajara airport with a full mariachi band. The clubs partnered over the next few days assembling and distributing the wheelchairs to those in the community in need of new and replacement chairs. The two clubs distributed 150 wheelchairs out of the 270 available, and the Zacoalco club will be responsible for distributing the remainder.
The chairs were made possible by an anonymous donor through the Rotary Club of New Braunfels who donated $21,000 for the project. Those funds were then matched by the Wheelchair Foundation, who ordered a container of 270 wheelchairs from China that were shipped to the port of Manzanillo in Mexico and delivered to the Rotary Club of Zacoalco de Torres.
The ability to provide mobility to many in Zacoalco was a very emotional event for all involved. New friendships were formed with a promise from New Braunfels that they would return. The coordinated effort certainly embodied Rotary’s motto of "Service Above Self".
