Wednesday, October 29, 2014

A gift of a wheelchair arrives in Ghana!



I have a fabulous heart warming story to share. This confirms my new motto; Tell everyone your dreams and they can come true!


Meet Marge Buzzelli, a retired school teacher. I told her about my project to help find books for the kids in Ghana and she just went crazy, in a great way; calling her friends at local schools asking for for donations. Well, while we were picking up donations at Wolftrap Elementary, we met Kwado, who works at the school and who is from Ghana. So of course I had to torture him with my attempt to speak Twi, and chat about Ghana. As we were leaving. He quietly mentioned that he was looking for  a wheelchair for his sister back in a village in Ghana. Without hesitating, I said, "We'll get you one".  I remembered that there were plenty around when I needed one for my father in law to use at my daughter's graduation. So Marge and I put the world out. Marge was determined to find one and called several friends.


 The next thing I knew, Marge's friends Judy and Frank Kenefick showed up at my house with a wheelchair. That actually bought a wheelchair on Craiglist, for a person they did not know. Heck they didn't even know me. Aren't they Amazing!


Here is Kwado, with the wheelchair when I brought it to him at Wolf Trap Elementary. While there I was chatting with Diane Long the school assistant and she offered to send out a message to other Fairfax County schools to see if they had lost and found items to donate. Yikes, did they. That is a long story for another blog but I will give you a hint that one email will end up providing coats and clothes from many kids in need from India to Darfur and the USA.


Here is Kwado's sister Adwoa (she has the same Ghanaian name as me, Monday born) with her new wheelchair and her children! She and her family are so happy. Ghanaians don't tend to have big toothy smiles in pictures like we do but trust me, she is very happy.


If you look at her legs you can tell that she has been crawling in the dirt since she became paralyzed from an illness at age 3. She has been crawling since age 3 and now she can sit in a chair! See how we can all make big a difference in someone else's life. Bless you and thank you so much Judy and Frank Kenefick and Marge Buzzelli. Isn't giving Fun!

Monday, October 20, 2014

A World of opportunities to help!

I am quickly writing this post from our hotel room in Nairobi, Kenya waiting for my new friend Francis to pick me up and take me to an orphanage and school where he volunteers. I am anxious to meet the children and the school's director to see if there is a way I can help them. The project is having a snowball effect. I am meeting and connecting kind hearted people all over the world. I am so excited a bout the connection I made in Delhi with the assistant manager on the Trident Hotel. We are going to work together to hand out the coats I have collected from the Fairfax County public school's lost and founds, to the children living on the streets and in the slums. When I get home I will be calling more schools to pick up the clothes kids have discarded or forgotten and get them onto the backs of kids who can't live without them.

More later, so happy to be busy and helpful again!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The shipment has sailed!

I am so excited. I just heard from Daniel (pictured here) that the shipment has sailed for Africa and should arrive in Ghana by the end of the month. YAY. I have been saving Ken's frequent flyer points for just this occasion. I am hoping (fingers crossed) that I can fly to Ghana and be there to help unload the container and distribute the donations. 


I saved the best for last with a motor scooter for Billa Mahmud, founder of Future Leaders UCC. He does not have a car so now he will be able to scoot around the dirt roads to visit all the women who have been given microloans. The final count was 81 boxes containing: 8 sewing machines, 2 computers, clothes, shoes, backpacks, toys, a blender, schools supplies, text books, reading books, fabric, sewing notions, power converters, a filing cabinet and a motor scooter and more. I can't wait to see everything in Ghana!