Have you ever wondered what happens next for the crutches and mobility devices collected at the entrance to the YMCA?

In late November local Rotarians delivered those devices to a warehouse in Biddeford where Rotarians from several clubs helped load a 40-foot shipping container headed to Uganda, Africa. With creative packing, a container can hold up to 3,500 pairs of crutches, walkers and wheel chairs. This was the sixth such container shipped from Maine.

The national program, Crutches4Africa, was founded in 2006 by David Talbot from Colorado, himself a polio survivor. While producing a documentary film in Uganda, he was struck by how many polio survivors had no means of mobility. He returned home with the double motivation of helping those in need, as well as recycling items that often end up in our landfills.

Local organizer Dennis Robillard of the Saco Bay Sunset Rotary Club spearheaded the recent effort which included Interact students who helped organize, pack and load the devices. According to Robillard, “Because of insurance and other regulations, these items really don’t get re-used. So here we are giving people a chance -- a basic human right -- a chance to move around and walk”.

The Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club and the Boothbay Region YMCA encourage the ongoing collection of crutches, wheelchairs, walkers (must be collapsible), canes, leg braces and walking boots. By sharing things you no longer need, you can truly change a life.