The Knights of Columbus at St. Raphael Parish in Springdale helped raise more than $17,000 Oct. 29-30 to purchase wheelchairs for the poor in third-world countries, including wheelchairs for Christ the King's Honduras mission, based in Little Rock.
The Knights partnered with the American Wheelchair Mission, which provides wheelchairs, crutches and other mobility devices to people in need throughout the world. Chris Lewis, president of American Wheelchair Mission and son of entertainer Jerry Lewis, made a short presentation at each Mass during the weekend. The second collection was then dedicated to the wheelchair effort.
For many years the Knights have made the wheelchair project a priority. Lewis is a Fourth-Degree Knight, and has partnered with Knight councils all over the country to help fund this effort.
This year, many of the wheelchairs will be shipped to Little Rock for inclusion in the containers that are shipped to the Honduras mission. Shipping through Christ the King Church will allow American Wheelchair Mission to avoid steep customs fees and a great deal of paperwork. Some chairs also will go to the Teleton center in Irapuato, Mexico, in the state of Guanajuato. Many of St.Raphael's parishioners are from the Guanajuato area. The Teleton center is a rehabilitation center for children that provides its services free of charge.
Each wheelchair costs $150 to build and deliver, so at least 113 wheelchairs will be delivered. Lewis said more donations will likely arrive by mail over the next few weeks.
The effort was headed in the parish by Joe Wood, grand knight of Council 12082, Jeff Wood, a member of the council, and Cathy Crouch,who has worked closely with Lewis for about 15 years.
