Push International - Winter 2007 Newsletter

On behalf of Push International and our staff I would like to thank you for your support. Much has transpired during the last year and a half and I want to thank you again for your support. Many of you know the details about our distribution trip to Ghana, Africa in April 2007. You may remember that Steve Oliver, who was with us here last year at this event, and who is one of our co-founders, contracted a disease when we were in Africa which claimed his life within one week of the time he returned back home to his wife in Mexico. That was a terrible loss to us all and we miss him tremendously.

Still, I am very pleased to report to you that many of Steve’s friends, supporters, and his co-founder Bree Lair, stepped forward to seat over 100 people in wheelchairs in Mexico with six teams of volunteers from around the USA this summer and many more people with disabilities were equipped with walkers, crutches, canes and other adaptive equipment to improve their lives.

In addition, our HUB in Mazatlan remains sustainable. The HUB is staffed three days a week all year long by Sergio Valdez and his helpers. Sergio is a local man who is in a wheelchair himself and who has a great deal of wheelchair seating experience and years of adapting equipment to serve the needs of each individual recipient.

In this newsletter we have included a brief summary of who we are and what we do, where we are going from here, a tribute to our leader and friend Steve Oliver, a recap of the wonderful work that took place at our HUB this past summer, an update about the Woodinville, WA fundraiser, information about our new online store and ways for you to become more involved and further support Push International. Finally, we have included an article written by Brian McCracken, our Communications Specialist, to help further inform you of new therapy techniques and technologies that are being used in the field and can be implemented with our clients in Mexico.

Thank you for your interest and support as we eagerly push on towards the many needs that lie ahead.

Push International is a non-profit humanitarian organization whose mission is to provide mobility and facilitate sustainable development in the disabled community inside the countries where we work.

Push International desires to give wheelchairs and other mobility aids to people with disabilities who are the poorest of the poor and have no means of otherwise obtaining equipment with no strings attached. We do not consider political, religion, gender or other conditions. If you are disabled and have no means by which to purchase necessary equipment we will give it to you without any conditions.

We personally deliver our wheelchairs to people in need making sure that each individual is seated in a wheelchair that will best meet their needs. We have Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Prosthetists, Special Education teachers, translators and other volunteer professionals accompany many of our new volunteers during our wheelchair distributions and outreaches to make sure that individuals receive the best care possible.

Volunteers with no previous experience working with people with disabilities or mobility equipment are also extremely important during wheelchair distributions. Our staff will teach you everything you will need to know to assist in the seating of someone with a disability. Please do not feel discouraged to participate in an outreach or wheelchair distribution because of your inexperience; everyone was inexperienced at one time.

After recipients have been properly seated in their wheelchairs Push International continues to serve the disabled. We host wheelchair maneuvering skills clinics, teach personal care skills, education, job skills, sports, daily life activities and instill a sense of pride and unity in the disabled community in the countries where we work.

We have decided to narrow our focus in the world and work deeper in the communities that we serve. Instead of traveling to a vast number of countries we believe that is extremely important to equip our wheelchair recipients with the daily life skills they need to make the fullest use of their new found mobility.

This past summer we welcomed over 60 energetic volunteers to our Hub in Mazatlan, Mexico. The multi-talented teams worked long days constructing dorms, accessible walkways, improving the wheelchair warehouse and repair shop, and working on the grounds and other facilities to better support our activities at this Hub. They also distributed food and clothing to needy families in the community where we work. The teams were able to help bring the gift of personal mobility to over 100 people and their families by personally fitting and adjusting wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes and other equipment throughout the summer. Each team had a different personality and focus which was a joy to experience. We are looking forward to working with our volunteers again.

I walked into the therapy room and out of the corner of my eye I saw red and heard giggling. I looked over, there lying on the floor was a frail little boy. As I looked closer I noticed he held his left hand in a fist and his feet were in braces. On his face was a huge, beautiful, calming grin. My walls fell, I walked over to him. We played, we laughed, I held his fist, felt his braces, we became friends. He grabbed my face, pulled it close to his, we looked into each other’s eyes, it felt like his eyes were piercing my soul. He gave me a kiss. He couldn’t say any words, he could only laugh and giggle. Who knew that a frail boy with no words to speak could show such love?

One of our co-founders is currently attending The University of Puget Sound to earn her Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy. She is organizing an outreach in anticipation of bringing a team of Occupational, Physical and possibly Speech and Language Pathology students to the Hub in Mazatlan to during their spring break in March. The team of therapy students is very excited about working in the field and making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities in need.

Push is growing and gaining new volunteers and staff members! These new people are experienced in many different areas and we are very excited that they have joined our team. We are focusing on integrating more opportunities for volunteers to interact and learn more about different therapy techniques while at home and in the field.

In support of our new therapy focus, Push will be recommending a book each month related to therapy, disability, an insider’s perspective about living with a disability or associated topics. We hope that this new approach will help open the door to new knowledge in the therapy, rehabilitation and disability field for the experienced and inexperienced reader. A discussion board will be formed so that people in the book club can discuss what they have learned, how they felt about the book and other topics related to the book. Everyone is encouraged to join the book club or suggest books to be added to the list. Look for this new program in January at www.pushinternational.org!

Articles and movies related to therapy and disability will also be posted on the website for further information, viewing, and knowledge. Please feel free to submit any books, articles or movies that you would like to be added to the site by contacting Bree at bree.lair@pushinternational.org.

Push International has formed the Push Advisory Committee (PAC) and we are honored to welcome Sylvia Felton, Rick Penny, Nelda Solano, Stephen Sones and Miriam Oliver to the committee. The PAC is a new creation of our organization which we hope will help us gain wider perspectives, fresh views and alternative cultural insights as we move forward to expand our service to people with disabilities abroad. This larger group format will bring the talents, interests and dedication of more people into focus on the daily tasks and challenges with which we are faced.

The PAC ’s purpose is to inform, to provide recommendations and to give input to the BOD thereby producing an effective connection through which Push Volunteers, Staff and Others can increase their participation in our activities.

We hope that numerous service opportunities like: improving HUB sustainability, simplifying / reducing transportation issues, growing our service to people with disabilities into other areas, promotion and marketing, fund raising, grant writing, identification, prioritization and funding for construction and improvements to HUB physical plants and on other construction projects, internal operational suggestions and a wide variety of other topics will be addressed by the PAC.

The summer 2008 season will quickly be upon us. We are working hard to make additions and changes to our program due to some of your suggestions and our growing staff and organization. In the past, Summer team outreaches have consisted of a 7 day outreach at our Hub in Mazatlan which is customized to fit the needs and focus of each team. Due to increased interest last year, we are considering creating a 10 day outreach trip available in the summer of 2008. Please contact Jeff if you are interested in the 10 day outreach instead of the 7 day standard trip so that we can see how many people are interested.

More information will be coming as the summer approaches but now is a good time to start forming a team and fundraising. Teams must be a minimum of 10 members this year so invite your friends!

The Wine for Wheels fundraiser just took place in October in Woodinville, Washington. We welcomed over 80 people who joined us for a wonderful dinner and wines at the beautiful Crystal Lake Lodge. The night included a live auction, video and first hand accounts from our young team volunteers who worked in Mazatlan with us last summer. The night was wonderful and we raised over $8,500 during our live auction. The night also included magnificent deserts and a dance and social with the live band Durable Goods! We want to deeply thank all who attended and all those who supported Push International during this event and throughout the year! Thank you!!

We would like to update you all on how the wheelchair collection department is moving forward. In our first year of operation, despite some of our set-backs, we have still seen 735 wheelchairs collected and either shipped to Africa, Mexico, or shared with other organizations that work around the world. This is a great start and we have impacted the lives of many families with just our collection efforts alone. The momentum is building and the word is spreading around. We challenge all of you to get on board, keep an eye out for wheelchairs and other equipment to collect, and to share the vision with everyone you meet. What we discard in this country is true treasure in others. Help us change the world one person at a time.

If you have a chair you want to donate, please call or email
Jeff Musgrave - Director of Wheelchair Collections
719-641-8844
jeff.musgrave@pushinternational.org

Communication is a fundamental part of everyday life. Humans primarily use verbal communication; when verbal methods are not available, we may use body language, gestures, sign language, or even grunts to compensate. Unfortunately, many people have physical disabilities and are unable to verbally communicate with others. They may also have other physical limitations which do not allow for effective nonverbal communication, either. Families often turn to assumption and guesswork to determine what that individual wants or needs.

When this individual interacts with others outside of their home or immediate family, their ability to communicate is greatly reduced. However, because of recent technological advancements, this individual now has access to communication devices that allow much more effective interaction with others.

Just in the last 5 years, communication technology has seen incredible advancements, due in part to the availability of ultraporable computers, enhanced speech technology, and adaptive interfaces which allow people with even severe disabilities to express themselves and answer questions.

For example, while the Seattle team was in Mazatlan this last summer, we worked with a bright young man who has Cerebral Palsy and has very limited speech. One of our team members, who has a strong background working with people with communication disabilities, suggested that we install a program on a computer that will allow him to type what he wants to say (in Spanish, of course) and have the computer repeat it out loud. We used his computer and two commercially-available programs – total cost, $70. In the past, this type of software might have cost well over $1500 to do the same thing. Watching this young man communicate without difficulty for the first time in his life was a very moving experience. One of the goals of Push International is to assist as many individuals as possible to gain access to this type of technology that will enhance their communication and their lives. Eventually we would like to install this software on a laptop computer mounted to his wheelchair, which will allow mobility and independence he has only dreamed of.

Alternatively, many children who have communication difficulties cannot type; for them, we can create picture-based books which will allow simple and direct expression.

Push International is looking for volunteers who want to make a difference. If you want to help or need more information, please contact Brian McCracken: brian@pusinternationa.org - or 866-702-PUSH

We have a 13 month 2008 wall calendar that is filled with faces of Push volunteers working in the field and their personal stories and insights of their experiences. (Many of the summer volunteers are included in this calendar) These calendars are great for the home, office or as gifts!

We also have Push mouse pads that are also a great gift for supporters and a fun reminder of your wonderful experiences. There are also hats, polo's, sweatshirts and other clothing items located in the store as well.

Please take a look and think about your family and friends as you order items. They'll make great Holiday gifts!

All of the staff, team members, recipients and other supporters are deeply grieving the recent loss of our friend, mentor, co-founder and leader Steve Oliver.

As we all continue the work that he and others have started, we continue to honor him by serving others. We know Steve would be proud of the work that has continued to take place after he passed and the work that is yet to come.

Steve took people one by one under his wing and pointed them down a path of service. He never pushed into private lives unless he was invited, and if he was he never held back sharing about the hard things that he saw. He fought hard for things he believed in, sometimes maybe too hard, to his own fault. But he was never at more peace and harmony than when he was working with the disabled. He devoted and invested his life and his work to helping people with disabilities and helped others to come along side him.

Steve challenged us to be better people, to live a more committed lives, and to have fun through the journey. We will miss our friend Steve, but we know that he is in a better place now, all of his short comings have been wiped away and only the good that he did remains. We envision that he sits in Heaven at a banquet feast, dinning and laughing with many of the people that he served with wheelchairs, for the first time hearing many of the stories that they could not tell him on earth. May the dream never die!

Push International is a growing and dynamic organization that is developing new needs as we grow. Below are the areas in which you can help us grow. If you would like to become involved in any of these areas, or in any other way, please contact Brian at brian@pushinternational.org.

Once again, we would like to thank you for your interest and support. We would not exist without the support of volunteers like you!