ROC Wheels Jamaica 2011

ROC Wheels is at it again and no one can stop this impassioned team of youth and committed adults. They spent months working hard and putting on fundraisers. They sold chocolate, concessions, made spaghetti dinners, put on fashion shows and worked with diligence to raise the funds needed to go on this trip. Our thanks goes out to all of the friends and family who provided support.


The long awaited time arrived on March 14 as the team took flight to Montego Bay Jamaica. The team had a brief afternoon on the beach after about twenty hours of travel time and hanging out in airports.



Passing time playing games at the airport during a six hour layover.



The first distribution was at the Cornwall Hospital in Montego Bay where they fitted 19 chairs to children and adults.

On the second day the team had the great privilege of going to West Haven Children's Home, where the teammates and children created cherished relationships never to be forgotten.

Beautiful faces and radiant smiles greeted them as they arrived at Blessed Assurance Children's Home their final destination. It truly was a blessed place, full of amazing kids of all shapes and sizes. The interaction was priceless. Hearts were softened and lives were changed.

"I love this trip so many exciting things happened, the laughing and the smiling of the children fills your heart with joy".
- Janice


"This has just been an amazing opportunity. Once you fit a chair to a certain person, you realize... wow, I just totally changed this child's life. There is no way to explain the joy!" - Anna

"This trip was lots of hard work. In the end though all the work pays off. Not only because of the fun and you get to relax afterwards, but because you know you have helped many kids".
- Siera

"This trip has changed my view of life completely!! I have seen things that have changed and touched my heart in many many ways. I developed amazing relationships with the kids and it's just a great thing to be a part of!!"
- River

Thank you for helping us bring mobility to Jamaica. We could not have done it without all of your prayers and support.

Changing the World One Bead at a Time

The Belgrade High School ceramics art class was taken over by beads of vibrant color, inspired students and the over all buzz of creative energy, during the fall of 2010. Students composed wearable masterpieces using ceramic beads, string, glaze, ribbon and their own artistic vibe. Below are photos of students rocking their innovative jewelry designs.

A variety of necklaces are still available for a suggested donation. 100% of proceeds go towards a ROC wheelchair for a child in a developing country.

Reach Out & Care- World Renowned Entertainers, Artists, Business Tycoons, Professional Athletes

ROC is very grateful for all that Moe Bashi has done to spread awareness for ROC's mission. Moe has raised support to sponsor ROC Chairs for severely disabled children in less resourced countries simply by bringing ROC to the attention of his clients. Moe is able to reach out to the type of people that most of us do not come in contact with during our daily lives- or perhaps ever in our lives. Please keep Moe and his business in your thoughts if he can be of service to you or those you know. Thanks Moe!

Moe Bashi
Exceptional Limousines
Chauffeured Executive Car Service

136-40 Dundas Street East
Mississauga –Ontario
Canada
L5A-1W2
www.exceptionallimo.ca
info@exceptionallimo.ca
416-720-0366
888-720-0366

Morocco Factory & Montana Youth

MOROCCO ROC CHAIR FACTORY

ROC just received the final prototype of the Moroccan steel version of the ROC Chair from our partners in Casablanca, Morocco at AMH (Amicale Moraccine Des Handicapes). This day has been the culmination of three year of planning, grant writing, and research and development. ROC’s first visit to the Centre Noor was back in April of 2008. Within minutes it was agreed by all parties, that developing a local ROC Chair manufacturing operation was required to help mobilize disabled children not just in Casablanca, but throughout Western Africa. ROC believes in supporting American businesses, but serving the worldwide need for mobility products is only possible by empowering nationals to provide for their own needs- “Teach a man to fish!” Thanks to World Learning / USAID, AMH, and the Morocco Foundation for helping to make this dream become a reality!

This mission has certainly been an uphill battle. It took over a year of negotiations, strategy development, and grant writing to even get started. The work behind the stage was very challenging, but the real work began when we started to try to find local materials that would meet our quality control requirements. This created several new challenges and took creative problem solving to alter the design of the ROC Chair based on local capabilities and availability of materials while retaining all the features and custom positioning for the wheelchair recipient. One example was the realization that aluminum tube for the frame is far too expensive in Morocco so we had to experiment with using steel tube. Our concern was adding significant weight which would make moving and transporting the ROC Chair more difficult for the children and their families. The benefit of using steel tube was that we could reduce the number of pieces and supports by incorporating welding into the operation. After a great deal of testing and design modification, we found that the weight of the steel ROC Chair was nearly the same as our aluminum model!
Much of the credit for reaching this point should be directed to our partners in Moroccan. AMH’s President, Mohamed Khadiri, gathered together a strong team of dedicated specialists for this mission. AMH’s Chief Manufacturing Manager, Fouad Mehboub has worked tirelessly under a restrictive budget and tight timeline. We look forward to returning to Morocco soon to see the ROC Chair in full production at the Centre Noor and help with the first distribution of “Made in Morocco” ROC Chairs.

YEWTHS ROC PROGRAM- INSPIRING LOCAL YOUTH

ROC’s youth programs continue to expand throughout Montana. This past Saturday we performed a successful test of our new mobile ROC Chair assembly operation with nine students from Manhattan Christian Reformed Church. Murdoch’s Ranch and Home Supply gave ROC a great deal on a new fourteen foot enclosed trailer capable of transporting our four mobile workstations to schools, service organizations, and churches. Last Friday ROC received a very kind donation of a GMC Yukon from Bozeman’s own Double O Inc. Soon both the Yukon and trailer will have a custom graphic wraps thanks to Insty Prints and local businesses. Another great way to show the businesses that support ROC, while spreading awareness for ROC’s mission and those we serve.

The mobile unit is capable of transporting five ROC Chairs in component form within the four workstations. Once wheeled out the workstations allow for volunteers to learn about the ROC Chair and how each and every component is designed to support and empower the child who will receive this precious gift. The volunteers, mostly children and teenagers, are able to greatly impact the life of a child while learning about how to design and manufacture products that help others. It is important to mention that this program is to help spread awareness and inspire people. This method of assembling ROC Chairs is more costly than other alternatives, but we believe that the added cost is justified to benefit everyone involved. We rely upon the generous donations of all of you to make this program possible. If you or your family would like to come and assemble a ROC Chair together please notify ROC Wheels staff. The cost is $350 and it will take about two to three hours to assemble a complete ROC Chair and prepare it for delivery to a child in a less resourced countries. For those feeling especially adventurous you can join ROC on the distribution and help custom fit the ROC Chair that you assembled to the special needs of a disabled child. What a truly wonderful way to bring the family together while helping someone in need.

Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids Update: Brad Blauser

Rarely does it ever occur in a person’s life that they are presented with an opportunity to come to the rescue of a large population of people in need.

Never would I have guessed that upon my arrival in Iraq in November 2004, a movement would be set in motion soon thereafter to help improve (and in some cases save) the lives of hundreds of children with walking disabilities through the Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids project.

I’m grateful for all those who have partnered with me over the last five years to help bring adjustable pediatric wheelchairs to a country full of families who had no access to them. I’m grateful to those who created and manufactured the pediatric wheelchairs, to those who donated and sponsored them, to those who brought them to Iraq free of charge, to those who risked their lives to organize and carry out missions so children in many parts of Iraq could receive them. In my biased opinion, this is one of the best stories of suffering and tragedy turned to relief and joy coming out of Iraq over the past five years. So many children from various backgrounds and faiths have received the pediatric wheelchairs from Reach Out and Care Wheels. Shiites, Sunnis, Kurdish, Christian, Yazidis , Assyrians, Chaldeans, Armenian Orthodox – all children are precious in God’s sight. And in my view, children with special needs living in war zones are truly the ‘least of these’ who are the most desperate in need of assistance. They are the most vulnerable segment of Iraqi society in need of help. Children with disabilities grow up watching brothers, sisters and friends learn how to ride tricycles, skateboards and bicycles, all the while they have watched despondently, grounded because of their disabilities. It’s like they’ve been left out as they’ve been condemned to a cruel fate of life alone on the ground, simply because their legs won’t work. They don’t get to participate in normal childhood activities; typically they’re ostracized from peer groups by default due to their disabilities. Imagine growing up, not learning the rules of football because you’ve never had the opportunity to play the game with the other kids. Imagine growing up not receiving an education, because your parents can’t be there every day to carry you around the school grounds. Many times these children are mentally aware and very bright, but aren’t afforded the opportunity to develop physically and socially because of their limited mobility.

As sad as their situation appears, I often see faces of children glow with wide smiles and big eyes as they enter the wheelchair distribution area and see their first set of wheels waiting for them. One boy told me in English as he sat in his wheelchair for the first time that it was his first bicycle. He was smiling from ear to ear – there was no way I could take away his joy at that moment. He may never ride a bike with two wheels, but a “bike” with four wheels is a blessing beyond his wildest dreams!

New Building, New Opportunities: Local Youth are Making a Global Impact

“It’s awesome to know that what I’m doing is going to help kids with disabilities in Jamaica,” said 11 year old Kaylene Volkman.

Kaylene has dedicated the majority of her summer vacation to volunteering in our ROC Wheels Shop. She has not only prepared doll kits to help raise money and awareness for the children affected by disabilities, but also she has worked with her older brother Tyler Volkman, 15, to help assemble the ROC Wheelchairs that will be custom fit for children and adults living in Jamaica on our 2011 YEWTHS ROC Spring Break Expedition.

The process of building a wheelchair is life-changing for both the youth assembling the wheelchair, and the youth receiving the wheelchair.

“Our YEWTHS ROC Program emphasizes to our kids that they are not just our leaders of the future, but they can be leaders and world changers right now. After kids have the hands-on experience of assembling a wheelchair and they watch our video of kids receiving the gift of mobility in developing nations like Tanzania or Kenya, a lot of them leave our building with a new sense of confidence. I’m glad that we have a local facility where kids can come and know that their voice matters,” said RaShelle Soper, Associate Director of YEWTHS ROC.

Here at ROC Wheels, we want to thank you for your prayers and financial contributions. We ask that you would continue to pray for us and consider helping us to purchase our ROC Wheels building. During a feasibility study, we identified the cost to purchase and renovate our building at $400,000. We are praying for God’s wisdom as we strategically plan our Capital Campaign. Our hope is to raise $200,000 by March of this coming year.

Jamaica Mon'!

Here at ROC Wheels, we’re getting geared up for the YEWTHS (Youth Empowered With The Helper Spirit) ROC Jamaica Spring Break Expedition 2011. During March 11-20th 2011, we will be taking a team of 24 students, adults and physical therapists to Montego Bay, Jamaica with the goal of improving the lives of children and adults with disabilities and sharing God’s love with the people of Jamaica. We will be distributing ROC Wheelchairs and other mobility devices that have been made here locally in Bozeman by local students and other volunteers. Lately, Travis Volkman, ROC’s School Wheelchair Manufacturing Consultant, has been busy assembling ROC Chairs at our new Headquarters with the help of volunteers. After the wheelchairs are shipped to Jamaica, we will coordinate with our partners in Jamaica to custom fit 100 highly specialized wheelchairs to their new owner’s needs. ROC Wheels’ YEWTHS ROC Program Director Lee Hanson is still pulling together the details of the Jamaica Spring Break Expedition. We plan on teaming up with the Montego Bay Rotary Club to serve people affected by disabilities in Montego Bay. And of course, we are also in the process of planning fun activities for the ROC Team to participate in during their stay in Jamaica. Last time the ROC Team made a trip to Jamaica in 2009, they spent time at two different orphanages and they also enjoyed time on the beaches, snorkeling and sailing.

“The distribution to Jamaica last year was filled with God’s love! I was amazed as we prayed for people and witnessed the new joy found in each person that received a wheelchair,” Holly Floyd, ROC Wheels Associate Director.

If you are interested in possibly joining our ROC Team in Jamaica you can e-mail me at: rashelle@rocwheels.org. You can also reach me at our ROC Wheels office here in Bozeman, MT at: 406.556.8065. If you would like more details on how you can be a part of improving the life of a child affected by disabilities, please do not hesitate to call us or you can visit our website at: http://www.rocwheels.org/. For a one-time donation of $350, you will have the opportunity to be a contributor to our Adopt-a-Chair Fund. I just want to take the time to say thank you to all of you around the world that have prayed for ROC Wheels and given your time and your financial resources to make an eternal impact on the lives of the people that we serve. May God bless you abundantly!

In Love,
RaShelle Soper
Associate Director of YEWTHS ROC Program