Crutches Collection Transforms Lives 
 
Dave Talbot, founder of Crutches 4 Africa, loads the last crutch into a cargo container.
 
District #7780 was fortunate to welcome back Dave Talbot, founder of the hugely successful Crutches 4 Africa program, in November. Dave is a member of the Evergreen Colorado Rotary as well as a polio survivor. Crutches 4 Africa has been a tremendously successful program and one in which our District can take substantial pride.  Talbot and his wife Candice were here in Maine to assist in the packing of their 13th shipping container (four of which have come from #7780!) which will be the first headed to the southern African nation of Zambia.
 
Crutches 4 Africa was started in 2005 after the Talbots traveled to Uganda on a photography trip and returned home aghast at the rudimentary mobility devices used by many African Polio victims. Dave and Candice began to collect discarded crutches locally in Colorado. “Our initial collection brought in 235 pairs of crutches” says Talbot “and we found space in a container already destined for Uganda”. Since that first shipment in 2006 this endeavor to help those hindered with mobility issues has grown with collections going forward in a dozen states and more than 58,000 pieces of mobility devices being delivered into the hands of mobility challenged people, and all without cost to the recipient, in 15 countries in Africa and 9 other destinations.
 
Today, Crutches 4 Africa hosts collection sites in the US, Europe and Australia including many in our District thanks to the great efforts of Dennis Robillard of the Saco Bay Club (a C4A Advisory Board member) and Tom Wilbur of the Freeport Club.  Organizing a collection site is a simple and inexpensive way to start an international service project for a Rotary or Interact Club either by placing a collection bin or signage in a suitable location (a school, church or place of business.
 
Please contact Dennis or Tom for more information.
 
 
Dennis Robillard risc@maine.rr.com
 
Tom Wibur tom@wilburs.com