As I gazed out of the window on the bus, I was amazed by how many wheelchairs were lined

up to be given away. I knew there was a great need in Mexico, but I hadn’t realized how many

people would actually be there. People of all ages and sizes . Some had come with their

family, others made the trip alone. Then there were those who couldn’t make the journey at all

due to their circumstances and were fortunate enough to send someone to come in their place

to receive the donation of a wheelchair from Chair the Love. There must have been nearly one

hundred chairs lined up in size order, ready to be distributed to the many people waiting

patiently around the perimeter of the Rotary Building’s front portico. It was a beautiful and

touching sight, but one that also broke my heart a bit as we proceeded off the bus to start the

distribution event.

When my husband and I first got involved with Glen and Chair the Love, we didn’t realize the

impact it would have on us. Both of us have been involved with local charities in the past and

feel fortunate to make this kind of work a big part of our life. We have been blessed with a

wonderful family, food to nourish them, ready access to health and medical services and a

home to protect us and keep us safe. Taking the time to give back to others who may not have

experienced the same opportunities, is an important part of who we are and who we strive to

teach our children to be.

Our trip to Guadalajara with Chair the Love, allowed us to combine our desire to share these

blessings with our son, Logan as he joined us on our Mexican adventure. Although we didn’t

know what to expect, we couldn’t have been more proud of the way he conducted himself and

interacted with everyone he met. He spoke with a young man who had lost both of his legs in

a work accident and did not have insurance. He helped move a 90 year old man to a much

needed wheelchair as his legs were no longer able to support him. Time after time throughout

the day, I turned to see him interacting with people that were so happy that he was there, and

the smile on his face was proof that he was happy to be there too.

At the end of the day, I asked Logan how he felt about his experience at the distribution. Logan

turned to me and said that he had a moment when he paused and thought about how

fortunate he was to have two working legs and that because of that, he decided he would not

sit down for the entire day; in honor of all of the people who were not that fortunate. In that

moment, I couldn’t contain my pride and tears streamed down my face as I dealt with the love

and reality of experiencing so many emotions about what we were able to participate in.

We are excited to continue our journey with Chair the Love and are grateful for the opportunity

to be a part of this community. More than anything however, we are just so thankful that we

were able to “Chair the Love” and receive so much love in return.

– Cara Starling DePaul