Holiday Greetings from the PET West Michigan Family

Dear Friends of PET West Michigan,

 

In 2014 we built and packed for shipment child PET number 2,000.  As we approached that milestone the packing team would remark on historical events of the year represented by the PET number.  Now we look to the future and hope to send number 2,500 and quite possibly number 3,000 by the end of 2015.

This accomplishment represents the efforts of our volunteers, our suppliers, many of whom deeply discount or donate their materials and labor, and you.  Without donations, nothing we do can occur.  With donations, we can not only continue but also would be in a position to increase production.

Members of the PET team, at their own expense, have traveled to be present when our carts have been distributed in Kolkata India, Hue Vietnam, and Antigua Guatemala.  The stories of lives changed inspire us all. 

Children who have been seen as a source of shame by families and a burden by societies peddle themselves from being marginalized to being part of their world.  Just being up on a PET cart instead of on the ground gives them a presence they have never experienced.  Peddling to school offers them an opportunity to be a productive member of society instead of a beggar crawling on the ground.  Their family is freed from a burden and can participate more fully in their community. 

Envision a child lying in bed at home, or crawling on the floor away from society and the world.  Now see that child peddling his PET cart down the road on the way to school interacting with the crowd of kids going his way.  YOU can participate in that transformation.  Your donations now make it possible; your volunteering when you retire will continue the story.  Both will enrich your life and the life of others.   

Please join us in demonstrating the compassion of Jesus Christ by providing mobility to least of God’s children.  

Sincerely,

The staff and volunteers at PET West Michigan.

To Donate Online, click here: http://petwestmichigan.org/donate.htm

Disability A Global Problem

Disability is a global problem that affects families from all backgrounds, but when you examine the statistics and impact for low income countries the results are alarming. It is reported that almost two-thirds of all people with disabilities live in low income countries.  This translates to an impact of nearly one in five of the world’s poorest people.  The picture is grave now, but the rate of global disability is increasing rapidly, primarily due to population growth in less-developed regions.  It is projected that by year 2025 the number of people with disabilities in low income countries will double.  Children comprise approximately one-third of the world’s disabled population and many of the disabilities affecting children are preventable. For every child who is killed in a conflict situation, up to three more are permanently disabled.  Disability impacts our entire world, but it seems the burden is not distributed equally.