Another container is in the process of being filled for Williams Lake’s sister city Sosua, Dominican Republic.
Several more pieces of equipment needed to set up a dental clinic were donated last week by the Cariboo Dental Clinic. These items include two dental chairs valued at about $10,000 each (used) and dental lights with a total value of about $5,000, (used) plus a few dentist stools.
This dental equipment joins a dental X-ray unit donated earlier by Rudy Wassenaar.
The equipment in both cases was being replaced with more modern technology but still in good shape for a country where many people don’t have access to dental care.
The X-ray unit originally cost about $35,000 and is worth about $10,000 today.
Wassenaar said earlier that a technician from the company he buys his equipment from has agreed to volunteer his time to install the X-ray machine and train people in Sosua how to use it properly. Wassenaar is also hoping to make some trips to Sosua in the future to do some volunteer dental work. In the past he has done some volunteer dentistry in Central and South America.
The container will be shipped to Sosua later this year and hopefully arrive in December in time for Christmas, says Glen Lahey, who founded KidsExplore with his wife Debbie and heads up Williams Lake’s sister city project with Sosua.
The container also includes donations of beds and other older hospital equipment from Deni House that has been replaced.
This latest container is the third container of help that Williams Lake and area residents have filled and sent to Sosua with everything from household goods to clothing, blankets, crutches, sewing machines, medical equipment and supplies and more.
People can continue to drop off donations at Chuck’s Auto on Mackenzie Avenue, but at the request of the DR government clothing will not be accepted, Lahey says.
The Williams Lake community also sent one container of emergency supplies to neighbouring Haiti after the earthquake there in 2010 which included tents, camping gear, medical supplies, sheets, blankets, pots and pans, as well as school supplies and toys for children such as small to medium-stuffed animals and hot-wheel cars.
Due to contacts made by our sister city project 13 other 40-foot shipping containers of supplies were sent to Haiti after the quake from other parts of Canada and the U.S.
“It was only because of the contacts made through the Williams Lake/Sosua sister city project that sending these containers to Haiti was possible,” Lahey said.
“We will be holding a collection day in three weeks,” Lahey says.
The following is a list of badly needed new or slightly used items:
Sporting equipment, baseball, basketball and soccer uniforms and caps, baseballs, bats gloves shoes, basketballs and shoes, soccer balls, basketball hoops and nets, and kids’ soccer nets.
All types of camping gear to be used for emergencies during the yearly floods. Tents in good condition, stoves, cooking utensils, axes, tarps, folding chairs, and small charcoal and propane barbecues.
All types of school material including notebooks, construction paper, children’s scissors, folders, pencils, pens, erasers, batteries, molding clay, legos (medium and large sizes), tape, umbrellas and children’s rain ponchos, backpacks, calculators, and dominos.
“No educational books, please,” Lahey says.
Children’s story books, medium and small stuffed animals, hot wheels, dolls and other toys.
Baby supplies, washable diapers, disposable diapers, bottles, baby clothing, toys, blankets, cribs. Sewing machines, material, needles, and supplies.
Kitchen supplies, silverware, tupperware, plastic and normal cups, plates, pots pans, etc.
Blankets, sheets, rain ponchos, ladies’ and children’s sun hats, caps, men’s and children’s baseball style caps and running shoes, eye glasses, hospital and home medical equipment, wheelchairs, crutches, canes, walkers, tooth brushes, hair brushes, combs, girl’s hair accessories, and costume jewelry, working computers, (2008 or newer), and any working lap-top computers (badly needed).