VA Medical Center among beneficiaries of Salem council’s effort
Dozens of veterans and other people in Virginia who find it difficult or impossible to rise up and walk are getting some help from the Knights of Columbus.
Council 10015 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Salem, has donated 140 wheelchairs to the local Veterans Administration Medical Center and other groups in the region. The state council also raised money for an additional 140 wheelchairs to be distributed across the state, mainly through Paralyzed Veterans of America. Each campaign raised $16,500 in about two months last fall.
“People didn’t think we could do it,” said Grand Knight and retired Marine David Wyble, who led the Salem council’s effort. “I was even a little skeptical, but the Holy Spirit got behind us on this, and by the grace of God, we did.”
Wyble knows firsthand how necessary a good wheelchair can be. A few years ago, he developed heart disease and was using a wheelchair until a heart transplant got him back on his feet. He decided it was time he joined the Knights of Columbus, a decision that has brought new meaning to his life and prompted a project that will improve the lives of other disabled veterans.
Each chair costs $150, about one-third of what a medical supply company might charge thanks to the American Wheelchair Mission, a non-profit organization that arranges bulk shipments from overseas. It donated 60 chairs to the Knights of Columbus campaigns.
Run by Christopher Lewis, the son of Jerry Lewis, AWM said it has provided 800,000 wheelchairs to people in 150 countries over the last 20 years. The K of C is one of its partners.
State Deputy and Navy retiree Pat Rowland said the Virginia council had been working on starting a wheelchair drive since 2020, one that was delayed by the pandemic. When they learned of the Salem council’s plans, they decided to coordinate their efforts.
A project like this “holds a special place for a lot of us,” he said before the presentation of 90 chairs to the Salem VA hospital Monday, Aug. 15. “Many of us are retired military, and being able to help out our brothers and sisters in the armed forces is something we like to do,” Roland said.
The Salem council raised the money by asking for donations at church, holding a casino night and soliciting contributions from local businesses. The biggest individual donation was $500; most donors gave enough to buy one chair. Knights of Columbus councils in Blacksburg, Fincastle and Christiansburg received chairs to distribute, as did the Hope Tree family services center in Salem.
The sturdy, durable wheelchairs in regular and large sizes will be useful to veterans who have to move around the sprawling campus of the Salem hospital, according to Executive Director Rebecca Stackhouse.
“Being able to replace and supplement the current stock of wheelchairs that we have is very important to our veterans,” she said. “The Knights of Columbus stepping up, engaging in this fundraiser and this large project to get us these 90 wheelchairs is just truly outstanding.”
In a prayer before blessing the chairs at the presentation last month, Father Kevin Segerblom, pastor of St. Andrew, Roanoke, said, “We have gratitude in our hearts today, Father, for the many veterans who have served our country so well, sacrificing themselves for the protection of our people and our land and our values. May these wheelchairs give the veterans who receive them greater freedom of movement to do the things you call them to do and receive the care they deserve.”