RUMFORD — The local Rotary club has been a longtime supporter of the eradication of polio.

When the Rumford/Mexico civic group recently decided to find an international cause to support, members thought it only made sense to try to help those in another part of the world that have suffered from this debilitating disease.

Rotary Club member Rich Allen said the organization made a few phone calls and immediately found nearly seven dozen canes, walkers and crutches to send to Kenya and Tanzania. Now, the group has expanded its search and is asking River Valley people to donate those items at any of six drop-off points in the area.

The first load of these devices will be taken to a central site in Portland in April, he said. From there, they will be shipped to Africa.

Anyone with crutches, walkers and canes that they no longer need may drop them off at Rumford Community Home and Rumford Hospital in Rumford, Riverside Realty, the Northern Oxford Regional Transfer Station, and Walmart, in Mexico, and at the Victorian Villa Rehabilitation and Living Center in Canton.

Those who may have wheelchairs that are no longer needed may call Allen at 357-8023 or Bill Gates at 364-2400 for pickup.

The local Rotary club is one of many such groups around the state and nation that has conducted mobility device drives for those in need in Africa. According to the Crutches4Africa website, they are used to help those who have suffered debilitation due to not only polio, but also because of landmine and other injuries and other diseases.

The nonprofit organization was started in 2005 by David Talbot, a photographer and videographer who has suffered from polio and post polio syndrome.

This is the first time the Rumford/Mexico Rotary has supported Crutches4Africa, Allen said.

The Rumford/Mexico group regularly supports local causes, such as scholarships for local students, and several others.

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