Carl Williams (in wheelchair) is delighted with his gift. He is accompanied by Sgt. Sharon Beeput (left); his mother Edna Brown, second left); Roger Campbell, president-elect of Rotary Club 7020 (third left); Constable Carlton Sterling, (third right); Corporal Dixieth Palmer (second right) and Lee Bailey, assistant governor of Rotary District 7020. - ContributedWESTERN BUREAU:
AS THEY come in contact with the public on a daily basis, the police see it all. They know the happy stories, the sad ones and those in need of some special assistance.
One of those persons is Carl Williams from Nor-wood, St. James, who was presented with a wheelchair by the Area 1 police, in conjunction with the Rotary Club, recently.
"He was very happy to receive the wheelchair," Constable Boris Gardner of the Area 1 Police Head-quarters, Community Relat-ions, said. Mr. Williams is 20 years old and suffers from a congenital physical impairment which has left him physically and mentally impaired.
In addition to the wheelchair presented to Mr. Williams, another is being reserved for police officers who are injured and rendered temporarily immobile. The two devices are part of a batch of 25 which was donated by a group of private citizens in Canada.
The remaining 23 wheelchairs will arrive in the island as soon as the necessary arrangements are made and will be distributed as the need arises.
The presentation took place at Caribbean Cruise Shipping and Tours Ltd.'s offices on Claude Clarke Avenue.
"Lee Bailey (assistant governor, Rotary District 7020) was one of the persons who suggested that the wheelchairs be used for intermittent distribution," Constable Gardner said.
And fittingly the head Community Relations in Area 1 is Deputy Superin-tendent Ivan Brown, who also heads the Western Disabilities Association.
Now that Mr. Williams has the wheelchair, the police are hoping that he will be more involved in the world outside the walls of his home with his increased mobility.
"We have encouraged his mother to take him out, so that he interacts more with the community and other people," Constable Gardner said.
