Bringing Smiles celebrated their 74th Independence Day this Sunday as a day “Independence From Disability”. Independence of those living life without the abilities, we take so much for granted? Without hands or legs or eyes or any other part of our body which can debilitate us. Have we ever looked at a disabled person’s handicap and done something to alleviate his life except clucking our tongues and lowering our eyes and moving away forgetting that very minute what we saw? Well, there is a person, who
can hold his head high. He identifies persons with disabilities, speaks to them and understands their need and then tries to convert this disability into an ability by providing simple solutions for them to live a life of Independence and dignity.
Yes, Bringing Smiles, Coordinator and his team of volunteers have been working selflessly for the cause of helping disabled persons earn a living or assisting them in simple day to day functions of walking without the help of others, or reading and knowing more about the world without having normal vision to see, read or write. Bringing Smiles, which was formally founded in 2019, makes persons with any marked disability Independent!
This Independence Day, while others were busy in unfurling the National Flag in their Societies or Condos, or perhaps in photo ops wearing the National colours, these dedicated few crusaders were in the midst of disabled persons and vision impaired young boys. They had collected wheelchairs, tricycles, crutches, sewing machines besides clothes and rations to help 21 disabled in living a life of self-dependence with the help of well-meaning donors. Ten neatly dressed boys in a uniform in shades of blue, who could well have been from any of the scores of Public Schools in the Millenium city, but who were not so privileged, waited their turn at receiving mobile handsets, perhaps configured for assisting in their challenged vision. As with very event since the last eight years or more when Bringing Smiles has been active, all recipients were accorded a warm welcome by the Team, and with smiles to bring more smiles. They were given a welcome breakfast and each of them who would remember this Independence Day, as it brought for them freedom from a life of dependence, as they received the aid they had been promised.
Indeed, it was a gratifying day for those at Bringing Smiles to see the smiles on these faces for whom they had worked hard and selflessly for the past month. They also equipped each one of them with at least a month’s dry rations in these hard times and woollen blankets for the ensuing winters. The Team was unmindful of the risk of exposure themselves, though they were all wearing masks and gloves and maintaining social distances.
Bringing Smiles went a step further by sanitising their assistive Aids before them handing over alongwith a pack of 50 disposable masks to each one of them. He also took a session on safe disposal of masks for the recipients. The 50 masks would help them in spreading awareness on safety through the mask, if they spotted any person not taking this precaution.
Bringing Smiles continues on its journey to help those in need to lead an Independent life. Independence from disability, dependence and a damning existence. They have already planned their next day of Bringing Smiles on World Disability Day which falls on 3rd December.
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