American works to help amputees

Sri Lanka's maimed get prosthetic limbs:

Claud Hodges

Neal Atkinson of Chocowinity has devoted much of his energy lately to Sri Lanka's people to help the ones who need prostheses because they do not have various body limbs. This idea grew from his membership in the Washington Noon Rotary Club.

"Neal's done it all by himself," said Tom Payne, a member of the club and a driven, active member up as far as a Rotarian can go - the International level. "Neal has done an excellent job." Payne said Atkinson has taught himself how to seek and win grants through the Rotary Foundation, the charitable arm of Rotary International.

Payne said Atkinson has seen that this humanitarian project has filled the need it was built to do. "This Rotary project is funding for people who are poor, but otherwise capable," Atkinson said. The local noon club put up $15,000 for the cause, a Rotary club from Arizona donated $4,000, a club from Kandy, contributed $6,000 and the Rotary Foundation matched the sum with a grant of $25,000.

The Arizona club is in the equation because if one Rotary club in the United States wants to do an international mission, it must participate with another club from the United States.

Kandy, Sri Lanka, has to contribute to the mission because the mission is in its country and is nearby geographically to the Center for the Handicapped, where many amputees come for artificial limbs.

"Of the $50,000 we started off with, we finished with, $5.38," Atkinson said. "I would say we cut it pretty close. Over nine months, we affected 411 lives in Sri Lanka."

Prosthetic legs below the knee cost $150 to build and prosthetic legs above the knee cost $300 to make.

"Most of these people are unable to pay," Atkinson said. "That's where some of the Rotary funds come into play."

People who have been helped, partly by Atkinson's work, include 300 of those who needed artificial legs, 99 of those who needed other prosthetic equipment for missing limbs other than legs and 12 people who needed specially-built wheelchairs.

Some Sri Lankans have lost limbs by stepping on land mines, some in train accidents, others by septic conditions, some by falling ill to chronic illnesses, some from stepping on traps designed to snare animals and others from birth defects.

"Neal is an exemplary Rotarian," Payne said. "I think we all ought to be indebted to Neal and to each Rotarian who donates to the Rotary Foundation.

"I can't applaud Neal more. His work is fantastic." Washington Daily News