Rouths to the Rescue

HOW A FATHER AND SON DELIVER WHEELCHAIRS AROUND THE WORLD TO THOSE IN NEED
By CYNTHIA CENDREDA

Every evening over dinner, on every wheelchair delivery trip, Tahoe Donner members and father-son duo Don and Josh Routh will take a moment to reflect on the poignancy of their work – 280 wheelchairs delivered, 280 lives transformed by the restored ability to experience the world more fully. The trips can be taxing – physically and emotionally – but rewarding, nonetheless. With each wheelchair supplied, a new life begins. In a ritual manner, the two always conclude their conversation with the following exchange. “Dad,” Josh would say, “we did miracles today.” “Josh,” Don would reply, “we don’t do miracles. Only God does. We just do good stuff.” Good stuff indeed. As volunteers for the Wheelchair Foundation since 2005, Don and Josh have traveled to 22 countries on 40 trips together, delivering or sponsoring the delivery of 19,000 wheelchairs (and counting) worldwide. Despite the risks and challenges, they readily travel to places like Uganda, Honduras, El Salvador, Vietnam and Romania to ensure that the most vulnerable communities with disabilities are reached.

MOBILITY IS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT

Josh and a young man paralyzed in a cliff-diving accident in Montevideo, Uruguay share a special moment together in 2016.

Many of us take for granted the ease with which we move through our day. For people living with a mobility-impairing disease, condition or injury, such individuals can find themselves entrenched in a daily struggle to manage abilities and resources, or lack thereof. It’s an important reminder that mobility is truly the crux of an independent, fulfilling and dignified life. Access to aids like wheelchairs can mean the difference between surviving and thriving. This notion has never been lost on the Rouths. When Josh was born with cerebral palsy 43 years ago, Don vowed to instill unwavering self-assurance and self-reliance in his son while ensuring his access to all the resources that could help him lead a purposeful, autonomous life. With the aid of a wheelchair, Josh lives and works independently, and maintains an active lifestyle. A champion bowler, as well as baseball and basketball player in his youth, his high energy is now diverted into his full-time job at a local grocery store, his volunteer work with the School of Imagination and Happy Talkers for neurodiverse child learners, and his busy social schedule. In the winter, he is an avid skier, and in the summertime, he and Don have been exploring the backcountry with the 4-Wheel Drive (4WD) Club right here in Tahoe Donner. Josh is also an intrepid world traveler, not at all daunted by “off-road” adventures. He is recognized as one of the first wheelchair users to achieve the following milestones:

• Reach the base of the Serrano Glacier at the southern tip of Chile
• Ascend the steps leading to the Temple of the Sun at Machu Picchu in Peru
• Trek for two days with mountain gorillas at 8,000 feet in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda
• Travel by dugout canoe to a remote village in Panama with 157 indigenous inhabitants, where he was carried by four young men up the side of a mountain to meet the chief and receive an honorary bone knife after giving one of their paralyzed members a wheelchair

Because of all that Josh has been able to experience and accomplish, father and son remain acutely aware of the freedom and opportunities wheelchairs provide – not just for people living with disabilities, but for their families, friends and communities. The idea that everyone deserves a dignified and fulfilling mobile life serves as the inspiration and motivation behind their instrumental work with the Wheelchair Foundation and their founding of Del Corazón.

FROM THE HEART: DEL CORAZÓN

Josh proudly smiles with a wheelchair recipient in Paipa, Colombia in 2018. Severely injured in a workplace explosion, the young man is now able to live a much more enhanced mobile life.

Knowing the difference a wheelchair can make in an individual’s life, Don and Josh recognized yet another opportunity to make an impact – this time with a younger audience. In 2013, the Rouths launched the “From the Heart – Del Corazón” Schools Program to educate elementary, middle and high school students and sensitize them to the issues faced by people living with disabilities of any kind. Since the program’s inception, Don and Josh have introduced a disabilities-awareness curriculum to more than 70 schools in the U.S., reaching over 150,000 students and 4,000 teachers. Through the program, students and teachers in all grade levels may create a fundraising project and work with local Rotary Clubs to travel and deliver wheelchairs to recipients abroad. High school students and teachers are welcome on these trips. So far, From the Heart has led 13 student/teacher trips to countries throughout Latin America, where the groups have had the opportunity to practice their Spanish, learn about new cultures and, most importantly, help transform lives. During these trips, there is always an important time to reflect. In the spirit of Don and Josh, on the final night of each trip, every traveler participates in “Special Moments.” Through tears and laughter, or hugs and handshakes, students and teachers share their most poignant encounters from the week. These experiences often inspire the students to continue their philanthropic work long after high school.

DOWNTIME IN TAHOE DONNER

Homeowners in Tahoe Donner for over 26 years, the Rouths find respite from their busy schedules in the mountains. Whether dining out at one of their favorite Truckee restaurants, hitting the slopes or traversing rugged terrain with the TD4WD Club, Don and Josh and the rest of the Routh Family enjoy taking advantage of all that the Truckee-Tahoe area has to offer.

HOW YOU CAN HELP CHANGE LIVES

Wheelchairs that the Rouths donate are sent via shipping containers to countries across the world. Each container holds 280 wheelchairs. At a manufacturing and shipping cost of $200 per wheelchair, it costs $56,000 to send a full container of wheelchairs overseas. A generous endowment to the Wheelchair Foundation ensures fully matched donations, so just $28,000 raised from the community ensures increased mobility for 280 lives. Once enough money is raised to fill a container, the wheelchairs are designated to eligible recipients in a specified country. If you would like to contribute to Don and Josh’s efforts via the Wheelchair Foundation, visit wheelchairfoundation.org. You can apply your donations directly to “Don and Josh projects” or contact Don directly at donrouth@comcast.net.