Details

Tuesday 13 January 2015 12:37

PETs used in Guatemala

PET International commissioned a person to go to Guatemala and find out how PET carts were holding up and how they were changing the lives of recipients there. Here are some examples:
1. Adrian Mato Ramone works at a pizza shop. He is able to ride to/from work, and works at the shop while sitting on his PET.
2 Peris Lucas is excited because she can ride her PET to the river and is able to bathe daily.
3. Bernaber Gonzales makes brooms and sells them from his PET at the market. He travels about an hour each way to get to the market from his home.
4. Louis Mario rides his PET to/from school each day and is able to participate in activities with his friends.
5. Mario Yener is a sales and news promoter around Tecun Arnun. He uses his PET to promote local stores in his area and earns enough money to support himself and his mom.
6. Don Miguel built a platform to fit around his PET so he is able to sell firewood and fish in his area.
7. Sesa Promae is a pastor and serves his church members in Tecun Amun.
8. Vincete Escobar Cardona is able to farm and go to market for his family.
9. Yeyson Calel is able to visit his grandmother daily. He rides to the neighbor's houses to pick up children and take them to school, which he loves doing.

Details

Thursday 8 January 2015 11:48

2014 In Review

A lot of great things have happened with PET-Austin in 2014. We were able to build 106 PET carts this year. With those and some left over from last year we shipped: 34 PETs to Mexico, 36 PETs to Medical Bridges in Houston to be included in medical shipments to missions around the world and 50 PETs to Honduras.

We attained the GuideStar Bronze level. GuideStar Exchange is an organization that vets charities throughout the country so people and organizations can see and recognize your organization's legitimacy. We joined the Amazon Smile foundation and receive .05% of all of the purchases made on Amazon by people that have selected PET-Austin as their recognized charity. We also became a partner with 'I Live Here, I Give Here' and will be participating in the Amplify Austin Giving Day on March 5-6.

In October, when PET-International brought Seun Oke, a long time PET user from Nigeria, to the US for a tour, we had the pleasure of being one of the PET shops to host a visit by her. We heard her story and saw first-hand how receiving a PET changes the life of someone that is mobility impaired. During Seun's visit, we were able to raise the money to send a 40' container of PETs to Nigeria in her honor to be distributed by our distribution partner there, the Assembly of God Medical Mission. With the help of the PET shops in Brian TX, San Antonio TX, Memphis TN, Columbia MO and possibly others, over 160 adult, child and pull PETs will be distributed in Nigeria in the April/May timeframe.

Finally, in December we place the order for the 3000 sq. ft. building that will become the permanent home for PET Austin. It will be erected on the Bethany United Methodist Church campus. Once we are in this building, we will be able to grow this Ministry as we have always dreamed since starting 7 years ago.

For all of these blessings we praise God and look forward to a wonderful 2015.