[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12622]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                FRIENDS OF DISABLED ADULTS AND CHILDREN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB BARR

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 28, 2001

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, established in 1986 in order to 
provide medical equipment and computers to disabled people in the metro 
Atlanta area who could not otherwise afford it, Friends of Disabled 
Adults and Children is a full-time ministry which has reached out to 
all people with disabilities.
  After retiring from a 20-year career in the Marines in 1978, Ed 
Butchart took a position selling medical diagnostics products. After 
having met many disabled people in need of products and service, he and 
his wife, Annie, with the support of Mount Carmel Christian Church, 
started a ministry in their home garage. Ed would repair and refurbish 
wheelchairs and give them to those disabled individuals who could not 
afford to purchase one.
  Since then, the ministry has helped people ranging in age from 18 
months to 103 years of age. The facility is now housed in a 64,800 sq. 
ft. building in Stone Mountain, Georgia and to date it has provided 
over 7,000 wheelchairs to needy persons. The retail value of all 
medical equipment that has been given away now totals over $20 million.
  Friends of Disabled Adults and Children received its 501(c)3, non-
profit status in Novermber 1987. Private donations, annual golf 
tournaments, and community fund raisers help it remain open and able to 
furnish medical equipment to those who truly need it. On numerous 
occasions, my staff members have referred disabled adults and children 
to this agency. It may take a little time to acquire a certain piece of 
medical equipment, but Friends of Disabled Adults and Children usually 
is able to accommodate these individuals. Recently a single mother, who 
has Multiple Sclerosis, was able to get out and watch her son play 
baseball, because she had received an electric scooter from Friends of 
Disabled Adults and Children. A senior citizen recently received a new 
walker, fitted just for her, because her old one was broken.
  This organization distributes computers to those who are disabled. 
This sometimes allows the disabled to learn job skills. In fact, the 
agency employs many disabled adults. It has a community reentry program 
for those who suffer from an acquired brain injury. By volunteering at 
Friends, these people are provided with a caring environment in which 
they can regain crucial skills needed to once again become productive 
members of society.
  The Butcharts give God full credit for the growth of the center and 
for the many blessings they have received over the years. The 15th 
anniversary celebration of Friends of Disabled Adults and Children will 
be held on September 23rd at Mount Carmel Christian Church in Stone 
Mountain, Georgia. Mr. and Mrs. Butchart, and their staff, are to be 
commended for their diligence, hard work, and big hearts. The disabled 
individuals from the Seventh District of Georgia, who have been served 
by this fine organization, join me in congratulating them, and thanking 
them for their kindness.

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