NJN Network

Charlottetown Rotary, addicted to money

Love of money betrays the cause

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 22, 2009

The protests against Jerry Lewis and his MD Telethon by disability activists is typical of a charity gone wrong. The same thing is happening on PEI with the abuse of disabled children by Rotary, Easter Seals and CBC Charlottetown. Well meaning groups have fallen behind the times and get stuck because the money is too good. It doesn’t have to be that way with Rotary on PEI and MDA don’t have to abuse children either. But money is a powerful drug.

When the the Muscular Dystrophy Association started fund raising with Jerry Lewis decades ago standards were different. We were called crippled children back then. We weren’t expected to grow up, get jobs, have sex and children. I’m not sure why. Does one bodily defect mean everything is broken? Fund raisers needed celebrities and the more flamboyant the more money was raised. Hence Jerry Lewis who is so nutty he doesn’t have a North American film audience. Too weird for us but the French love his slapstick.

Over the decades, like some aging prize fighter Jerry turned on the children. He started saying mean things on the show and demeaning them. The MDA turned a blind eye because they liked the millions Jerry raised. For the MDA, money became their addiction -cocaine, cocaine so sweet on my brain, got to get me some cocaine. Now adults with disabilities are saying enough is enough. Protesters with Disabilities Confront OSCAR Chief Over Decision to Honor Jerry Lewis. The OSCARS represent the establishment. They don’t get it. Why don’t you like Jerry Lewis? Because he’s gross. He takes away the dignity of the disabled.

On PEI, Rotary has been raising money with a Timmy or Easter Seals Ambassador for decades. Same story – old men have been running it for that long and they pass it down without much change to younger men. The old timers sit on the Rotary Easter Seals Committee and veto modernization. You could do a non-offensive Easter Seals Telethon. It would require more care in how the young Ambassador is treated during and long after the event. Rotary resists the change because they are like the MDA, addicted to the money.

The Telethon was at risk of being canceled 3 or 4 years ago and when Disability Alert started stirring up public awareness of the disabled on PEI, they got a little burst of money. Would they consider changing? Nope, been doing it this way for 30 years and that’s the way it will be. No concern for the child, past children who were ambassadors. Just trot out the little crippled kid in his monkey suit, ask him cute but simple questions – he is simple don’t you know. All disabled people are simple. Talk slowly to them. It’s so demeaning.

For the little tyke, he or she hasn’t had this much attention in their whole life. For several months people are taking them here and there. They become exhausted but soldier on. I was able to get Rotary to cut back on the schedule but only slightly. Can’t inconvenience a Rotarian or adult who isn’t disabled.

Somewhere about June, the little fellow or girl will wake up one morning and it will be all over. No more dinners. No more meetings. No more Rotarians or nice adults smiling at them. And the child will wonder and develop a lonely feeling inside. Am I no good anymore? Will they ever like me again? Why doesn’t Rotary pick me up? As they get older, a cynicism will build – I was used by Rotary to make money for them. These are the exact thoughts and statements from past ambassadors. Rotarians don’t care. A report is given and next year Rotary calls QEH Physical Medicine looking for a new child.

You can stop it by refusing to attend the telethon and do something positive. If the money dries up only slightly, CBC will cut and run since they are only looking for publicity and don’t care for disability issues per se.

How to help the disabled on PEI

1. Got a stamp? Send Premier Ghiz a letter and ask him to put the additional $10 million the PEI Disability Support Program needs to fund the 4,300 Islanders without a wheelchair or other assistive device.

Premier Robert Ghiz
Province of Prince Edward Island
P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, PEI C1A 7N8

2. Still got some money? Send a cheque to Camp Gencheff directly. They run a superb summer camp for children with disabilities and they treat them with respect.

Camp Gencheff
PO Box 412
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 7K7

The rest of the story

CBC freak show about to begin, get a ring-side seat

Easter Seals and cult of the cute crippled child

Easter Seals and Rotary abusing children with disabilities Part 2

Rotary Easter Seals abuses children with disabilities

Towards a just society for Islanders with disabilities