Church Donation Helps Guam Residents Become More Self-reliant

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint continued its partnership with the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities (DISID) by donating much-needed self-reliance aids on Tuesday, July 16th.

Michelle Perez, Director of DISID, and her team gratefully accepted the gift of 30 wheelchair ramps, 30 standing canes, 20 shower chairs, and 50 bathroom grab bars. Acknowledging past donations from the Church, Director Perez stated that the donations “not only put a smile on our faces, but especially on the constituents’ faces who directly benefit from them.”

Perez explained that many of the clients that DISID serves are in need of various self-reliance aids, but are unable to afford them due to limited financial resources, insufficient insurance, and other such obstacles. “Obtaining basic assistance for independence helps provide an overall better outlook on life.”

DISID stores the donated items at its Guam facility and then distributes items as needed to NGOs such as Catholic Social Services, Salvation Army, St. Dominic, Guam, CEDDERS/GSAT, Guam Legal Services, and Guam Homeless Coalition. Other government agencies which provide aid to those in need also benefit.

Representing the Church of Jesus Christ at the donation event were Bill Davis of the Church’s humanitarian office and Ching Batimana, Church Communication Specialist for the Barrigada Stake.

“The funding for gifts such as this one to DISID comes from donations from the members of our church,” explained Davis. “We have two main goals as a church,” stated Davis. “First, we love God, and second we love our fellow human beings . . . this is why we do this.”