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LOCAL Thursday 8 december 2022
Hope for Paws Christmas Drive

for Paws Drive Facebook
page, this project started
back in 2018 when they
decided as a family to in-
stead of buying each other
gifts for Christmas we would
make a donation and col-
lect as many donations as
we can for the Animal Shel-
ter and the animal rescue
foundations.

They also hope to inspire
others to also change their
tradition and teach the
upcoming generation that fling a very special prize be- come pick it up
Christmas isn't only about tween those who donate. *Feel good about giving
the gifts, but it's about fam- So get your "Santa Paw" back!
ORANJESTAD – Hope for are organizing a Christmas ily, love and helping those hatand let's help our furry
Paws Christmas Drive is Drive to collect donations who need it the most. babies. All you have to do You can also WhatsApp
back and celebrating its to help Aruba’s animals. is: Hope for Paws Drive at
5th year anniversary! And To celebrate their 5th year *Buy your donation (+297) 593-0661.q
this year once again they According to the Hope anniversary they are raf- *Direct message us to

Leap of Faith presented prototype of pier for persons with disabilities

ORANJESTAD – This week ginning.” He explained that ly lying down on a bed,
during a press confer- the pier comes with eight and four thousand people
ence, Terrance Ras of the pieces of equipment that who are sadly forgotten.
Leap of Faith Foundation can be connected to the Right now I want to give
presented a prototype for pier to do different types them the chance to come
his project Leap of Faith, of exercise. This way, thera- back out”, he said.
which consists of a pier for pists who want to make use
people with disabilities to of the pier for therapy can He explained that the pier
go into the sea and receive help their clients with thera- has its own management
therapy to help them heal – py in the water. team and he has the plans
and in some cases, recover for functioning already. The
their ability to walk. In the beginning, Ras came pier works in a way that it
up with the idea for this can be completely dis-
“I want to tell people that project under the belief mantled and carried easily
I delivered. I promised that that in Aruba there are less to place it in the water. The
we would start the project, than 100 wheelchair users, pier presented was specifi-
and today I am presenting however, after research, cally made to be placed in
it to you. My wish is for peo- he found out that there are the sea at Baby Beach.
ple with disabilities to expe- more than four thousand
rience what I have expe- wheelchair users in Aruba, Ras said that the pier is not
rienced. I can walk again all with some type of dis- only for locals to use, but
after going in the water ability. also to create a boost for
constantly”, Ras said. Aruba as well, because
Ras, based on his own per- “We need to understand Aruba will be the first place
sonal experience, empha- that these are four thou- in the region to offer some-
sized that when the water sand people who do not thing for people with limita-
goes above the stomach leave home, four thousand tions to receive the therapy
area, it gives peace of people who know all televi- they need to maybe walk
mind and removes the sion programs in existence, again. “I am proof of this
fear to take those first steps four thousand people with myself”, he emphasized.
again. “And that is the be- back injuries from constant-
His idea is to make the pier
available every day, and
weekly it is taken out of
the water once for clean- Department of Public beach”, he added.
ing, after which it would be Works (DIP) is still pending.
placed back in the sea. He He finalized saying that by
highlighted that this doesn’t Leap of Faith’s main goal the beginning of next year
cause any damage to the is to install piers in different the pier will be ready to
environment, since it’s just areas. “This specific pier is enter the water. It is made
about pulling out, rinsing, made with the measures from aluminum and not
and putting it back in. for Baby Beach, but when iron, so it will not oxidize,
I go to another beach I doesn’t need to be paint-
However, Ras indicated can do the research again ed, and it is light enough to
that the permit from the and make a pier for that be carried into the water.q