A local charity that helps children and adults living with disabilities in southern India is hosting an online charity auction to raise funds.
The Samuha Overseas Development Association (SODA) normally hosts an annual fundraiser dinner at the Hart Crown Banquet Hall, but because of the pandemic the dinner had to be cancelled, organization president and local physiotherapist Hilary Crowley said in an email.
The online auction includes pieces of original artwork, an Indian dinner for a family bubble, a week-end at a Summit Lake cabin and more, Crowley said.
Auction items can be viewed and bid on at www.32auctions.com/SODAAuction until 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Donations can also be made online at www.samuha.ca.
SODA was founded in 1996, while Crowley was in Karnataka, India training people to assist children affected by polio. Since then, SODA has branched out to assist children and adults suffering from a wide range of disabilities.
All the money raised is used in India to help the disabled, Crowley told the Citizen in a 2019 interview.
"So I monitor how the money is spent and it goes directly to their disability program. So it's the families there that benefit from it. Every cent goes to the program," she said. "It works out to be about 70 per cent going to children and the rest to adults with spinal cord injuries."
In addition to funding work in India, Crowley has brought physiotherapy and occupational therapy students with her to help and gain international experience.
"They've all really appreciated it," she added. "One of them has even gone on to become a paediatrician and most of them are working with children."
— With files from Christine Hinzmann
