• Thanks ...

Team Reports
• Dave Dryden
• Judy Dryden
• Wes, Rosemary, & Tyler Burton
• Greg Dryden
• Theo Will-Dryden
• Jeff Dryden
• Anaka Will-Dryden
• Chris Dryden
• Sandra Dryden

You can also download a PDF version of this report from our Distributions page.

From Pune 2009 Photo Album

Memories of India

Wes, Rosemary, & Tyler Burton — Murray & Theda’s family

We were truly honoured to be part of Dave’s vision to have the Dryden/Burton families, across three generations, share in Murray and Margaret’s dream, and later Theda’s, to distribute one million bedkits. To participate in such a venture in India, Murray’s favourite country, and visit St. Crispin’s Orphanage where it all began 39 years ago, was incredibly inspiring as we met now successful young women who were the first bedkit recipients.

Memories to last a lifetime include:

• The Pune team convening for the 6:15 am pre-game meals,
• Chai tea,
• The rose, feta, and bull cart procession welcome ceremonies from the local villagers,
• Ball cap sorting Velcro races,
• Tattered clothes on school children waiting to be changed into their new bedkit school uniform,
• Nicely groomed and well behaved students sitting in shaded areas
• Red bows and black braids,
• OK’s with big smiles for the official SCAW photo,
• Rotarians fitting tiny but rugged bare feet into brand new shoes for the first time resulting in huge smiles from the school children as they approached the “backpack boys,”
• Older students helping to carry bedkits, especially for the younger ones too small to carry a heavy load by themselves,

From Pune 2009 Photo Album

• Unsolicited “Namaste” greetings from school children across all bedkit stations,
• Eager anticipation on parents’ faces while awaiting their children,
• The special children: namely, marking a happy face on a seven-fingered schoolgirl, “Namaste” from a blind schoolboy, and an enormous smile from a wheelchair-bound student,
• Departures from the distributions, including seeing an entire family happily ride away on a motorcycle with backward, smiling glances; truckloads of children loaded onto open air trucks in their new attire; mothers with bedkits carried on their heads and school children with backpacks looking back with a lasting smile and thankful “Goodbye” wave,
• A village mother inviting us into her barren home for tea who placed a solitary mat on the floor and pulled up a broken wheelchair as a prized place of honour to be seated at,
• Six-hour daily commutes,
• 110 car honks per minute,
• Missed camel shot opportunities,
• Bucket showers,
• Internet café with working mouse or working keyboard,
• Cinnamon for dinner anyone?
• Retiring for the night knowing that 3,000 more children will now have a better night’s sleep.

From Pune 2009 Photo Album

It is amazing the difference $35 can make to an impoverished child. It enables them to know that people half way across the world do care. Not only does it give them a sense of hope but it instills a sense of pride and encouragement to continue in school and make a better life for themselves.

As one school teacher read his impromptu speech from the heart on the last day’s distribution, it was evident that it is not only the children who are grateful but also the parents and teachers. Not only does it increase attendance at school but as this teacher mentioned, the children from earlier distributions would say to him “Look at my new clothes, look at my new shoes, my new books and bedding … “ and they would be reluctant to take their backpacks off because they were so happy to have them.

From Pune 2009 Photo Album

To Murray, Margaret, and Theda we salute you for inspiring the next generations to carry the torch and walk in your SCAW shoes. To Dave, Sandra, Judy, Greg, Debbie and Sieg it was a great privilege and such fun to work alongside you and share in Murray’s dream of the Millionth Bedkit Distribution. To Theo, Anaka, Jeff, and Chris you were an invaluable addition to the team. With your eagerness, tireless co-operation, and fun loving spirit you carried the full weight of any adult and made three generations very proud of you all.

Inscribed in the Mumbai airport is the saying “You must become the change you want to see,” by Mahatma Gandhi. Murray and Margaret are the founding instruments of change in the lives of these impoverished children whose lives have become better as a direct result of receiving a single bedkit.