By Violet Li
Cranbourne Rotary’s long-prepared Helping Hands Program was a resounding success on 11 May at Balla Balla Community Centre in Clyde North, with large crowds of local community members joining to empower people needing help worldwide.
Over 100 participants formed teams and only used their non-dominant hand to build prosthetic hands that would be donated to amputee landmine victims throughout developing countries.
Participants included students from Bayside Christian College, Lyndhurst Secondary College, local businesses, local church groups, local family groups, Rotary members, Balla Balla Community Centre teams, and Cranbourne Information and Support Service members.
About 27 hands were assembled on the day and would be shipped soon.
Cranbourne Rotary president Gerard Sadler said it was a brilliant day and everybody got something out of it.
“We weren’t sure what to expect, but with Andrew Melas, the Victorian facilitator for the Helping Hands Program there facilitating it all and the 100-odd people that we had there, it was a really good day,” he said.
“It was a bit awkward at the beginning and it took everyone a little bit of time to get used to not using their dominant hand. But once they got over that and worked as groups, they got through it.
“We are really grateful that many people gave up their Saturdays to attend.”
