The following article was written by T. Rob Brown of Coronado for publication on the Retirement Detectives.com website and the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Panama Helpline website.
Mr. Rodny Goes to Minneapolis
Rodny Moreno Fuentes was born in Panama with a congenital deformity, not genetic, but a circumstance of his development in the womb. As a result, his arms and legs failed to develop in the normal way, leaving him wheelchair-bound, unable to feed himself or get around on his own.
Despite this devastating handicap, Rodny is otherwise a very normal and intelligent person. His tiny hands in fact have just as much dexterity as yours or mine, and he is able to operate a cell phone and use a computer. For several years, the US Shriners organization provided him treatment in the US and Rodny, on his own initiative, taught himself English.
Several years ago, a newly formed crime fighting organization in Boquete Panama called Alto al Crimen was looking for someone to man a 24/7 hotline and act as an intermediary between mostly English speaking ex-pats and the local police and fire department. Rodny turned out to be the perfect candidate, the Boquete Hotline was born and today has over 500 registered users in Boquete. In addition to crime reporting, the Hotline has proved invaluable for medical emergencies, roadside assistance and a host of other uses. Rodny has become a local hero and now has a real career.
Early in 2014, Rodny formed his own company and made contracts to provide helpline services to community groups in Volcan and Neighbors Helping Neighbors, headquartered in Santa Clara and serving the greater Coronado area. NHN hired operators, trained by Rodny, with whom he formed cooperative agreements to provide backup services to each other when needed. Thus Rodny is able to make a trip without leaving his phone lines unattended.
It turns out that a number of people around the world suffer from arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and this year Rodny has been invited to attend an international conference in Minneapolis. A private donation was offered to cover his travel expenses. Now the only problem was to get a US visa for Rodny and his brother and sister caretakers.
As you may know, it is very, very difficult for a Panamanian to get a visitor visa to the United States, as the US assumes everyone will fail to return, and this was potentially a huge roadblock.
However, since Rodny is now not just a private citizen, but a business owner with clients and contracts in Panama, the US readily granted him and his sister and brother the required visas to allow them to participate in the conference.
We at Neighbors Helping Neighbors are incredibly proud of Rodny and the inspiration that his success in life brings to all the others who suffer from this affliction. We all want Rodny to go forth to Minneapolis with the wind at his back and the certain knowledge that all of us support and take inspiration from his success with a business that brings so much benefit to our communities.
If you would like to help Rodny on his journey and help support his future endeavors, please make a donation direct to Rodny's account at Banco National, account #40000874908. Your donation will not only help him on his travels, but allow him to continue and improve his helpline service.
Rodny Moreno Fuentes was born in Panama with a congenital deformity, not genetic, but a circumstance of his development in the womb. As a result, his arms and legs failed to develop in the normal way, leaving him wheelchair-bound, unable to feed himself or get around on his own.
Despite this devastating handicap, Rodny is otherwise a very normal and intelligent person. His tiny hands in fact have just as much dexterity as yours or mine, and he is able to operate a cell phone and use a computer. For several years, the US Shriners organization provided him treatment in the US and Rodny, on his own initiative, taught himself English.
Several years ago, a newly formed crime fighting organization in Boquete Panama called Alto al Crimen was looking for someone to man a 24/7 hotline and act as an intermediary between mostly English speaking ex-pats and the local police and fire department. Rodny turned out to be the perfect candidate, the Boquete Hotline was born and today has over 500 registered users in Boquete. In addition to crime reporting, the Hotline has proved invaluable for medical emergencies, roadside assistance and a host of other uses. Rodny has become a local hero and now has a real career.
Early in 2014, Rodny formed his own company and made contracts to provide helpline services to community groups in Volcan and Neighbors Helping Neighbors, headquartered in Santa Clara and serving the greater Coronado area. NHN hired operators, trained by Rodny, with whom he formed cooperative agreements to provide backup services to each other when needed. Thus Rodny is able to make a trip without leaving his phone lines unattended.
It turns out that a number of people around the world suffer from arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and this year Rodny has been invited to attend an international conference in Minneapolis. A private donation was offered to cover his travel expenses. Now the only problem was to get a US visa for Rodny and his brother and sister caretakers.
As you may know, it is very, very difficult for a Panamanian to get a visitor visa to the United States, as the US assumes everyone will fail to return, and this was potentially a huge roadblock.
However, since Rodny is now not just a private citizen, but a business owner with clients and contracts in Panama, the US readily granted him and his sister and brother the required visas to allow them to participate in the conference.
We at Neighbors Helping Neighbors are incredibly proud of Rodny and the inspiration that his success in life brings to all the others who suffer from this affliction. We all want Rodny to go forth to Minneapolis with the wind at his back and the certain knowledge that all of us support and take inspiration from his success with a business that brings so much benefit to our communities.
If you would like to help Rodny on his journey and help support his future endeavors, please make a donation direct to Rodny's account at Banco National, account #40000874908. Your donation will not only help him on his travels, but allow him to continue and improve his helpline service.
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