KEEPING THINGS ROLLING

Our local Children’s Hospital uses these shiny Radio Flyer wagons throughout their facility. They are a wonderful distraction for the kids—parents wheel their child around the building to give them a much-needed break from lying in a hospital bed. They’re also used in place of luggage racks so people utilize the wagons to move their suitcases in and out of the hospital. Whenever I’d visit Children’s Hospital, I would wonder who did the upkeep on these wagons. It turns out one of the men in my church was doing it, and he recruited several church members to join him. I was floored to find out there are over 500 Radio Flyer wagons in our hospital, so there are always a number of them breaking down. We gather every Wednesday afternoon and tackle the repairs. We’ll fix the flat tires, replace the loose parts, and even straighten the ones that have been hit in the parking lot, left there when someone took a child to the car to go home. It will take us anywhere from two to four hours every week, depending on the number of wagons. We are “behind the scenes” guys. Only a handful of people know we do this. In fact, all our work is done in a basement room that we call “The Shop.” But we enjoy each other and even find time to eat dinner together after we’re done. It’s a great way to give back. The Bible tells us to help each other, especially people that aren’t as fortunate as us or that are going through difficulties. And when you have a sick child in the hospital, the last thing you want is to put your kid in a wagon for a fun ride and have that wagon break down. If I see a parent wheeling a child around in one of these wagons and that child looks happy, even for a brief moment, it brings a warm smile to my face.