When someone who is predisposed to help others finds his niche, good things typically follow.
More than 17 years ago, as a member of the Peterborough Lions Club, Ray Ostapovich was a key player in the development of the service club’s Handicap/Medical Equipment Loan Program.
That was then and this is now, and now has seen a wide range of used assistive devices and medical equipment – walkers, wheelchairs, medical beds, crutches and the like – donated to the club for Ostapovich to collect and repair/refurbish for use by anyone in need.
Impressive, especially considering that Ostapovich is still hard at it…at age 88.
Once notified there is equipment available, Ostapovich initiates the collection process, bringing the donation to his workshop. There, he inspects and repairs the equipment logging it in his inventory. That done, he waits for the call from someone who, already burdened by health issues and, often, related financial challenges, is hard pressed to purchase expensive new equipment. Ostapovich then moves quickly to loan the needed equipment at no cost.
A number of organizations in Peterborough, such as PRHC, and many occupational therapists, are well aware of Ostapovich’s work and refer patients to him. In record time, he facilitates delivery and, if necessary, provides set-up in the patient’s home.
As of September 2023, there were more than 3,600 pieces of medical equipment and assistive devices on loan. Better still, Ostapovich’s garage is home to a large stockpile of equipment ready for the next call for help – a testament to his determination to ensure the demand is met, no matter how high.
As a huge side benefit, the environment comes away a big winner. Without Ostapovich’s intervention, many of the donated items would have been otherwise discarded. By repurposing each piece of donated equipment, he gives new life to that which, at one time, could very well have been landfill bound.
A member of the Peterborough Lions Club for close to 60 years, Ostapovich is a past chair of the Canadian Hearing Society, the Lions Multiple District A Hearing Committee and the Lions District A3 Hearing Committee – the latter a position he held for 40 years.