Mr. Uclid Richardson and Deion Richardson
Deion Richardson, of The Valley, paralysed after a November 2011 shooting attack, may have had a special racing wheelchair to enable him to take part in the annual Sports Day activities of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School. However, he and his fans eventually decided against it.
Instead, the former cyclist is set to obtain a regular but bigger wheelchair taking into account his constant need for such a facility and his growing size. A significant contributor to the purchase of that wheelchair is the Anglican Church Women Association (ANCWA) at St. Mary’s which has raised funds and presented a substantial cheque to him thus far.
The presentation was made at St. Mary’s Church on Sunday, June 14, by Mrs. Florence Harrigan on behalf of ANCWA.
“It was brought to our attention that Deion was interested in taking part in a wheelchair race during the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School’s Sports Day, but did not have the appropriate wheelchair to allow him to do so,” Mrs. Harrigan told the congregation. “We took up the challenge to help this young man achieve his dream. We prepared some donation sheets which were signed by the Bishop and started receiving donations from the public. We kept in contact with Deion and his parents with respect to the type of chair and the cost. However, we were informed later that Deion and his fans had discussed the matter and decided that a racing chair would only be used occasionally – and that Deion was outgrowing the chair he was presently using, and would need a new chair.”
Mrs. Harrigan was happy to present Deion with a cheque for US$2,300 towards the purchase of that chair. She disclosed that the actual cost is US$3,250, meaning that there is another US$950 to be raised. She appealed to all persons, who had made pledges to contribute to the wheelchair, to do so in order for ANCWA to make a further contribution to Deion.
After the presentation, Deion told The Anguillian that he had grown up in St. Mary’s Anglican Church and was most grateful to the women’s group for its assistance. He condemned the violent attack on him – on November 6, 2011 – which brought a lot of stress to him and his parents: Uclid and Dannette Richardson. He thanked God for being alive, notwithstanding the injury which has confined him to a wheelchair.
