Rotary members put motto into practice by helping MS patient

The motto of the Vestavia Hills Sunrise Rotary Club is “Service Above Self,” and while members always aim to put that into practice through helping in the community, occasionally some go even further.

The Rotary Club is a strong supporter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, helping out when the society has a patient who could use a hand. Last month, a group of Vestavia Rotary members was alerted an MS patient in Birmingham had requested a new window air-conditioning unit.

For MS patients, heat is the enemy, as it will worsen symptoms, said Laura Pemberton, marketing and communication manager for the Alabama-Mississippi chapter of the society.

“It really incapacitates them,” she said.

When the society received the request from the female patient, who requested not to be identified due to the sensitivity of her condition, they reached out to the Rotary for help, and the club got a grant from the Rotary Foundation to assist.

Charlie Conklin, owner of Sentry Heating and Air, went out with members and his staff to see about installing the window unit.

When they arrived at the woman’s house, Conklin said they noticed the house had a full heating and air unit, but discovered it broke several years ago and was beyond repair.

They also found out the woman had been using space heaters in the winter, something Conklin said is a major fire risk and dangerous.

That’s when Conklin said he decided to see if there was any way to replace the woman’s unit.

Thanks to collaboration between several companies and individuals, there was.

WeatherTech donated the Carrier unit, and Conklin donated his staff’s time to install it. Once that process began, the team realized the ductwork and insulation was not up to code, and Duct Doctor agreed to donate that work.

Charley Long, another Rotary member who was onsite to help, said everyone Conklin had reached out to was more than willing to help.

“I felt like, with the assistance of everybody else, we could go a little farther than we had originally planned,” Conklin said.

In total, the Rotary members provided a service that would have cost between $10,000 and $11,000.

“They’ve really done a lot of renovations on her home that are going to make a big difference,” Pemberton said.

Before being diagnosed earlier this year, Pemberton said the patient had been a substitute teacher as well as an employee at BellSouth.

“It’s such a blessing,” the patient said. “Now I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

She said the team had treated her with the utmost respect and she would recommend Sentry’s work in a heartbeat. She also promised Conklin she would get rid of her dangerous space heaters.

Conklin said he was just happy they were able to make her life a little easier.

“It’s fortunate we’re able to do something like this,” Conklin said.

Representatives from the MS Society will be at the Rotary meeting on Thursday, Dec. 8 to recognize the members for their support.