Giving Season Benefits Local Charity That Serves in All Seasons



The spirit of giving blooms in cold weather. Bell ringers sprout up at the grocery store and charitable donation requests multiply in the holiday mail. Donations to charities of all sorts spike around the holidays.

The Convalescent Aid Society (CAS), a local charity serving the San Gabriel Valley, is one of the beneficiaries of that spirit. Most recently, CAS received a $2,500 donation from the Arcadia Association of Realtors.

Although many aren't familiar with CAS, for 85 years the organization has been loaning medical equipment for home use, free of charge, to anyone, young or old, who needs it. In 2007, CAS provided much-needed wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, and other equipment to those in need and is currently serving over 8,000 families throughout the San Gabriel Valley!

While CAS purchases much of the equipment in its inventory, it also receives new and used medical equipment as donations throughout the year. One of the most unusual was an Exogen bone-healing system, which uses ultrasound to speed the healing of fractures.

The workshop in the back is as busy as Santa's as equipment is repaired and refurbished. This year, CAS donated spare parts that weren't needed to similar charities in Mexico and Bolivia.

So, as they say, what goes around, comes around. Giving goes both ways--and giving to charities like CAS ensures that they will be there when you need them... now or in the future.

The Convalescent Aid Society is located at 3255 E. Foothill Blvd., in Pasadena. They can be reached at (626) 793-1696 or online at www.cas1.org.





Giving Season Benefits Local Charity That Serves in All Seasons