Kelowna man needs help to send donated goods to Cuba after suffering stroke

Kelowna man needs help to send donated goods to Cuba after suffering stroke
BY CHERYL CHAN, VANCOUVER SUN MAY 3, 2016

For the last eight years, Rick Pogue has been on a solo mission to help
Cubans in need. But sidelined after a stroke, the Kelowna man is turning
to the community for help to continue his selfless work.

In 2007 Pogue, like many Canadians, went to Varadero on an all-inclusive
vacation. He returned to B.C. with more than a tan; he came back with a
quest.

It all started after friends suggested he bring some items to hand out
to Cubans, many of whom lack basic necessities, said son Fraser Pogue.

"He brought down some baseball gloves, sunglasses, pen and paper and
handed them out to the chambermaids," recalled Fraser.

"Then he took a taxi to town, visited a church, and handed things out to
people. He really loved it."

His dad visited Cuba a couple more times after that, toting duffel bags
packed full of donated items and shouldering the extra baggage fees.

The next year, he expanded his one-man project, working with Cuban
officials and the Catholic church to get permission to send donations
through shipping containers.

He travels around B.C., collecting donations from sports organizations
and companies.

It was an unexpected calling for the 63-year-old financial adviser, who
had no history of humanitarian work. "This is just something he wanted
to do and he took it upon himself to do it," said Fraser.

His family also pitched in. Fraser, who lives in Vancouver, and his
brother would scour local thrift stores, reuse-it centres and sports
centres for used equipment. They'd also buy sports gear on sale. The
items were then shipped about once a year to Cuba, then distributed by
the church to communities in the Varadero area.

Fraser, who has also visited Cuba as part of his dad's efforts, has seen
first-hand the impact the donations make on other people's lives.

He remembers meeting mothers moved to tears after he gave them their
first family portrait, a photo taken with a Polaroid camera; of
construction workers who toil with no safety gear or glasses; of kids
who played baseball using balls of twine and makeshift bats that were no
more than sticks.

But last October, Pogue suffered an aortic dissection followed by a
stroke, which left him unable to work.

The lack of income and medical expenses have taken a toll on his
finances and Pogue now can't afford to ship two 10 x 20-foot containers
— already filled with baseball equipment, shoes from Soles4Souls, 1,000
pairs of sunglasses from Clearly and other donations — to the Caribbean
island.

His family has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to cover
shipping costs of $6,000 per container.

About $5,130 has been raised in the last 10 days, and they're hopeful
they will reach their $12,000 goal by May 10 in order to ship the
containers by June 1.

Fraser said the family is confident they can send at least one
container, but would like to be able to ship both.

Whether the project continues is dependent on his dad's recovery, he said.

After spending a week in intensive care, and a few more weeks in
hospital, Pogue is now recovering at home but "it's hard to say how it's
going to go," said Fraser. "He's the main driving force behind it."

chchan@theprovince.com

twitter.com/cherylchan

Source: Kelowna man needs help to send donated goods to Cuba after
suffering stroke -
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