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Founders Avitha Daniel and Daniel Victor (extreme left and right) with the chief guests at the events

Founders Avitha Daniel and Daniel Victor (extreme left and right) with the chief guests at the events

The 30th anniversary celebration of Agape Rehabilitation Centre in Peravallur held on July 20 was extra special this time. The founders invited four of its ‘registrants’ who have excelled in their fields, as chief guests for the anniversary event.

Each of them is a first beneficiary in one of the benchmark disabilities — locomotor; blindness and low vision; deaf and hard of hearing; and intellectual disability.

The invitation card sent out to well-wishers had their name along with the register number and the year they got associated with the Centre. Wheelchair user Veeramallu M. joined the Centre in 1995 where he underwent training in advanced programming. Today he is a motivational speaker and assistant vice president at Intellect Design Arena Limited. Hearing impaired Kalyani B. is veterinary inspector in Vellore; Angeline Suganthi Sheeba has ID and is specialised in tailoring to run her small enterprise today; and visually challenged Ravi Joel E.G, who belongs to the 2003 batch, is an English language trainer.

Each of these personalities spoke about how their journey took shape with the support and guidance offered by the Centre.

Four other special achievers were also felicitated. Agape-Fred Hample Excellence Awards was presented to Venkatesh T., who works as AVP for an MNC; Pugazhendi S., who works in housekeeping in the hospitality industry; Madhan D., a team leader in Health India Medical Services; and Devikarani B. working in employment exchange office. The four were given a memento, a citation and cheque for ₹10,000.

Agape was started in 1995 by couple Daniel Victor and Avitha Daniel to offer support for persons with disabilities. In the last three decades the Centre has reached support to 3,000 people through skill training; training in typewriting and computers being key factors in helping many of them get jobs including jobs in the public sector.

Livelihood projects to start an enterprise, medical help including physiotherapy and support by providing wheelchairs are other ways Agape has been empowering the community.

“Today we have 10 staff and more than 20 volunteers who help us,” says Daniel, an alumnus of College of Engineering Guindy.

The centre hosts monthly get-togethers, second Wednesdays for ID persons, third Sundays for LD persons and fourth Sundays for deaf persons.

For details, call 8056062904 or email ableagape@gmail.com