By Heather DiPrato. As published in Yardley Living April 2023
Longtime residents Ram & Rupa Mohan recently relocated Rupa's mom and brother from London to Yardley to live closer to them. Rupa’s adult brother, Sriram, who lived with his mom in London has Downs Syndrome. “He had a very productive and busy schedule in a sheltered workplace in London,” says Rupa. “He loved being busy with a daily routine, but he lost that when we moved him and my mum ‘over the pond’ to live here.”
“Sriram has found a welcoming community at Action Karate where he does multiple classes, and the local temple, Chinmaya Madhuvan, where he attends prayer meetings,” Rupa shares. “But he would love to be busy! Enter Bucks Help Buddy - a service that we have created to be a win-win for local businesses, giving Sriram a daily opportunity to HELP OTHERS!”
Bucks Help Buddy: A sense of PURPOSE in Helping Others
“Sriram is friendly and helpful with others in his workplace and has lots of energy to spare!” Rupa tells us. “In past years when he's visited us over the summer, he's enjoyed working with the Woods School (Langhorne), Sunshine Foundation (Southampton), Trish Shallenberger of A Soldier's Hands (Yardley), and Perry Warren's offices (Yardley), and has had great fun working with local people!”
Things “Bucks Help Buddy” Enjoys:
Putting together mailings for direct mail companies
Stuffing goody bags, packets, and swag bags for corporate or charity events
Assembling blessings bags for shelters
Assembling food boxes for local pantries
Assembly line work - putting together yard signs.
Creating craft items for sale (with supervision)
How Can YOU Help?
Sriram would love to work as a volunteer for a few hours per day on your projects and can work on projects at your offices or at his home. His preference is to be out and about so he gets to know more people in the local community!
Paying it Forward “We offer this as a free service to our wonderful local community,” says Rupa. “We have already had some local businesses ask what they can pay so Sriram's efforts are recognized. The only "payment" we ask is that you can donate any amount to us, and we will give it to a local charity in honor of Bucks Help Buddy.” Need help? Have a project you think Bucks Help Buddy can help with? E-mail buckshelpbuddy@gmail.com to arrange the details!