DUBLIN, Ga. — The Easterseals 6th annual Pro Rodeo is back next weekend on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21.
Joel Prawucki is the President and CEO of Easterseals of Middle Georgia.
He said many people don't know what Easterseals is, or what they raise money for with their three annual fundraisers.
"We try to give individuals the opportunities to have a meaningful life just like everybody else that has the opportunity to," Prawucki said.
Easterseals has multiple programs to help disabled people in the community.
One of them teaches valuable skills and provides jobs that Easterseals has created by partnering with other companies.
Some of the jobs employees at this local chapter work on are assembling kits, cutting women's dress shirts for the Army and Navy and cutting explosion suppressant foam for C-130 and F-15 fighter jets.
The pieces of foam are shipped to them in big sizes, and they get trimmed down to very specific shapes that fit into the wings of fighter jets.
Afterward, many of those pieces of foam are sent to Robins Air Force Base.
Cleveland Wilson used to work for the Navy, but now he's helping make those foam pieces for the fighter jets.
"It is great to me, because it could save someone's life," Wilson said.
He was referred to this job through the Department of Veterans Affairs and he's one of about 200 employees staffed through the local Easterseals chapter.
"I'm really excited about just cutting foam, because it's like my other job, I was so interested in it. It took my mind off everything else, just had to involve myself in my work," Wilson said.
It's people like Wilson that the proceeds from the rodeo benefit.
"We use the proceeds from this to help defray the costs of our transportation We provide about 35,000 rides per year to and from work for individuals that we serve," Prawucki said.
The rodeo is on Friday, Oct. 20, and Saturday, Oct. 21 at Southern Pines Ag Arena in Dublin. You can buy tickets at the gate, but they're cheaper if you buy them ahead of time online at this link.
If you're interested in learning more about this or other programs, like Champions for Children- which helps families continue to care for children with disabilities at home, you can call Easterseals of Middle Georgia at 478-275-8850.