Robbie Logan is a fixture in Waterford, including acting as grand marshal for the annual Pumpkinfest parade.
So, when it was learned that the 55-year-old man needed a stairlift installed in his two-storey home, the response was immediate.
“He’s just someone that everyone loves,” Mike Jarvis, president of the Waterford Lions Club, said of Logan
The Lions joined with the Lioness club and Waterford firefighters in vowing to raise funds for the lift.
On Saturday, a bottle drive saw a lineup of vehicles delivering thousands of bottles and cans
And a jar set out for cash donations soon had more than enough to cover the $3,800 cost of the lift, which was installed last week.
“The response has been incredible,” said Jarvis. “It’s been crazy all day and this is probably the best ever event we’ve held.”
With the cost of the lift covered, the group plans to put aside funds for a wheelchair that Logan will one day need.
Logan was born with Dandy-Walker Syndrome, a congenital problem where part of the brain doesn’t develop normally. But that hasn’t stopped him from being part of the community.
“He just about lived at the fire hall as soon as he was big enough to climb in the truck,” said his mother, Kathy Logan.
“He used to go to the post office to check for mail three times a day,” she said.
“So, we called him the meet-and-greet guy. He hung out at the arena and knew more about what was going on in Waterford than I did.
“He knows people I’ve never even met.”
For the last few years, Robbie hasn’t been able to walk around the community. He now uses a walker around his home.
His mother said it became dangerous for her to help him up the narrow stairs in their home.
And now the community has taken care of that concern.
“They’ve looked after him from Day 1,” said Kathy.
Sitting his new stairlift, Robbie said ‘”thank you” to all those who contributed to the project.
When asked why everyone loves him, Robbie simply said: “I’m the mayor of Waterford.”
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