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Even Sapir clubhouse for disabled kids overcomes local resistance and arson By Ruth Sinai Three months after arsonists torched the Even Sapir care center for disabled children, it reopened yesterday in a festive ceremony following a concerted effort by the center's management to improve relations with their neighbors in the small town outside Jerusalem. The fire was the second instance of vandalism at the center, which helps approximately 100 children and youths suffering from cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and similar conditions. In the earlier incident flower pots and planters were left in pieces. Advertisement The nonprofit House of Wheels, which runs the clubhouse center, raised NIS 250,000 for post-fire renovations, with the work done by volunteers. "We knew there was some resistance to the center's operation in town, but we also knew it came from a handful of people," said fund-raiser Neta Aran. To defuse this resistance, House of Wheels volunteers went door-to-door around Even Sapir and talked to people to allay their concerns. Aran says about 40 percent of the 350 children who receive care at the four institutions across Israel run by the House of Wheels come from extremely poor families. "If it weren't for the center's activity, many of these kids wouldn't leave their homes except to go to school," she told Haaretz. "This place brings everyone into a common place that is very modest," said Tomer Rabinowitz, who runs the renovated clubhouse in Even Sapir. "There is a lot of giving here, which boomerangs back as acceptance." The Shai Society for the rehabilitation and support of disabled children is the volunteer organization behind the House of Wheels. Its activity, through its four branches in the Galilee, Herzliya, Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva, is devoted to the development and integration of the physically handicapped children here and also gives the children's families a brief respite from care. Bookmark to del.icio.us   History undersea Israeli lifeguard stumbles upon ancient relic during morning swim. Elections, Hebrew style U.S. presidential hopefuls use Hebrew to woo the Jewish community.

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