Media Release

Bengaluru, Jun 27: The Good Sam Wound Care and Rehabilitation Centre – Sumanahalli was inaugurated by Peter Machado, the archbishop of Bangalore diocese on the June 24. This centre is an initiative of The Good Sam Foundation, a Bengaluru based NGO and The Sumanahalli Society.

The Centre will offer residential facilities for Post-Surgical Medical Care, Wound Care, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation for beneficiaries who are recovering from accidents, spinal cord injuries, all types of ulcer and wounds. These beneficiaries can be from rural and Urban areas and districts around Bangalore and from remote villages and neighboring states.

Archbishop Peter Machado, in his address to the gathering paid rich tribute to The Good Sam Foundation and the Sumanahalli Society for coming together to make available this unique service offering to the poor and the destitute.

Speaking on the occasion, the archbishop quoted, “Today was a day not for speeches but for silence,” in acknowledgement of the wonderful service rendered with love and compassion by the Good Sam Foundation and the Sumanahalli Society. He also mentioned that, “Such work cannot be done by all, but requires special grace and it can be done only by who God chooses for this.” In his closing remarks, he mentioned that Summanahalli does not cater only to the needs of certain people but must be a place of pilgrimage where all can come and visit and experience healing by sharing in the suffering of others.

Fr George Kannanthanam, the director of Sumanahalli Society, lauded the efforts of the Good Sam Foundation team for visiting Sumanahalli twice a week for the last 18 months and treating people with Leprosy and other ailments at their own cost. He also mentioned that many with chronic, non-healing ulcers and conditions had been healed due to this amazing effort.

In his response David Istacky, the chairman and managing trustee spoke of how the beneficiaries of the Good Sam Foundation were not numbers on a list, but lives of human beings and how every life mattered. He narrated how the organisation over the last few years have been reaching the unreached across far flung areas of Karnataka with wound care, rehabilitation, and tender loving care and that their beneficiaries were always treated as extended family members.

Some of the beneficiaries also shared their testimonies of how their lives were impacted by the services of The Good Sam Foundation and how they were restored back from hopelessness to live with dignity and purpose.

The programme closed with lunch and a wonderful time of interaction between all the benefactors and the beneficiaries of The Good Sam Foundation.