The nation’s oldest private institution for assisting people in need of rehabilitation due to injuries or illness is now 49 years old, and needs help. The Dominican Rehabilitation Association, founded by Mary Perez de Marranzini after her son Celso suffered from polio, is operating with a RD$46 million deficit. Nonetheless, the association plans expansion into Neyba, Pedernales, Las Matas de Farfan and other parts of the country where it will continue to serve the needs of people with disabilities and little or no resources. The diminutive iron lady attended a Mass celebrated by Bishop Amancio Escapa to mark the anniverary, and later told reporters from El Caribe: “When we started, our budget was RD$20,837, and now we operate with a deficit of RD$46 million but even so we keep working.”