|
Wheels for the World Collects Used Wheelchairs
Wheels for the World, a California-based nonprofit organization operating locally out of Woodbury/ Bethlehem, CT, is collecting used wheelchairs, collapsible walkers, metal crutches and metal canes at the Wal-Mart in Naugatuck on Saturday, August 17 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. A bake sale will be held at the same time to raise money for the shipping of the wheelchairs and for local disability outreach. Wheelchairs and other items collected that day will be trucked first to Pete Duncan's barn in Oxford and then to the Cheshire Correctional Facility, where they will be restored in the bicycle and wheelchair restoration class. Finally, they'll be shipped to communities in developing nations where wheelchairs are not readily available for the disabled.
There are ten regional branches overseeing the wheelchair restoration process throughout the U.S., giving us 3,500 to 4,000 wheelchairs annually, which are sent to approximately 40 countries.
The cost of sponsoring a wheelchair for refurbishing and distribution is approximately $150. The chairs are accompanied by trained specialists who typically raise their own funds to travel overseas. Spreading a message of Christian hope is another aspect of Wheels for the World, an organization that is part of the disability outreach of Joni and Friends. Joni Eareckson Tada, a much sought after speaker, writer and mouth artist, is the originator of Wheels for the World. She has relied on her wheelchair for mobility since she became a quadriplegic over 30 years ago as the result of a diving accident at the age of 17.
Connecticut Wheels for the World is also sponsoring a golf tournament on Wednesday, September 18 at the scenic Fairview Farm Golf Course in Harwinton, primarily to raise funds for wheelchair distributions. The cost is $125 for lunch, dinner, prizes, raffle, awards and 18 holes of golf using the "best ball" scramble format. Golfers can win a new Chevrolet Cavalier from Loehmann-Blasius Chevrolet Cadillac for a hole-in-one on a designated par three. Please call Pete at 203-266-5974, or Dick at 203-755-0197 to register by early September, if possible.
For more info about Wheels for the World, call Carol at 203-266-5974.
|
|
