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Mobility For Amercia

Dear Friends,

As two of our nation’s greatest holidays approach, Memorial Day and Independence Day, we are reminded of those who have sacrificed for our freedom and independence. Yet many of our fellow Americans continue to live their lives without the simplest of freedoms and a basic human right: Mobility!

soldier_vetWhile you celebrate with your families, remember those Americans who lack basic mobility such as a veteran who has defended our nation or a child who can’t attend school. Honor freedom by providing wheelchairs for recipients in the USA through our “Mobility for America” program where we dedicate your donations to anyone in the USA who needs our help. To date we have given out over 35,000 wheelchairs to fellow Americans and so many thousands more are still desperately in need.

We receive phone calls weekly from individuals here in the United States who are either denied access to or do not have the ability to acquire a wheelchair. One such call was received from a gentleman named Jaime. The insurance company had denied Jaime a wheelchair which he could not afford to purchase on his own. After months of frustrating attempts to find a new or used wheelchair, his daughter heard about the Wheelchair Foundation. Jamie suffers from diabetic neuropathic arthropathy, also known as Charcot, and his severely deformed feet are unable to hold his weight. Soon after her call, father and daughter were in our office parking lot joyfully testing out a new wheelchair. Jaime is delighted to “now be able to do some things on his own,” and is thankful for the Wheelchair Foundation and the donors who made this gift possible.

With your gift of $100 or more, we will send you a red triple function pen with flashlight and stylus to remind you throughout the year of your generous donation.

Donate $150 or more and you will also receive a personalized certificate with a photo of a wheelchair recipient, sent in a beautiful presentation folder.

As an additional token of our appreciation, with your donation of $500 or more, we will include our deluxe,
multipurpose duffle bag.

Simply call us directly at 877-378-3839, or  donate on line through our website (www.wheelchairfoundation.org).

The Wheelchair Foundation, the world’s largest wheelchair relief organization, has distributed over 960,000 wheelchairs in 150+ countries. We are completely donor-driven and this amazing accomplishment is a direct result of overwhelming generosity on the part of our donors. Thank you for your continuing dedication and for your support of those in need of wheelchairs in the USA!

Sincerely,

David Behring
President

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From the Heart: Embracing the Ability to Enable Others

This story is redistributed in its entirety from Alamo Today and written by Jody Morgan. You can read the original article by clicking here.

 

Elizabeth Campos at Montair Elementary found teaching from a wheelchair a daunting experience. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Campos

Elizabeth Campos at Montair Elementary found teaching from a wheelchair a daunting experience. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Campos

Thanks to the inspiration of three local men collaborating with the creativity of area educators, 48,000 students in 53 schools are enjoying a fresh approach to Ability Awareness this academic year.  Founders of Del Corazon (From-the-Heart), Don Routh, Josh Routh, and Bill Wheeler, support the curriculum with informative videos, personal presentations, and the loan for a week to each participating school of 10 wheelchairs.  Children learn to appreciate their own abilities and embrace the challenge of enabling others to realize their full potential.  Also known as the Wheelchair Foundation Schools Project, the initiative fosters respect for the strengths of peers coping with intellectual, developmental, and physical challenges, while raising funds to send wheelchair to hundres of individuals who would otherwise remain immobile.

The Wheelchair Foundation, established by Ken Behring in 2000, provides wheelchairs to people around the world who need but cannot afford a wheelchair.  In many countries, a wheelchair costs a worker’s entire annual income.  Todate, 955,000 wheelchairs have been delivered, bringing mobility, dignity, and hope to individuals aged two to over 102.

Since Bill Wheeler, founder of Blacktie Transportation, first invited Don and Josh to join him on a Wheelchair Foundation distribution trip, “the Three Amigos” have made 23 distribution trips to 14 Latin American countries, delivering 72,000 wheelchairs.  Asked to identify his favorite trip, Josh insists: “All of them!” His father, Don, concurs.  Each trip is different, every journey life changing.

Josh demonstrates to wheelchair recipients that their personal goals are achievable.  Doctors predicted Josh, born with Cerebral Palsy, would be a quadriplegic incapable of speech. At 31, he spoke his first word: “Soup!” His indefatigable spirit continues to feed his father’s dedication.  A graduate of San Ramon Valley High School, Josh relies on a wheelchair for mobility.  Now 35, he lives independently, drives his own car to work, and has multiple sports accomplishments to his credit.

In Paraguay, From-the-Heart delivered a wheelchair to another Josh.  Seeing his own son in the four-year old also coping with Cerebral Palsy, Don translated his parental experience into a message of hope for the mother.  Recalling how grateful he would have been for the advice of a mentor, Don happily shares his experience, encouraging care givers to believe in the possibility that their charges will be, likeJosh, successful adults.

In spring 2012, Don Routh presented the concept of a schools program to Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi.  Ahmadi immediately recognized the value.  “The potential of this endeavor as a true service learning project was incredible, and it was obvious that the impact to all involved would be profound,” she comments.  “The project allows our students to learn and apply their knowledge while serving others globally.  “Six PUSD elementary schools participated the following academic year.  Six teachers joined a wheelchair distribution tour that summer and all came back as zealous advocates of the program.

Wheelchairs delivered to Costa Rica and Honduras this summer will carry the SRVUSD or PUSD logo, connecting donors and recipient.

Wheelchairs delivered to Costa Rica and Honduras this summer will carry the SRVUSD or PUSD logo, connecting donors and recipient.

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD) recommended the project to all of its schools for 2013-2014, as did PUSD.  Over the course of four months from late spring through summer, Don worked with Special Needs Parents and SRVUSD professionals to enhance the existing Ability Awareness curriculum to include lesson plans for all grades addressing physical, intellectual and developmental  issues.

Terry Koehne, SRVUSD Communications Director, gladly accepted the task of promoting the program with district principals.  “Don is amazing he provides every ounce of support a school needs, including background information, monthly newsletters, and updates, and makes himself available to do presentations for any group that needs it.  “Support materials include a  17 page book list, movie suggestions featuring characters coping with disability, fun ways to try wheelchairs, and fundraising ideas.  Proud that the fundraising aspect of the program will provide hundreds of wheelchairs to people who lack mobility, Koehne notes, “Providing students with real opportunities to experience the issue themselves gives more meaning to the fundraising component, and inspires them to get even more involved.”

Students and faculty members find Don Routh’s presentation riveting.  He opens up by explaining “There are more than 100 million people with physical disabilities worldwide who are in need of a wheelchair.  Thirty million of these are children and 90% of them do not to to school.”  Lacking mobility, they have no access to education and often no social interaction with other children.  Sometimes they have to crawl to reach basic items beyond their reach.

Montair Elementary School ran the project in October/November, embedding the program in all aspects of academics.  Coin counting supported math, writing persuasive letters to the business community underscored language lessons, and walking into Danville to speak to local business leaders bolstered oral presentation skills.  Dennis Simkin, Vice President, Manager recalls the day the students came to J.Rockcliff.  “I was in awe of how professional and cute they were.  “Simkin estimates that 30 or 40 people came out to hear their presentation.

Taking turns, students participated in a wheelchair basketball game.  When one student finally managed to score, the crowd erupted in cheers.  Elizabeth Campos spent part of a day teaching in a wheelchair and found maneuvering around her classroom a major challenge.  Months later, in February, another school activity highlighted how much the project affected students.  Campos wrote: “At Montair this week we are participating in a No-Name-Calling Week, and as Leadership was discussing ways to promote this, a few students brought up the fact that they actually think name-calling has decreased at school since Ability Awareness and the Wheelchair Foundation project because kids learned to accept others for who they are, no matter what they look like or their abilities.”

8 year-old Alejandro's grandmother carried him to receive his first wheelchair, delivered by From-the Hart in March.

8 year-old Alejandro’s grandmother carried him to receive his first wheelchair, delivered by From-the Hart in March.

Gale Ranch Middle School ran the program in February.  Counselor Lori Olson volunteered to coordinate.  The opportunity for a field trip to the Blackhawk Automotive Museum was a huge incentive for students, and they returned from meeting Wheelchair Foundation President David Behring even morec ommitted to the cause.  Blacktie provides field trip transportation and also stores and delivers the two sets of project wheelchairs.

Student reflections indicate how much Gale Ranch pupils learned spending time in a wheelchair.  One student commented, “Before this I had never really thought about being in a wheelchair, not being able to do things normal people could, and feeling like you are separated from everyone.”  Friends treated them differently.  Another student said, “I now know that people in a wheelchair just wanted to be treated the same way as everyone else.”The value of mobility was clearly recognized.  A third student said,  “When the founder, Don, came to our school, he said not to feel sorry for the people who have wheelchairs but for the people who don’t have one.”

San Ramon Valley High Schoo land Monte Vista are holding Basketball Game Fundraisers showcasing their athletes competing against the nationally ranked BORP Warriors Wheelchair team.  Local teams have volunteered to accept the challenge of playing in wheelchairs.  CarlyLutz, SRVHS Leadership student reports that signupsfor “Ride-in-a-Wheelchair for a Day” are filling up quickly.  Janet Willford, SRVHS Leadership teacher, describes planned lunchtime activities: “a wheelchair relay race, wheelchair bowling, and a pep rally.”

Costa Rica and Honduras (getting Foundation donations for the first time )are slated to each receive a container of 280 wheelchairs at a cost of $42,000 per container.  As of April 17th, $61,258.05 has been collected, with many schools about to commence the project.  Teachers, parents, and older students accompanied by an adult have been invited to come on this summer’s distributions trips.  Ken Behring is awarding stipends of $2,000 toward travel costs to the elementary, middle, and high school achieving the highest per student donations.

Visit www.del-corazon.org for information or to donate.

 

 

 

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The Wheelchair Foundation: Giving Hope – Gaining Purpose

This article taken in it’s entirety and written by Jody Morgan appeared in both the Danville Today News as well as the Alamo Today. 
 

The Wheelchair Foundation has delivered nearly 920,000 wheelchairs in over 150 countries since its inception in 2000. As founder Kenneth Behring’s original goal of giving one million wheelchairs to disabled individuals around the world nears fulfillment, global need continues to grow. An estimated 100 million people unable to afford a wheelchair are waiting in hidden corners of the earth for the chance to experience the empowerment of mobility.

Josh Routh connects with a nonagenarian in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, one of many wheelchair recipients from 4-96 years of age hea has met in Latin America. Photo courtesy of Don Routh

Wheelchairs were not among the donation Behring was packing in his private plane in 1999 when LSD Charities (the humanitarian outreach branch of the Latter Day Saints) asked him to drop off their aid packages en route to his African destination  He readily agreed. Included in that cargo were six wheelchairs bound for a hospital in Romania. “Little did I know” he writes, “that those six wheelchairs would change the direction of my life.”

Behring, a successful Danville developer, defines the joy generated by setting a wheelchair recipient’s dreams in motion as the acheivement of purpose. In his 2004 autobiography Road to Purpose, he recount, “I lifted a small Vietnamese girl from the ground and placed her in a wheelchair. In that instant, she found hope…Her face opened into a smile, her eyes as bright as the noontime sky. And I knew for all she had changed in that moment, I had changed even more.”

Initially, Behring explored recycling used wheelchairs. The process proved the reverse of cost-effective. Packaging for shipment added to the expense of parts and labor for repairs. Then Behring asked manufacturers to design a durable wheelchair priced according to the high volume of orders he anticipated. One product seemed perfect, but it required two hours to piece together when uncrated. Today’s model comes in five sizes, ordered with regular or all-terrain tires, and can be assembled in 15 minutes. Averaging shipping costs to all destinations, the Foundation can deliver each wheelchair for just $150.  In Bolivia a comparable product costs $1,700.  In many countries, the price of a wheelchair exceeds an average laborer’s annual income.

The Wheelchair Foundation runs an administratively lean operation, funneling virtually every dollar into providing wheelchairs. Volunteers and service organizations across America do much of the fundraising. Unanimously declaring the positive return on their investment inestimable donors traveling on distribution trips pay their own expenses.  On the receiving end, similar groups arrange local logistics including identification of recipients and appropriate configuration of the wheelchairs they require. They also fund and coordinate transportation to remote locations where wheelchairs are most needed.  Rotary International, with clubs in over 200 countries, is frequently involved in all aspect of the process.

Since Bill Wheeler, founder of Blacktie Transportation, invited them on their first journey, Josh Routh and his father Don have made 20 distribution trips to 11 countries. In the remote town Juigalpa, Nicaragua, they met a 26 year-old woman who had been waiting eight years to acquire the wheelchair she needed to utilize the scholarship to Managua University she earned as a high school honors graduate.  Finally enabled to pursue her studies, she chose psychology so she could hep families coping with disabilities   In poorer places, when one family member is disabled, another often has to stay home from school or work to act as a caregiver.

Josh tears up as he describes a recipient brought to a wheelchair distribution in a wheelbarrow and another crawling through the dust to get there. Born with cerebral palsy, Josh has never walked.  Although doctors predicted he would remain a quadriplegic, never uttering an intelligible word, the 33-year old San Ramon resident drives his own car and lives independently. A cashier at Nob Hill, Josh dedicates much of his time to aiding others.

Hayward students connected with peers in El Salvador by sending wheelchairs and t-shirts.

“When you give someone the gift of mobility, you are giving them freedom and dignity…and when someone has freedom and dignity then they have hope for the future,” explains Don Routh.  Now retired, Don spreads awareness of the worldwide need for the means of mobility and the elation engendered by improving the life of each wheelchair recipient.  One of his initiatives at a Hayward elementary school gave low-income Latino students the opportunity to celebrate joy in their joint accomplishment: raising enough money to send six wheelchairs to less fortunate peers in El Salvador.

Don Routh plans to introduce the program the “Three Amigos” (Don, Josh and Bill) are currently piloting with the Pleasanton Unified School District to additional area school districts this spring. They provide live and video presentations, posters, collection containers, and fundraising ideas. Wheeler offers Blacktie’s community bus free for one field trip per school to either the Blackhawk Museum/Wheelchair Foundation exhibits or a wheelchair sport event.  Ten wheelchairs are available for schools to borrow in rotation for students to test drive or use in fundraising races or sport competitions. For information, email donrouth@comcast.net

Eva Carleton, Regional Director of Operations of Latin America and the Caribbean, travels on 3-4 distribution trips a year while coordinating the delivery of 40-50 projects. Every working day she helps provide someone with what sh considers a basic human right: a wheelchair.  “Without a wheelchair,” Carleton notes, “you have to ask for everything you need.”  Eva’s mother’s quality of life improved dramatically once she accepted how enabling the device could be. She no longer has to ring for a nurse every time she wants a simple object like a tissue.

In a Colombian community several hours from Bogota, Carleton met a woman who had been unable to work for five years due to a spinal injury.  Thanks to her Foundation wheelchair, she was back at her job.  Minutes later, Eva encountered another wheelchair recipient happily earning money keeping parked cars safe.

“It’s always a joy to give someone a wheelchair and it is an even greater joy to personally watch and hear how that wheelchair improved their life,” explains David Behring, President of the Wheelchair Foundation.  David met Tran Nghia in 2003.  Born with a neurological disorder, the Vietnamese high school student depended on family and friends to carry her everywhere.  She needed a wheelchair to attend university to study English and become a doctor.  The following year David visited her family and they kept in touch.  In November 2012 they met again in Hanoi.  “Nghia unfortunately could not become a doctor due to her disability but she did learn English and translates documents for a Vietnamese company.  … Her smile was as radiant as I remembered it back in 2003.”

A wheelchair recipient with Kenneth Behring (right). Photo courtesy of the Wheelchair Foundation

Kenneth Behring make a point of shaking the hand of every wheelchair recipient.  “All we ask in return is a smile.”  Partnering with non-governmental agencies permits the Wheelchair Foundation to give the gift of mobility with no strings attached.  Creating global friendship and promoting the joy of giving are additional aspects of this non-profit organization’s mission “to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen, and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one.”

The Wheelchair Foundation’s annual Charity Ball at the Blackhawk Museum February 23rd is open to the public as are all Foundation fundraisers.  Jeff Behring, Director of Special Benefits, offers a Wine for Wheels private party plan getting rave reviews nationwide as a means for finding personal purpose while sharing fun with friends.  To register for the Charity Ball, plan a Wine for Wheels event, learn more about Foundation activities or to make a donation, visit www.wheelchairfoundation.org. Road to Purpose is available at the Danville Library.

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A Story Of Friendship, Hope and Mobility

David Behring, the President of Wheelchair Foundation, tells a brief story of how meeting a young wheelchair recipient in Vietnam has turned into a lifetime friendship.
Mr. David Behring with Tran Nghia in 2003

Tran Nghia was a 17 year old high school girl in Hanoi when I first met her.  She had been born with a neurological disorder that never allowed her to use her legs.  She was always carried by her parents, siblings and friends.  I was introduced to Nghia and her family at a wheelchair distribution in Hanoi in 2003.  I was immediately captivated by her smile and enthusiasm and, through a translator, found out that she wanted to study English and go to medical school to become a doctor.

She invited me to her home for tea on my next visit to Vietnam which actually occurred one year later.  At that meeting we learned much more about each other and stayed in touch through e-mail and Facebook during the next 8 years.  Nghia unfortunately could not become a doctor due to her disability but she did learn English and translates documents for a Vietnamese company.

In November of this year I returned to Vietnam with a dozen veterans and their spouses.  I arranged to meet Nghia and her mom at our Hanoi distribution.  It was definitely one of my trip highlights when I glanced over from the podium and saw the two them walking into the distribution.  Her smile was as radiant as I remembered it back in 2003. I immediately stopped my speech and introduced our personal story to the audience.  She met the veterans, was interviewed by a television station and made a short speech of her own about how the wheelchair had impacted her life.  It is always a joy to give someone a wheelchair and it is an even greater joy to personally watch and hear how that wheelchair improved their life.

Hanoi Wheelchair Distribution with Mr. David Behring and Tran Nghia
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Painting a Picture of Hope

George Sumner

George Sumner signing art posters.

World-renowned artist George Sumner is an environmental impressionist painter known for his marine life art and avid support of ecological causes. His vivid works have found their way into the collections of Muhammad Ali, Ted Turner and Mikhail Gorbachev.

George and his wife/manager, Donnalei, have raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Wheelchair Foundation through the sale of their art. A simple belief that the Sumners share is you can always make a difference; this has been the fuel in their work, life and love together.

It is also the philosophy that recently brought them to Cabo San Lucas – but not for vacation. The couple came to help the Wheelchair Foundation distribute wheelchairs in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods of Mexico that surround the tourist destination.

Several years ago, Cabo experienced a boom in development. Jobs in construction and service work became available to accommodate the rapid growth of large homes and resorts. Hundreds of families moved to the outskirts of town, seeking such opportunities. Economic and environmental factors, however, affected new development and as projects slowed or ceased, the labor needs declined, leaving thousands of people unemployed and unable to earn a living, let alone afford a wheelchair.

George Sumner

Donnalei Sumner (center) and family join the team.

Once outside the tourists areas of Cabo, the poverty is evident. The Sumners joined the wheelchair distribution team as they headed to the barrios where the disabled live in desperately poor conditions without any means of transportation. Here, a wheelchair is an unthought-of luxury.

An elderly woman and her family greeted them at their first stop and welcomed the group into their tiny, well-kept home. The significance of this moment was apparent to everyone. No longer isolated, a grandmother could finally watch her grandchildren play outside; at last, this woman could enjoy a social life that, despite her lack of worldly possessions, would bring a wealth of happiness for years to come.

The Sumners then had an idea to make the occasion even more special. Donnalei handed her husband a set of permanent artist pens with which he painted a beautiful marinescape on the side of the wheelchair.

Blue and green hues stood out vibrantly against the brilliant red, shining wheelchair. When George Sumner had completed his piece, the elderly woman’s face flooded with tears of joy so contagious, no one was immune. More tears were shed as the team said goodbye and set out for the next delivery.

A young girl and her social worker were eagerly awaiting their arrival at their second stop. The girl, now in her late teens, had been born with deformities affecting both of her legs and dreamt of having independence her entire life. The girl’s hair had been styled and her fingernails delicately painted in preparation for today.

“They received a wheelchair, but George and I were the ones who truly got the gift.”

-Donnalei Sumner
on the reward of giving

The incredible significance of this event, like the one before it, was felt by all who were there. After a seemingly endless round of hugs and laughter, the Sumners surprised the already-tearful recipient with a special contribution as George painted another magnificent ocean scene on part of the glistening new wheelchair in which the girl sat, smiling in the sun.

This trip was a life-changing experience, not only for the recipients and their families, but also for the Sumners, who will never forget the overwhelming love shared by so many people. The Wheelchair Foundation was thankful to have the Sumners’ incredible assistance on this distribution and we’re always thankful for the support we get from our donors. George Sumner’s online gallery can be found at www.Sumner-Studios.com.

Mobility is a fundamental human necessity, not a luxury. A wheelchair allows those with disabilities to become a part of society and opens up a world where education, employment, and a better quality of life are possible. Donate today and help the Wheelchair Foundation deliver Hope, Mobility and Independence to the thousands of men, women, and children who still desperately need it.

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