Pursuing its mission to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs but cannot afford one, the Wheelchair Foundation will present five new wheelchairs, purchased by Southwest Airlines, to the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore on Tuesday, October 28 at 10:30am.
The wheelchairs will offer mobility and hope to the thousands of children and their families who pass through the Baltimore Chapter of the Ronald McDonald House each year. The Ronald McDonald House provides a “home-away-from-home” for families of seriously ill children who are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. “It is crucial that we have wheelchairs on hand at our House to support those children who come in from all over the country?and even from outside the country?to receive medical care at Baltimore’s fine hospitals, but who might not qualify for a wheelchair from social services,” said Marianne Rowan-Braun, executive director of the Baltimore Ronald McDonald House. “We are indebted to the Wheelchair Foundation and Southwest Airlines for helping us to meet that need.”
The Wheelchair Foundation was founded in 2000 by Kenneth E. Behring and has delivered over 170,000 wheelchairs in more than 100 countries worldwide, with a goal of delivering another one million wheelchairs in the next five years. The Baltimore event follows the distribution of 5,000 wheelchairs in September in Kabul, Afghanistan by the Foundation, joined by the U.S. Departments of State and Defense.
The Ronald McDonald House operates 232 houses in 23 different countries. The Baltimore House, the only Ronald McDonald House chapter in Maryland, has served over 30,000 families in the last 21 years. It is the primary corporate charity of Southwest Airlines, which has donated more than $5 million over the past 17 years to benefit Ronald McDonald Houses across the United States.
“The dedicated employees of Southwest Airlines are proud to provide another opportunity for hope and love to the children and families of the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore,” said Michael Miller, station leader for Southwest Airlines at BWI.
WHAT: Presentation Ceremony of wheelchairs to the Ronald McDonald House of Baltimore by the Wheelchair Foundation; Wheelchairs donated by Southwest Airlines
WHEN: Tuesday, October 28, 2003, 10:30am-11:00am
WHERE: Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Southwest Airlines Self Service Kiosk Check-in Counter (Upper Level and near Pier B)
WHO: Wheelchair Foundation; Ronald McDonald House; Southwest Airlines
PARKING: Hourly parking in garage; Media and special guests will be validated; Please bring parking ticket to the event
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