by Brian Kingsberry
Lynden Tribune reporter

LYNDEN - Lynden's Meredith Moyer and her daughter Allison Hahnel are using the holiday season to rally a couple hundred of their closest friends and family behind an ambitious vision: World Vision's effort to provide 20 million wheelchairs to 37 countries world-wide by 2010.

World Vision is a humanitarian relief organization based in Federal Way. Moyer, who was recently appointed by Gov. Gary Locke to a committee on disabilities, said the holidays are the perfect time to join the effort to improve the lives of both children and adults worldwide.

Moyer presented her mission at Christ the King Church of Lynden and will continue promoting the use until she and Hahnel meet with Don Schoendorfer, the designer of a new lightweight wheelchair and the founder of Free Wheelchair Mission.

Moyer said that as many as 150 million disabled people worldwide don't have wheelchairs and are forced to live on the ground.

"The resources are there for us to tap into and help people in these Third World countries where the structure isn't there to provide them with what they need," Moyer said. "If we can just help with this mission in our little corner of . . .