Press Release
January 9, 2012
“Me and Them” Acoustic Band Presents “Music for Mobility -
A Benefit Concert for Free Wheelchair Mission”
Orange, CA, Saturday, January 28, 2012 - St John’s Lutheran Church of Orange is hosting a charity concert evening with “Me and Them” performing with all proceeds from the ticket sales going to Free Wheelchair Mission. Free Wheelchair Mission was founded in 2001 in Irvine, California and is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations.

Press Release
December 7, 2011
Wheelchair Project Teaches Students, Helps Mission…
Columbus, Ohio, December, 7, 2011 – Students at Ohio State University recently teamed up with Free Wheelchair Mission to do a project for their Humanitarian Engineering Seminar. The students were asked to assess the assembly experience and evaluate the design for use of “appropriate technology” involving the consideration of affordability, durability, maintainability, cultural acceptability, and ease of use.

Press Release
December 1, 2011
Corona Woman’s Sermon Inspires
Corona resident Erin Tharp was well on her way to achieving her dream of becoming an astronaut, when she was struck with viral encephalitis that nearly took her life. “At one point things were so grave, she was not expected to live.” said her father, Gary Tharp. But instead of wallowing in what ifs, Erin decided to be a positive role model and continue to follow her dreams.

Press Release
July 29, 2011
Orange County Nonprofit Raises 17,600 Wheelchairs at Charity Event
Last Tuesday’s Magic of Mobility celebration, Free Wheelchair Mission’s annual gala event, held court at its new venue, the Hilton Costa Mesa, bringing together more than 500 supporters to raise over $1,000,000 for wheelchairs in the course of the evening, funding 17,600 wheelchairs for people in developing countries.

Press Release - World Vision
July 13, 1011
"Over 500 Custom-Fit Wheelchairs Given to Disabled Children in Partnership with World Vision."
Last month, Orange County resident Don Schoendorfer traveled to Zambia with a team from World Vision, helping to distribute over 500 wheelchairs and launching a twelve country tour to benefit people with disabilities in the developing world with a total of 6,000 custom-fit wheelchairs. 

Press Release
July 7, 2011
"Poor disabled children receive free wheelchairs in Guatemala"
Disabled children in Guatemala supported by Children International can now look forward to living more independently after receiving free wheelchairs from Free Wheelchair Mission through Children International.

Press Release
June 2, 2011
Local Man’s Mission Takes Wheelchairs to Zambia
Next week, Don Schoendorfer, a local man-with-a-mission and founder of Free Wheelchair Mission based in Irvine, CA, will travel to Zambia with World Vision to launch a 12-country distribution of custom-fit wheelchairs to benefit people with disabilities in the developing world.

West Virginia Executive
Winter 2011
"Making the World Mobile"
In December 2007, Dr. Don Schoendorfer received a key to the City of Wheeling in recognition of his work in opening the hearts of many West Virginians and changing the lives of thousands around the world.

Press Release
March 14, 2011
"Orange County-Based Charity Teams Up With SunPower Corp. to Distribute Wheelchairs in the Philippines" International nonprofit organization Free Wheelchair Mission recently teamed up with solar energy pioneer SunPower Corporation for a humanitarian project in the Philippines.  Earlier this month, the partnership distributed approximately 1,100 wheelchairs to people with disabilities living in the region.

Press Release
March 2011
"Ultimate Boarder Triathlon"
The event is open to the public and there will be a live webcast starting April 2, 2011 from Mammoth Mountain at www.ultimateboarder.com and it benefits Free Wheelchair Mission http://www.freewheelchairmission.org, a non-profit that transforms lives through the gift of mobility.

Press Release
December 1, 2010
Surf City USA Marathon's "Run for Mobility" Nears $2 million Fundraising Threshold  
Huntington Beach, Calif - For the sixth consecutive year, the Surf City USA^® Marathon is partnering with the Irvine-based Free Wheelchair Mission for a fundraising event that is directly responsible for changing the lives of nearly 38,000 disabled people worldwide. The innovative “Run for Mobility” (Sunday, February 6, 2011) encourages all runners to use the Surf City Marathon, Half Marathon and all-new One Mile run/walk as a way to raise funds that send specially engineered wheelchairs to needy and developing nations.

Long Beach's Gazettes.com
March 5, 2010
"Youth Raise Money To Buy Wheelchairs"
Shortly after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, Long Beach residents, nonprofits, businesses and schools rallied together to demonstrate their support for the victims.

Las Cruces Bulletin
November 13, 2009
"Wheelchair Mission Keeps Rolling Along"
Local FWM advocate Dennis Prickett kept a count on the wheelchairs being constructed. After raising more than $50,000 in the last 18 months, Las Cruces has been established as a qualified distribution partner of FWM.

Read article

Press Release
September 18, 2009
"Free Wheelchair Mission Listed by Ministry Watch as  ‘Top 30’ Shining Light Exemplary Ministry For 2008"
Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM) is named in Top 30 Shining Light Ministries for 2008 by Ministry Watch, an online database which profiles the largest churches and Christian organizations in the United States.

Graziadio Voice - Pepperdine University
Saturday, August 8, 2009
"Reinventing the wheel: Using my MBA to transform the lives of the disabled"
My story about my journey at Free Wheelchair Mission is to inspire all who read it by sharing the story of others who have inspired me. I was just finishing up my first internship for a small record company in Santa Monica when I got an email from my mother about a friend from her church choir.

Press Release
August 21, 2009
"Military Police Assist with Wheelchair Mission"
Members of the 143d Military Police Detachment took a break from their law enforcement mission to assemble wheelchairs for Iraqi children, Aug. 9. Working with the Human Terrain Systems organization, the volunteers assembled wheelchairs bound for hospitals and orphanages in Sader City, Iraq; a city which has been dealing with the realities of a years-long conflict.

Press Release
August 20, 2009
"Mike Kenyon Announced as New Church Development Manager"
Free Wheelchair Mission welcomes Mike Kenyon of Irvine, California, as the new Church Development Manager – responsible for the development and leadership of all outreach to local, regional and national church groups.

IdahoStatesman.com
July 18, 2009
"Boise man wants your help delivering more wheelchairs to people in developing countries"
George Hage once watched hundreds of people, one after another, crawl and drag themselves to receive a gift of mobility: a wheelchair.

Las Cruces Bulletin
June 19, 2009
"A Tough Mission Accomplished"
After a dinner and dance at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, a Fajita Fiesta on the Mesilla Plaza and a presentation by Alyson Roth, Ms Wheelchair California, a local group of vulunteers for the Free Wheelchair Mission were able to raise $25,955.