According to an article in the Wheeling Register (Sunday, Sept 5, 2010), “These volunteers assist the nonprofit organization Free Wheelchair Mission  in everything from staffing informational booths and organizing major fund raising events to even walking in parades.”

Our coordinator Wendy states it this way: “Almost daily, people say to me that they want to help and be involved. I believe that our mission touches people’s hearts, and it goes to show the kindness our valley has for people across the world whom they don’t even know personally but want to help. We are trying to show the world that the Ohio Valley is the kindest community on Earth and our team of 100 volunteers demonstrates this kindness.”

On Sept. 11, they hosted their third “Run, Walk and Roll” race and attempted to break the world record for the largest potluck dinner. They didn’t quite beat the record, but that shortfall seemed not to dampen their spirits, but only to challenge them to try again next year.

In the past three and one half years, this phenomenal group has raised enough funds for over 11,000 wheelchairs! That in itself is one huge portion of kindness. 

Our very creative supporters continue to amaze and honor us with their ability to reach out in their own neighborhoods to raise funds. One terrific example is our friend, Rick Eisemann. Rick cares deeply for the people of Ethiopia and for many years now his organization, E3 Partners, has reached out to help many.  Rick decided not only to partner with FWM as a distribution partner, but to find a way to raise the necessary funds to deliver even more wheelchairs into the region. The result? A spectacular evening, E3’s “Hope for the Forgotten” fundraising event was held on July 29, 2010, at the Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula, California. 

Guests dined on delicious fare generously provided by Richie’s Real American Diner, sampled “enjura wat,” a traditional Ethiopian bread, and bid on a fantastic selection of silent and live auction items, all while strolling about and enjoying the ambiance and camaraderie of a lovely summer evening. 

Rick spoke to the guests about E3 and their ministries overseas, and I discussed our partnership to bring wheelchairs to Ethiopia.  During the program, the very talented Temecula city councilwoman, Maryann Edwards, inspired the crowd with a solo performance. Our guest from South Africa, Athalia Mashile, described how her life with a disability changed dramatically after receiving her wheelchair through a recent FWM distribution. Previously homebound, Athalia is now able to attend school and is on her way to achieving her dreams.  Over 250 guests gathered in support of the people of Ethiopia, raising a total of $60,000 to provide over 990 wheelchairs to this impoverished African nation.

We are so blessed with amazing volunteers.  We have thousands supporting our work in developing countries, many of whom help in the assembly and distribution of our wheelchairs. We have hundreds of volunteers spread around the USA who help us raise awareness and support. We have scores of volunteers here in Orange County who come to our office, many weekly, to do whatever is needed.  

We decided to initiate a special way to thank, highlight and recognize our wonderful volunteers. How about a “Volunteer of the Year” award? It needed a better name than that. What if we named it after one of our most awesome volunteers, a person who has done so much for Free Wheelchair Mission, year after year? That would have to be Jim Franklin, chairman of our Board of Directors. So, in honor of his service dedication to the cause, this year we created the Franklin Award, and decided that each year it would be presented to the volunteer of the year.    

Well, that was easy…now the hard part was picking the first award recipient from our many dedicated volunteers – from a list of so many great supporters, who should we select to honor this inaugural year?  

Ah, we have it! The first ever Franklin Award was given with great appreciation to volunteer of the year, Margaret Watkins. Margaret has been an amazing presence at Free Wheelchair Mission since our doors first opened, helping to represent our organization graciously, taking on over the years a wide variety of tasks from large to small.  She helps us get silent auction items. She helps package our events. She calls donors. She folds mail. She tells our story to everyone she meets. The list goes on and on. So readers, let me present our first recipient of the Franklin Award: Margaret Watkins.

“On August 29, at a Free Wheelchair Mission dinner to honor volunteers, I was blessed by an amazing, humbling, and unexpected honor.  The organization chose me to receive the first annual Franklin Award.  What an incredible joy to be honored for work I love to do and take so much pleasure. Through all my involvement in this organization, I have never lost excitement for the people involved and have a deep commitment to the mission of this organization and it ever shall be in my life.” 

~  Margaret Watkins 

At Free Wheelchair Mission, one of the ways we are truly blessed is by the amazing people we are fortunate enough to meet. Our friend Sharon has been an inspiration to us all, and has worked tirelessly to help provide wheelchairs for people with disabilities in Viet Nam. Let me share with you a story I received telling of the container of wheelchairs she helped raise and her efforts to help those less fortunate:

In January 2010, the Xe Lan Tinh Thuong project delivered their first container of 550 wheelchairs to Viet Nam. Under the leadership of Sharon Nicholas and with the support of Free Wheelchair Mission, the Federal Asian Pacific American Council Southwest (FAPACSW) and the Vietnamese American community, the group was able to raise the funds necessary for the distribution.

During the mission, Sharon met a wheelchair recipient with a life story that completely touched her heart. This veteran of the Viet Nam war lost both of his legs and had years ago spent some of his life locked away in a Communist concentration camp.  Replacing his legs were two pieces of wood and with these he was able to move around somewhat, earning a small living by selling lottery tickets to help support his family.  He had never dreamt that he would be able to get a wheelchair in his lifetime and was so grateful to receive one during the FWM distribution. 

After completing this mission trip and returning home, Sharon and her team realized that 550 wheelchairs were not enough. She discussed with FWM and FAPACSW the need to provide more wheelchairs and together, they decided to plan another fundraising campaign to raise an additional container of wheelchairs for the disabled people of Vietnam. The plan was to again deliver before the Vietnamese New Year of 2011. 

To begin once again raising money for wheelchairs, the Xe Lan Tinh Thuong group hosted a second fundraising dinner on 5/16/2010 at Mon Cheri Restaurant in Anaheim, Orange County. 600 guests were in attendance from San Diego, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Riverside, and even as far away as Canada, just to join in this event.

We are humbled and honored to work with people as dedicated as Sharon and thank the Vietnamese American community and FAPACSW for their energetic support of our work in international wheelchair distribution!

Today’s Friday Story is offered to you by Mike Kenyon, our Pastor of Church Development. Mike was recently on a mission delivering wheelchairs to Sri Lanka, and brought back this inspirational story of a life transformed:

Subashini is a young woman of 25, but at the age of 12, her life took an unexpected turn. One afternoon, while riding her bicycle with friends, her foot was caught in the spokes of the front tire. It was broken rather severely and caused a good deal of nerve damage. Because her family was too poor to afford any kind of medical care, they tended to her at home. Her foot eventually healed, but she never regained full use of it again. The nerve damage not only affected her foot but her right arm as well. Subashini continued to experience painful headaches and shortly after the accident, she stopped going to school, opting to stay at home with her mother.

Four years ago, her family visited a local church and their entire household gave their lives to Jesus. The family has been very involved in the church ever since. But Subashini stayed at home. The family has been praying that Subashini would one day rece ive a wheelchair. When they were told during our visit that Subashini was approved to receive a free wheelchair, they were overwhelmed.  They told us that this chair will relieve a great burden for both Subashini and her entire family.

We asked Subashini what her prayer request was now. She told us that she feels afraid to leave her house. She hasn't ventured out much at all since her accident. Now, at 25, she's embarking on a new season in her life. What is she most excited about? "Getting to go to school and to learn a trade that will help other people," she said. Receiving a wheelchair provides practical support and will build her confidence, enabling her to live her life again! 

Thank you for your continued support. We all saw first-hand how your investment is making a difference in Sri Lanka and around the world.

The 7th Annual Magic of Mobility

Last Tuesday evening was a testimony to what can be accomplished when a worthy cause aligns with an amazing group of friends, a loyal band of supporters, a lot of hard work, and the gift of God's grace --exceptional things happen!

The 7th Annual Magic of Mobility was our most successful event ever. There were so many special aspects of the evening, so many things to share!

A few highlights include:

Our honored guest, Miss Athalia Mashile, delighted the crowd and brought a true sense of joy to the evening, sharing with all the powerful impact a wheelchair has upon a life.

We witnessed the milestone 500,000th wheelchair provided, sharing stories of the past while looking forward to the journey ahead

We enjoyed great fellowship, delicious food and drink, an exciting live auction, and entertainment of all sorts, including a glorious moment with some beautiful wild animals!

Thanks to an evening overflowing with goodwill and extraordinary generosity, this year's Magic of Mobility celebration raised over a million dollars to help send wheelchairs around the world! With these gifts, thousands of people will now be lifted into a bright new future, enjoying the opportunity, dignity, independence, and hope that a wheelchair provides.

God bless, Don

This story comes from our great friend Bishop Mgullu. He is one of our distribution partners in Tanzania.

I am Bishop Mgullu B.Killimba from Tanzania. I want to write my gratitude’s to members and all who are part of Free Wheelchair Mission, particularly those who are raising  funds to so you can continue to give this wonderful gift of Wheelchairs.

I am here to witness that your mission has been one of great instrument that touches lives of special people in Tanzania. Those who had mobility problem are now making breakthroughs by riding on the chairs. They are able to go where they could not reach before, and their status is changed. Those who were addressed as disabled are no longer, because they are now moving to do small businesses that help to earn their living. Those who used to sit along side roads to beg, now many of them are no longer begging because with the wheelchairs they are now capable of moving to proper places like those who walks on their own feet.

The communities are now realizing how wonderful is this great gift of wheelchairs, and they are indebted to all of you who are involved in making all this possible.  

What can I tell when I see families being relieved from burden of carrying those who were not able to carry themselves. You are like the four people who lowered their friend through the roof, taking him to Jesus.

I want to say THANK YOU, and THANK YOU again and again for what you are doing. The cry of people of Tanzania is that, please don't stop, keep going, keep running so that those were called disabled may soon be riding in your wheelchairs.

Bishop Mgullu

Back in October 2008, our International Operations Manager, Whitney Blaesser, travelled to South Africa. Her task was to assess the capabilities of Forever Resorts, a potential distribution partner. Through Forever Resorts, she met Jeanette Colbert, and Jeanette took Whitney to the Limpopo Province, to a small village where she met a potential wheelchair recipient, a young woman named Athalia Mashile.   

At the time, Athalia was 20 years old. She has two brothers and five sisters. Her father died years ago. Her mother grows much of the food the family needs. Severely disabled from birth, Athalia cannot walk, dress or feed herself. She has never been to a doctor. She always wanted to go to school, to learn how to read and write, but no one could carry her that far. At the time that Whitney had the opportunity to meet Athalia, she had no wheelchairs to distribute, and all Whitney could do was to make a promise that some day she would do her best to make sure that Athalia was able to receive one.

Whitney made good her promise. About three months later, Forever Resorts received a container of wheelchairs. With Jeanette’s help, one was delivered to Athalia. Things started to happen quickly. Family and friends joined the “Get Athalia to School” program. They had to get started early each day to get her dressed, feed her breakfast, and push her wheelchair the three kilometers commute to school. 

When the principle and the teachers met her, Athalia melted their hearts with her drive and ambition. “I want to learn to read and write,” she said. “I want to be an executive secretary some day.” Though they had no special education program or training, they accepted Athalia into their elementary school.

Last November, I lead a mission team to South Africa and I had a chance to meet Athalia. She had already learned to read and write. The school is so proud of her. Everyone is so proud of Athalia.

If you are able to attend to our 7^th Annual Magic of Mobility event this July 27 in Newport Beach, you’ll have the chance to meet Athalia too! Along with her teacher Grace, Athalia is traveling to southern California to be honored guest at our summer event – we hope you will be able to join us and spend an evening with this very special young lady.

Leonardo had a “magic moment” at age thirty. He got his very own wheelchair. He’d been waiting a long time!
Leonardo’s family abandoned him as a baby. A woman he considers his godmother took him in. At about seven or eight years of age, he got sick, and overnight he couldn’t walk. He has never been able to talk. He is able to make some sounds and noises and those close to him can understand what he’s trying to communicate.

Recently, Leonardo’s godmother became unable to care for him. An aunt and uncle took him instead. Because the aunt stays home to look after him, she can no longer work. At least that was they situation before we came.

Photo: Leonardo with mission member Charlie from Worchester, MA

Leonardo has strong arms and moved around by crawling. He had an old broken-down wheelchair with only the two front castor wheels that someone probably found in the trash. 

But now, Leonardo was going to get his very own, state-of-the-art, GEN_2 chair. He had washed up and gotten ready for us. He tapped our arms so he could shake our hands in gratitude. He soaked up everything our team taught him about how to use the chair. He is a natural, so the teaching went quickly. Maybe he didn’t “take off running", but he certainly “took off wheeling!”

There were tears. And there was joy.  As we drove away, Leonardo was wheeling down the street, wearing dried tears and a huge smile. We sensed he was bursting to seize every chance he got to live a better life. He had had a “magic” moment. He discovered the “magic of mobility.” We pray this is the first of many more “magic” moments and days and years to come.