"Mobility in Motion" Tour to Help 100 Million Disabled People Around the World.IRVINE, Calif. -- Free Wheelchair Mission Free Wheelchair Mission is a Christian missionary organization that seeks to help disabled people in developing countries by providing them with free wheelchairs. This organization was founded in 1999 by Don Schoendorfer, who has a PhD in mechanical engineering. is set to embark on a nationwide tour to benefit people with physical disabilities in poor and developing countries. Called Mobility in Motion, the tour will launch at Mariner's church in Irvine, CA on April 20, 2008. Free Wheelchair Mission will pull into the church driving a massive, brightly decorated truck that's fully loaded with wheelchairs. While most wheelchairs cost from $500 to $30,000, these specially designed wheelchairs cost just $48.35 to manufacture and deliver. Waterproof and durable, each one is built with a plastic lawn chair and 24-inch mountain bike tires. "The need for wheelchairs in developing countries is still largely unknown in the U.S.," said Don Schoendorfer, founder of Free Wheelchair Mission. "Most people just can't believe more than 100 million people have no choice but to crawl on the ground. When people hear about it, they want to help, especially when they realize that $50 can change someone's life for years to come." Schoendorfer will give a special presentation on April 20 at 12:45pm to launch the Mobility in Motion tour after morning services at Mariner's church, which is one of the nation's largest with Sunday attendance ranging from 8,000 to 10,000. He will spread the word about the great need that still exists for more than 100 million disabled people around the world, who have no access to wheelchairs due to poverty and economic isolation. DVDs and information about how to help will also be available. Free Wheelchair Mission will also be presented with a $25,000 grant from the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT MDRT Million Dollar Round Table ) foundation. Schoendorfer and Mobility in Motion will be at the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). , Irvine on April 21 from 11:00am to 12:30pm. Located at the Chancellor's office, the event will feature speeches by Schoendorfer and Chancellor Michael Drake. The Congressional Medal of Honor Congressional Medal of Honor n. The highest U.S. military decoration, awarded in the name of Congress to members of the armed forces for gallantry and bravery beyond the call of duty in action against an enemy. Noun 1. Society honored Schoendorfer at Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery, 420 acres (170 hectares), N Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.; est. 1864. More than 60,000 American war dead, as well as notables including Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, Gen. John J. with the Above and Beyond Award last month. The award recognized Schoendorfer for his work at Free Wheelchair Mission, which has distributed more than 315,000 wheelchairs to people with disabilities in more than 75 countries. Mobility in Motion The Mobility in Motion truck will travel from coast to coast. Scheduled stops are listed below. For more information, visit http://www.freewheelchairmission.org/mim. * April 19-21 in Orange County, CA * April 24 in Pittsburgh, PA * April 25-28 in Wheeling, WV * May 3-5 in Boston, MA * May 9 in Chicago, IL * May 16-19 in Springfield, MO * May 23-26 in Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. , CA * May 31 - June 1 in Las Cruces Las Cruces (läs kr  `sĭs), city (1990 pop. 62,126), seat of Dona Ana co., SW N.Mex., on the Rio Grande, in a farm area irrigated by the Elephant Butte system; founded 1848, inc. 1907. , NM
* June 6 in Park City, UT * June 20-22 in Boise, ID * June 27-30 in Seattle, WA Giving the Gift of Mobility * Visit the Free Wheelchair Mission web site at www.freewheelchairmission.org. The web site is loaded with information about how to help give the gift of mobility to people around the world. * Join us on the Mobility in Motion tour. See when we will be in your neighborhood by visiting www.freewheelchairmission.org/mim. Free Wheelchair Mission Free Wheelchair Mission is an international non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. dedicated to transforming lives through giving the gift of mobility to the physically disabled poor in developing countries as motivated by Jesus Christ Jesus Christ: see Jesus. Jesus Christ 40 days after Resurrection, ascended into heaven. [N.T.: Acts 1:1–11] See : Ascension Jesus Christ kind to the poor, forgiving to the sinful. [N.T. . Free Wheelchair Mission's vision is to creatively partner with like-minded, international, and indigenous humanitarian organizations to place 20 million wheelchairs. As of April 2008, Free Wheelchair Mission has distributed more than 315,000 wheelchairs to people with disabilities in more than 75 countries. Waterproof and durable, these wheelchairs are built to easily navigate the dirt roads in the impoverished countries served by Free Wheelchair Mission. People once doomed by diabetes, polio polio: see poliomyelitis. , landmines or birth defects birth defects, abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. , regain their lives and dignity. For information about Free Wheelchair Mission and how to give the gift of mobility, please visit the Web site at www.freewheelchairmission.org. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion