This week we had 2,200 wheelchairs arrive: 1,650 in Bangladesh and 550 in Afghanistan! Thanks for your support!
Special Delivery: 2,200 Wheelchairs Arrived this Week!
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Tag Archives: FWM
Ambassador Highlight: A Mom for Mobility
In honor of Mother’s Day this weekend, we wanted to introduce you to one of our Moms for Mobility.
Carrie Tendler, like Evan, comes in weekly and helps around the office. She will do just about anything we need. Whether it’s phone calls, mailings, or Excel sheets, Carrie comes in smiling and ready to work. On top of her weekly commitment, Carrie also volunteers outside the office when we need help at events. She is truly one of a kind.
And that’s just to start. On top of all the wonderful things she does when it comes to volunteering, Carrie also helps us fundraise! Currently she has provided 18 wheelchairs and is in the process of putting together a luncheon with her close girlfriends to help raise even more wheelchairs to help mothers receive mobility all around the world.
Carrie became involved in our organization after learning about us back in 2012. Four years before she became an ambassador, her son was in an accident which left him paraplegic and in a wheelchair. Carrie shared with us that she felt blessed that they were able to afford all the equipment that her son needed and that she wanted other mothers and children to have the same ability:
I want to be the voice for these mothers in the developing world who are affected by disability. My heart breaks for these women who are not able to give, or do not have the means to provide, their children with a wheelchair. That is why I fundraise and support Free Wheelchair Mission.
We feel honored to have her as a Mom for Mobility and as an Ambassador.
Thank you Carrie for lending a hand and a voice for moms out there who need help with mobility for themselves or their children. You are such a blessing to them and to us!
Ambassador Highlight: We Love Our Runners (And Volunteers!)
Seriously. We love you guys.
We love our runners. There, we said it. And our volunteers—we love them too. And you know what we all love?
Mobility.
(We assume that if you didn’t love mobility, you wouldn’t be on this blog; but not loving mobility is like not loving puppies or kittens. Do you not love puppies and kittens?)
When our volunteers and runners come together over their love of mobility, we get awesome stories like our Run for Mobility at the 2013 Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, CA.
This team went bananas!–okay, we’re really sorry about that.
We’ve partnered with Surf City for a long time now (eight years!) and everyone involved from the Surf City leadership, to the runners, to our neighbors at the expo, to our volunteers have been a huge blessing to us and to more than 35,000 people who have wheelchairs because of that partnership. This year’s event was no different.
A small army of 70 volunteers, many from OVHS Interact, Western University, Delta Sigma Pi at UC-Irvine, and Zefr, Inc. woke up before the crack of dawn so they could be ready at the crack of dawn to help with manning water tables and info booths.
Although it was an early day and the hours were pretty long, our volunteers helped make the race a success and supported an amazing team of runners.
110 people decided to run for mobility and they made their miles matter. Team Mobility Runners included Marina White (the youngest woman to finish 100 marathon races), former Olympian Ozzie Zea, and an entire team headed by Steve and Nancy Bray who ran dressed up as fruit and vegetables in honor of their juice shop, PorroVita in Newport Beach.
All told, more than $100,000 was raised—an average of just over $900/runner—giving 1,400 people the gift of mobility! If you want to support the race (or sign up for 2014), you can by going to www.runformobility.org.
To everyone who ran, volunteered, and supported their friends and loved ones for the race: thank you for your support!
Monday Recap: Precious – The Student
Greetings and happy Friday Thursday! Sorry it’s a little late this week–
Over the next 40 days we are going to be inviting you to join us on a trip around the world to meet a few of our brothers and sisters during our 2013 Big Push to give 10,000 people the gift of mobility. Our Friday wheelchair stories are going to be from the countries we’re highlighting this year—with that in mind, I want to introduce you to Precious, the student, in Zambia.
Precious is a 14-year-old girl who was born with disabilities in her legs that left her unable to walk. Precious was always a top student in her class, but because she couldn’t get there on her own she had to be carried by family members. This became difficult for them as she continued to grow. The thought of having to stop attending classes was devastating for her and Precious constantly sought ways to make getting to and from class easier on her family. From being strapped to a family member’s back using a chitenge to building a wagon attached to the back of bicycle, they tried all kinds of different methods trying to find a solution to Precious’ mobility needs. A wheelchair was thought to be impossible because of the remoteness of the village where Precious and her family live. When Precious received her wheelchair she was very excited and her friends gathered around to push her all around the school. She continues to be top of her class academically and the wheelchair will greatly aid her in getting to and from school.
A wheelchair was thought to be impossible—but then you came along. You heard Precious calling and you answered her call. Thank you for answering her call. Thank you for allowing her to continue pursuing an education. Thank you for partnering with Free Wheelchair Mission.
Blessings,
Don Schoendorfer
PS—we are in the midst of our 2nd Annual Big Push. As we strive to give 10,000 people the gift of mobility between now and March 31, please consider partnering with us to reach our goal!
Special Delivery: 1,100 Wheelchairs Arrived this Week!
This week we had 550 wheelchairs arrive in Zambia and 550 wheelchairs arrive in Uganda! Thank you for your support!
40 Days. 8 Countries. 10,000 Wheelchairs.
40 Days. 8 Countries. 10,000 Wheelchairs.
Our second annual Big Push. For the next forty days we’re going to be sharing stories from a few of the countries where the need is most pressing including Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Botswana, Zambia, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Our goal is to lift 10,000 people into a wheelchair of their very own by March 31st–and you can help!
For just $71.88 you can help write new stories and give the gift of mobility to those in need and you can hear about the difference a wheelchair makes in each recipient’s life by signing up for our Friday Stories. Thank you for your support; lend a hand in the Big Push!
Ambassador Highlight: “Even Third Graders can Make a Difference”
We write a lot of different things around the office here. From marketing collateral, to Friday Stories, to thank-you letters, we are constantly challenged to find ways to talk about the impact wheelchairs have on the lives of recipients and express our gratitude to the people who make that possible. Today, the tables were turned as Mrs. Kohler’s 3rd grade class at St. Joachim Catholic School sent us a little bit of the story behind their efforts to lift 24 people into a wheelchair of their very own–and they taught us a thing or two about why it’s important to help others.
A couple of years ago Mrs. Kohler heard about Free Wheelchair Mission through a message posted to her university’s alumni association message boards. “I chose Free Wheelchair Mission to be a project for my students because our school works to incorporate Christian service into our students’ daily lives.”
Part of that goal is met by teaching students to make good decisions and be responsible global citizens. “The students read stories from the FWM website and through those stories they became very eager to help in any way they could…students can take ownership of their choices with this project because I don’t allow them to simply ask their parents for the money; they have to come up with a way to earn $2.25 and must make some sort of personal sacrifice as a part of it.”
The students were eager to help in any way they could and came up with a host of ways to do so. Lauren H. set up a hot cocoa stand with her family (on a particularly rainy day no less) and raised over $200 just on her own. Alicia made bracelets by hand and sold them outside her house. Georgia arranged and played a violin concert for her family. Other students did tasks like walking neighbor’s dogs, doing yard work around the neighborhood, held garage sales, and did other odds and ends around the house. By the end of their project Mrs. Kohler’s students had raised $1,725.12—enough to give 24 people a wheelchair.
What absolutely floored us here at the office were some of the responses the students gave when we asked them a few questions.
One thing we asked was, “what would you say if you could go to a wheelchair distribution?”
- Ella: “Do you like your new wheelchair? We worked really hard because we wanted you to have mobility.”
- Ryan: “I’m happy that I wasn’t selfish and I did this project because now you can move around better.”
- Reese: “How do you feel? Does it feel different to be in a wheelchair?”
- Lauren T.: “I’m so happy that you will be able to move around!”
We also wanted to know if they had learned anything from the project. Sofia told us, “I learned that it is always good to help others and not just yourself.” Other answers included:
- “A lot of people in different countries are not as lucky as we are in America.”
- “More people than I expected need wheelchairs and can’t get them in their countries.”
- “It can make you feel good to help people.”
- “So many people in other countries have to be carried around.”
- “It’s never too late to help someone.”
- “Even a little sacrifice can help someone a lot.”
- “Even third graders can make a difference.”
In a nutshell, these kids are awesome and we wanted to tell Mrs. Kohler’s class thank you for giving 24 people the gift of mobility—and thank you for reminding us why it’s important to help people in need. Thank you!
Monday Recap: Transformation
Greetings and happy Friday Monday!
Wheelchairs are vehicles for transformation. It almost seems too obvious to state, but then again transformation can take on many different forms. This week’s story, from our partners in Vietnam, is a perfect example of just how multifaceted transformation can be:
Van Phan was born in 1940 in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. After developing a neuromuscular disorder, he found movement very difficult and he started to suffer pain throughout his body. Thanks to the gift of a wheelchair his family can help him move much more easily and he was so grateful for the gift that he and his family plan on attending a cell group through the church later this week…For a long time there was persecution of the church in a nearby village. One day, a church member took a wheelchair application to the local government offices to get confirmation from them that an applicant hadn’t previously received a wheelchair and fell under state guidelines regarding poverty. When the government officer saw the application, they asked if the church had more wheelchairs for other poor people in the village. The church said “yes, of course,” and since then local authorities have been much more open to the congregation and their work in the community.
Transformation has many forms: Van Phan who can now move about more easily because of his wheelchair and our partner has a much stronger relationship with the local government thanks to the wheelchair program. Both lives and attitudes have been transformed because of a wheelchair. Your gift has not only made Van Phan’s story possible, but many, many more because of the program that gift was a part of. Thank you for your partnership.
Blessings,
Don Schoendorfer
Special Delivery: 1,100 Wheelchairs Arrived this Week!
This week we had 550 wheelchairs arrive to Ecuador and Haiti! Thanks for your support!
Monday Recap: Giving a Song
Greetings and happy Friday Monday!
Every week I look forward to bringing you a story of how your partnership with us has transformed the life of someone in the developing world. This week one of Free Wheelchair Mission’s most ardent Ambassadors, Jeff Abbott, tells us about Victor and Feliz in Ecuador:
While we were there we did a distribution for about 20 people. An elderly gentleman named Victor was brought to the event by a woman named Feliz. Feliz carried Victor everywhere by draping his arms across her shoulders and carrying him who knows how far. Not only was he unable to walk, but he was missing is right eye and was mostly blind. When Victor received his chair, he and Feliz were both noticeably overwhelmed. After the ceremony, he made his way to the microphone and began to sing to us. Though his frail voice would barely carry the tune, we were all touched by the genuine gratitude he was singing to us. Then he and Feliz sang a duet. “I have nothing to pay for this wheelchair with, but I can sing for you as a tribute,” Victor said. “I see you all as my grandchildren,” Feliz told the team, “and I want to live a long time so I can see you all again.” The love of our team for the Ecuadorean people was so evident during our visit that the recipients and their families were moved. What an honor to be used by God for such a noble purpose and mission of mercy.
Thank you, Jeff, for sharing that with us. I wish all of our supporters could have been there to hear Victor and Feliz sing because their gratitude was just as much for everyone behind the scenes as it was for our team on the ground. With the weekend upon us, the next time you hear a song play on the radio, please know that there is a very special song on the hearts of Victor and Feliz because of your generosity. Thank you for giving them their song.
Blessings,
Don Schoendorfer
