Free Wheelchair Mission

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The Free Wheelchair Mission is an international faith-based nonprofit, humanitarian organization providing wheelchairs for people with disabilities in developing nations who do not have the resources to obtain one, of whom the World Health Organization estimates number over 70 million. [1] [2]

Contents

Impact

The Free Wheelchair Mission has given away over 1.3 million wheelchairs to people in need in over 94 countries. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Countries Served by Free Wheelchair Mission [7] [8]

Afghanistan [9] Ghana [10] Pakistan [11]
Albania Guatemala [12] [13] Panama
Angola Guinea Papua New Guinea
Argentina Guyana [14] [15] Paraguay
Armenia Haiti [16] [17] Peru [18] [19]
Bangladesh Honduras [20] Philippines
Belarus India [21] Romania
Belize Indonesia Rwanda
Benin Iraq Samoa
Bolivia Jamaica [22] [23] [24] Senegal
Botswana Jordan Sierra Leone
Brazil [25] Kazakhstan Somaliland
Burundi Kenya South Africa [26] [27]
Cambodia Kyrgyzstan Sri Lanka
Cameroon Laos [28] Sudan
Chile [29] Lebanon Syria
China Lesotho Tanzania
Colombia [30] [31] Liberia Thailand
Comoros Madagascar Tibet
Costa Rica [32] [33] [34] Malawi Togo
Cuba Malaysia Tonga
Democratic Republic of the Congo [35] Mali Trinidad
Djibouti Mauritania Uganda [36] [37]
Dominican Republic [38] Mexico [39] Ukraine
Ecuador Moldova United Arab Emirates
Egypt Morocco [40] Uzbekistan
El Salvador Mozambique Vietnam [41] [42] [43] [44]
Eswatini [45] Nepal Yemen
Ethiopia Nicaragua Zambia
Fiji Niger Zimbabwe
Gabon Nigeria

Headquartered in Irvine, California, this organization was founded by Dr. Don Schoendorfer, who has a PhD in biomedical engineering from MIT and owns over 60 patents. [46] In 2008, Schoendorfer was awarded the civilian Above and Beyond Medal of Honor by retired General Colin Powell at a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. [47]

Other awards received by the organization and/or its founder include the CLASSY Award for Health and Well-being in 2012; [48] the US House of Representatives Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition in 2010; the White House Faith-Based Initiatives “Portraits of Compassion- International Service” in 2008; [49] the White House Call to Service Award in 2007; a Proclamation from Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2007; the Entrepreneur Dream Award from Loyola Marymount University in 2006; a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Assembly in 2006; and the Top Orange County Nonprofit by OC Coast Magazine Community Awards in 2014. [50]

Working in partnership with other like-minded groups, Free Wheelchair Mission has distributed wheelchairs in over 94 developing countries around the world, delivering its one-millionth wheelchair in mid-2017. [51]

Funding for the wheelchairs are provided by private and public donations including individuals, groups, corporations, churches, universities, and foundations. To save on costs and ensure quality control, the wheelchairs are shipped from the factory by the container and assembled by pre-approved distribution partners in recipient countries, which will then be distributed and given to recipients.

Miracle Wheels Book

On December 6, 2022, Founder, Dr. Don Schoendorfer released a book entitled Miracle Wheels: The Story of a Mission to Bring Mobility to the World. In it Schoendorfer shares the story behind the “miracle wheels” that have transformed the lives of more than 1.3 million people living with disabilities across 94 developing countries. [52]

Wheelchairs

Free Wheelchair Mission wheelchairs include the GEN_1 wheelchair, the original design; the GEN_2 wheelchair, a more customized fit that received FDA clearance in 2012; and the GEN_3 wheelchair, a foldable version of the GEN_2 for ease in transportation and storage that received FDA clearance in 2013.

GEN_1 made headlines for its simple yet revolutionary retrofitting of a white plastic chair into a multipurpose mobility tool for the less-abled. [53] The design features a standard white resin lawn chair that is positioned and fastened to a steel frame, with two mountain bike tires serving as the wheels. Schoendorfer described it as a “one-size-fits-all” model. [54]

The GEN_2 and GEN_3 come in four sizes: small, medium, large, and extra-large, and can be appropriately adjusted to fit each recipient. [55]

Recognition

In August 2019, the organization was featured by Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, on their Instagram feed along with other organizations including the Earth Day Network and BlinkNow Foundation. [56]

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References

  1. ↑ "Wheelchair Service Training Package - Basic level". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "Nonprofits Provides Wheelchairs to People in 94 Countries". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  3. ↑ Schoendorfer, Don (2023-01-06). "I saw a woman who needed a wheelchair drag herself across a street. Now I've given away 1 million wheelchairs". Fox News. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  4. ↑ "1 million wheelchair donations and Irvine nonprofit keeps rolling". Orange County Register. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  5. ↑ News, E. I. N.; Cooper, Brad (2022-10-12). "FREE WHEELCHAIR MISSION ANNOUNCES NEW BOOK FROM FOUNDER DON SCHOENDORFER". EIN News. Retrieved 2023-02-11.{{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  6. ↑ News, Precinct Reporter (2021-07-15). "Free Wheelchair Mission: The Miracle of Mobility". Precinct Reporter Group News. Retrieved 2023-03-20.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ↑ "Free Wheelchair Mission | Where We Work". Free Wheelchair Mission. 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  8. ↑ "Nonprofits Provides Wheelchairs to People in 94 Countries". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  9. ↑ "Paralyzed woman receives wheelchair after community-bonding event between ANA, ANP". DVIDS. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  10. ↑ GNA. "Global Evangelical Church launches disability policy and donates wheelchairs | News Ghana". newsghana.com.gh. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  11. ↑ staff-author (2021-12-13). "Applied Medical's Services Go Beyond Healthcare". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-20.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ↑ "[node:Title]". www.csrwire.com. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
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  14. ↑ "10 Berbice families get new homes from Food for the Poor". Stabroek News. 2018-02-24. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
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  20. ↑ Writer, EARLE CORNELIUS | Staff. "Manheim Twp. based Central American Relief Efforts provides food, medicine and wheelchairs to Honduras". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  21. ↑ "FWM, Sathyam get together to distribute free wheelchairs". Christian Messenger. 2011-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  22. ↑ "550 Wheelchairs for Persons with Disabilities – Jamaica Information Service". jis.gov.jm. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  23. ↑ "Wheelchairs Presented to Needy Persons – Jamaica Information Service". jis.gov.jm. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
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  26. ↑ Archillies, Cindy. "[WATCH] Wheels of change: Prisoners changing lives for good". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  27. ↑ thobilemlangeni (2019-12-08). "Diligence is her solution". Mpumalanga News. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  28. ↑ "Free Wheelchair Mission's "Magic of Mobility" Fundraiser Nets $1 Million". Orange County Register. 2011-08-01. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  29. ↑ "Sillas de plástico con ruedas para votantes en La Serena: son parte de una iniciativa internacional". BioBioChile - La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile (in Spanish). 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  30. ↑ "Magic of Mobility Gala raises funds for Free Wheelchair Mission equalling 15,810 wheelchairs". Orange County Register. 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  31. ↑ Semana (2013-10-30). "Indignación: donaron sillas de ruedas plásticas". Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  32. ↑ "La movilidad de las personas es un derecho humano". Noticias de Guanacaste y Costa Rica. Heraldo de la region chorotega. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  33. ↑ Times, The Tico (2020-09-09). "Mobility matters: How one Costa Rica nonprofit has changed thousands of lives". The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  34. ↑ bsommers@record-eagle.com, BRETT A. SOMMERS. "Ely's Odyssey". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  35. ↑ Tomorowitz, Elena. "The Wheelchoir". Idaho Press. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  36. ↑ Müller, Felix (2022-01-27). "Kino Hamburg: "Monobloc" erzählt von globalen Ungleichheiten". www.abendblatt.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-02-10.
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  38. ↑ M, Justine (2022-11-09). "Ce dispositif accessible transforme les chaises de jardin en fauteuils roulants". Creapills (in French). Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  39. ↑ "Free Wheelchair Mission Announces Arrival of 550 Wheelchairs to Mexico". pvangels.com. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  40. ↑ Holbrook, Patricia. "Compassion turns your talents into gifts". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN   1539-7459 . Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  41. ↑ "From Communist Suppression to Freedom: Navy Scientist Endures, Pays it Forward". DVIDS. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  42. ↑ News, Precinct Reporter (2021-07-15). "Free Wheelchair Mission: The Miracle of Mobility". Precinct Reporter Group News. Retrieved 2023-02-11.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  43. ↑ "Wheelchair ministry in Vietnam frees people to earn a living". www.globalsistersreport.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  44. ↑ "Wheelchair ministry in Vietnam frees people to earn a living". www.globalsistersreport.org. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  45. ↑ staff-author (2021-12-13). "Applied Medical's Services Go Beyond Healthcare". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-02-10.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  46. ↑ "One Million Wheelchairs Donated to People in Developing Nations". Disabled World. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  47. ↑ "Irvine wheelchair maker gets civilian Medal of Honor". Orange County Register. 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  48. ↑ "Classy Awards, Returning Spring 2019". www.classy.org. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  49. ↑ "White House Conference Highlights Impact of President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative". www.christiannewswire.com. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  50. ↑ "Coast Community Awards". Orange County Register. 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  51. ↑ Chan, Alex (16 July 2017). "'They get people off the ground': Irvine organization celebrates donation of 1 million wheelchairs". Los Angeles Times.
  52. ↑ "FREE WHEELCHAIR MISSION ANNOUNCES NEW BOOK FROM FOUNDER DON SCHOENDORFER". EIN News. 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  53. ↑ designboom, lea zeitoun I. (2022-11-14). "these retrofitted plastic chairs address basic mobility needs in developing countries". designboom | architecture & design magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  54. ↑ Reed, Jeremiah. "Wheelchair Group On A Mission – Brevard NC". The Transylvania Times. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  55. ↑ "Free Wheelchair Mission | Our Wheelchairs". Free Wheelchair Mission. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  56. ↑ "Meghan and Harry pick 15 lesser-known causes to support after asking Instagram followers for inspiration". ITV. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
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