IRVINE, Calif. - (Business Wire) Free Wheelchair Mission launched its nationwide
“Mobility in Motion
” tour today at the UC Irvine campus.
Benefiting people with physical disabilities in poor and developing countries, the Mobility in Motion tour will pull into cities across the United States in 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 and Dr. Michael Drake, UC Irvine chancellor, addressed a large audience with a powerful, yet simple message – caring has no borders. Free Wheelchair Mission has empowered Americans to help millions of disabled people around the world, who have no access to wheelchairs due to poverty and economic isolation. The UC Irvine announced its partnership with Free Wheelchair Mission and will be collaborating with Free Wheelchair Mission on some major engineering challenges over the next year.
Free Wheelchair Mission was presented with a $25,000 grant from the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) foundation at Mariner’s Church on Sunday, April 20, 2008.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society honored Schoendorfer at Arlington National Cemetery 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
- Apr 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, CA
- May 31-June 1 in Las Cruces, NM
- June 6 in Park City, UT
- June 20-22 in Boise, ID
- June 27-30 in Seattle, WA
Free Wheelchair Mission
Free Wheelchair Mission is an international non-profit organization dedicated to transforming lives through giving the gift of mobility to the physically disabled poor in developing countries as motivated by Jesus Christ. 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, landmines or birth defects, 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.
For Free Wheelchair Mission
Will Curtis, Public Relations, (714) 349-7976
will@wholeproduct.com
