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Articles from the Wheelchair Foundation headquarters in Danville, CA and major news source outlets.

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A Letter From The Heart – Shanghai, China

During a recent wheelchair distribution in Shanghai, Wheelchair Foundation founder Ken Behring was approached by a young woman that had previously received a donated wheelchair. She was very happy to be able to personally thank the man responsible for her gift of a new life.

In the event that she was not able to meet Mr. Behring, she had prepared a letter in English to thank him for her wheelchair.

The letter reads:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Every time I sit in this wheelchair, I hope I can say “THANK YOU” face to face, though I don’t know your name.

This wheelchair is comfortable and helpful. When I go to the hospital I use it. When I go shopping I use it. When I am out for dinner I use it. When I go in the rain for a walk I use it. It is the best friend of mine now.

I hope I can see more of the world with this beautiful wheelchair. I hope I can do something for other handicapped people of the world. I hope I can be an interpreter for the Olympic Games in 2007.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Ye Donghua

March 26, 2002

She was able to read the letter to Mr. Behring and thank him for the gift that brought her Hope, Freedom and Mobility.

In a joint effort with the China Disabled Persons Federation, the Wheelchair Foundation will continue to deliver wheelchairs to Chinese citizens without the ability to afford one.

The ambitious goal of the Wheelchair Foundation is to deliver 1 million wheelchairs in the next 5 years. A wheelchair will allow children, teens and adults to go to school, work, worship services, or just outside with their families for the first time in years, or maybe ever. What is mobility worth to you? Please make a donation in the name of someone special in your life today.

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The Gift of Mobility 2002

The Cal Poly Chapter of the Wheelchair Foundation in an effort to raise money to purchase wheelchairs for the disabled of Peru, invite you to attend the First Annual Gift of Mobility 2002.

The champagne brunch and silent auction will run from 9:30 till noon at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center.

After the conclusion of brunch, participants will depart Cal Poly for a delightful tour of two Paso Robles wineries via charter buses. The tour will take place from 12:30 until 4:00 with the return to Cal Poly, fulfilled and satisfied knowing that your contributions are providing mobility to the people of Peru.

To participate in The Gift of Mobility 2002, please contact the Cal Poly Chapter at (805) 756-2010.

We look forward to seeing you there.

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Angola – The Most Disabled People on Earth Get Help

The Rotary Club of Los Angeles has matched ChevronTexaco’s sponsorship of 240 wheelchairs, which is then being matched by the Wheelchair Foundation to deliver the first 960 of 1,920 wheelchairs to Angola. Other Rotary Clubs will match the balance of the ChevronTexaco donation.

Located on the Atlantic Coast of Southern Africa, Angola has been plagued by civil war ever since its independence from Portuguese colonialism in 1975. The warring factions have brought about as many as 1.5 million deaths and the United Nations estimates that there are currently 2.7 million Angolan refugees. The average Angolan has a life expectancy of only 38.5 years.

From the standpoint of disability, the situation is equally dire. Millions of landmines lurk beneath the country’s soil, killing and maiming thousands of Angolans per year. A 1995 UN study estimated there were 70,000 amputees in Angola and, with 4,000 to 6,000 new victims per year, the number is steadily rising. It is these statistics that bring Angola the chilling distinction of having the world’s most disabled population. It is estimated that 20% of the 12 million people of Angola are disabled.

The Wheelchair Foundation thanks ChevronTexaco USA and Angola for sponsoring the shipment of wheelchairs to Angola. In June of 2001, the Wheelchair Foundation team was welcomed to Luanda, Angola by ChevronTexaco and First Lady Ana Paula dos Santos for our first distribution. Mrs. dos Santos and her Liwini Foundation participated in the distribution of wheelchairs and witnessed firsthand the delivery of hope and mobility to people that once only knew despair.

Liwini and Mrs. dos Santos were most prominently featured in the public spotlight when Princess Diana visited Angola in 1997 to raise awareness of the devastation caused by land mines.

John D. Gass, Managing Director of Chevron in Luanda said, “What I saw was tremendous gratitude and disbelief that they were receiving a wheelchair.” Gass continued, “We want to give something back and be a positive force of change in the communities where we operate. These 240 wheelchairs only scratch the surface here in Angola, and we will have to do more.”

Because of the success of the first 240-wheelchair distribution, ChevronTexaco generously offered to sponsor more wheelchairs to Angola, and the dedicated efforts of Rotarians have provided a match for that donation, and the Wheelchair Foundation is matching both.

Although the fighting has slowed down in recent months, Angola is still listed as one of the world’s most dangerous places to visit. It is by the dedicated efforts of ChevronTexaco and Liwini that the Wheelchair Foundation is able to continue our global mission of changing lives for the better every day. Upon receiving a wheelchair, children, teens and adults are now able to go to school, work, attend worship services or just go outside for the first time in many years or for the first time in their lives.

Thank you to ChevronTexaco and Rotarians worldwide for helping us save lives, one wheelchair at a time.

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Wheelchair Relief Mission To South And Central America

A mission of Hope, Mobility and Freedom will depart from the San Francisco Bay Area on January 13th. Ken Behring and the Wheelchair Foundation team will be joined by representatives from LDS Charities to meet the First Ladies of Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Costa Rica, and deliver the first of 480 wheelchairs to each country co-sponsored by LDS Charities.

“I am just touched to the core of my soul to be able to participate in the distribution of wheelchairs,” said Garry Flake, Director of Humanitarian Services for LDS Charities.

As a valued partner in our mission of changing the lives of disabled children, teens and adults worldwide, LDS Charities has stepped forward and offered a new life to thousands of people and their families, by joining the global Wheelchair Foundation effort.

The Wheelchair Foundation wishes to thank LDS Charities for their generosity, and commitment to the disabled worldwide.

Over 100 million people in the world are in need of a wheelchair but cannot afford one. For only $75.00, a wheelchair can change the life of a person and their entire family. What is mobility worth to you? Please donate online, or call toll free (877) 378-3839.

Thank you.

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Wheelchairs Given For Holidays In Record Numbers

The Wheelchair Foundation is receiving donations for hundreds of wheelchairs per day to be given in the name of loved ones for the holidays.

The Wheelchair Foundation was established in June of 2000 to deliver Hope, Mobility and Freedom to the disabled people of the world that need a wheelchair and cannot afford one.

At the time of the establishment of the Foundation, we were not aware of what a great holiday gift a wheelchair could be to a loved one.

For each $75.00 donation, a wheelchair is delivered to a person in need, and the donor receives a beautiful gold embossed, black presentation folder that contains the photograph of a wheelchair recipient, and a certificate that tells you the person’s name, age, country and wheelchair number. (Please see the link on our Home Page for an example) This certificate can be inscribed to read that you made this gift, in the name of someone very special to your life.

People around the world have discovered that saving a person’s life with the gift of a wheelchair in the name of a loved one is a fabulous way to tell someone how special they are in their life. We have received donations for a hundred wheelchairs at a time in the names of parents, children, grandchildren, clients, teachers, etc. We have also received the last $75.00 that a person can afford, because this was the only way to tell the most cherished love of their life how special they are.

You really should tell the special people in you life how much they mean to you, this holiday season, and throughout the year. Saving a life in their name is a great way.

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