"Say YESS to Helping Haiti's Disabled" Wheelchair Campaign

Participants in Young adult Enrichment Support Services (YESS) Ask for Wheelchair Donations

News Release:
2/1/2010
From: Zeigler Habilitation Homes, Inc.
Contact: Geneva Chapman, Marketing Consultant
Number: 419-902-5807 (cell), 419-535-5603 (YESS House)
Fax#: 419-536-3835, Zeigler Administrative Office Say YESS to Helping Haiti’s DisabledReading about the plight of the Haitian people in The Toledo Blade during their daily morning “brews & news”© coffee and newspaper activity, the young adults in Zeigler Habilitation Home, Inc.’s YESS House were moved. They started getting concerned about disabled people in Haiti whose lives have been changed by the hurricane that devastated the nation’s capitol. What happened to their wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility equipment? And what about the newly disabled people who’ve had limbs amputated?These young adults who all have various types of developmental disabilities decided they needed to something. Thinking about the mobility equipment and other adaptive equipment that may have damaged or lost in the rubble left by the hurricane, the participants in the Young adult Enrichment Support Services (YESS) program decided they need to get wheelchairs donated to send to Haiti. First, they formed a committee and decided that calls would have to be made to companies providing mobility products. YESS, the only day program specifically designed for young adults with developmental disabilities in Northwest Ohio, provides a transition from youth to adult living through skill development training taught in a youthful recreation/enrichment environment utilizing games, fun habilitation activities, and community involvement to teach skills such as adult daily living, social interaction, problem solving, decision-making, organization, time management, focusing and staying on task, and communication, as well as vocational skills that are applied in actual employment answering telephones, cleaning and janitorial work, and doing other jobs at Zeigler.One of the components of the program is also community service and volunteerism. Therefore, it is only natural that the young adults want to help people in Haiti who, like them, have a disability. The young adults were so excited about helping Haiti’s disabled, they wanted to start right away. However, initial contacts were made by staff to find contact persons at several companies in the area and across the nation for the young adults to later make follow-up calls to and get commitments to assist in the campaign.“They’ll only ship palettes of items,” said owner of local company Patriot Products, Inc., Steve Grudziun who immediately returned the call when YESS staff left him a voice mail. Grudziun explained that in order for things to be shipped that far there would have to be a large enough number because it would be too costly to ship a few items at a time. After hearing about the desire of the young adults at the YESS House to send donated wheelchairs to Haiti, he offered to sell wheelchairs at a loss of profit for his business for only $100 each. The Wheelchair Foundation, an international organization that provide wheelchairs to impoverished people in poor nations, is sending wheelchairs to Haiti for $150, so Patriot Products, Inc. price is competitive. Instead of sending money outside our community, people in the Toledo area can help people in Haiti by purchasing a wheelchair right here in our area at a local business and save $50. On their website, the Wheelchair Foundation whose goal is to send 2000 wheelchairs to Haiti says they’ve already sent 560. But Grudziun says due to the lack of infrastructure those wheelchairs are probably not reaching the people yet and that it will take some time before that happens. In the meantime, it is important to start getting wheelchairs and other adaptive equipment ready to send to Haiti so that when roads are accessible they can be delivered. A valuable local resource, Grudziun offered needed expert advice on the YESS campaign and will, hopefully, continue to provide his assistance. Anyone who wishes to buy a wheelchair from Patriot Product, Inc., should make sure to tell the store representative that the wheelchair is being purchased as part of the “Say YESS to Helping Haiti’s Disabled” and call to the YESS House to let the young adults know the wheelchair has been purchased (see contact information below). Pick-up will be arranged. Also, donations of used wheelchairs will be accepted. Please call for more information.The owner of National Seating and Mobility, Inc., another local company, is checking his stock to see if he has any wheelchairs to donate to the effort. A third local company was contacted, but the contact person has not yet called back. A representative from Care Medical Products in Portland, Oregon, is also checking to see what they can do.“We had a local request, so we’re going to help them first,” she said. Calls were also made to Walgreens, which has an online grant application for non-profit organizations, which Zeigler Habilitation Homes, Inc. is, but due the lengthy grant process, this may not be viable. However, all possible avenues are being explored.One of those avenues is the Clinton Foundation, which has been contacted about shipping all wheelchairs donated in the YESS campaign to Haiti. If other individuals, groups, or organizations can help with shipping, their assistance is welcomed. Also, other advocacy organizations of the disabled are invited to assist Zeigler Habilitation Homes, Inc’s YESS program in this effort.Due to the number of wheelchairs needed in order to facilitate shipment, the young adults at the YESS House are inviting all organizations and entities serving the developmentally disabled and physically disabled to join them in their campaign. Anyone wishing to help get wheelchairs donated for Haiti’s disabled persons should use the following contact information to express interest in becoming part of a regional effort. Send all inquiries and requests to participate in the campaign or to notify that a wheelchair has been purchased at Patriot Products, Inc. to Geneva Chapman, gjcinc!@att.net or call (419) 902-5807(cell) or (419) 535-5603 (YESS House). A visit to the YESS House can be arranged by calling Michael Zeigler, Jr., YESS House Administrator, Louis Turley, Zeigler Day Hab Executive Director at (419) 536-3825 or Tanya Lee, YESS House Director at (419) 535-5603.

SOURCE: Toledo On The Move