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Outstanding Charity: Highlights from the 33rd National Disabled Day Celebration

Event Overview

The 33rd National Disabled Day, organized by the Jiangsu Province Foundation for Disabled Persons, together with the Jiangsu Province Department of Civil Affairs and supported by Wuxi City TV station, was a remarkable event. This celebration saw the participation of 160 individuals, all deeply engaged in various charity activities. These prominent entities meticulously arranged the ceremony, showcasing their dedication to supporting disabled persons.

Highlight of the Ceremony: Award Presentation

One of the event’s key moments was the award ceremony, which honored entities providing “Outstanding Charity Support to the Disabled.” Among the thirteen organizations recognized, three were notable charity organizations. The Wheelchair Foundation (WCF) was the only international charity organization that has continuously provided support for many years. This accolade aims to inspire more companies and individuals to participate in charity-related activities.

Recognition for Continuous Support

The special award conferred upon the WCF is a testament to its unwavering support and significant contributions. Since the cooperation began in 2018, Wheelchair Foundation, despite numerous challenges, has donated 20,997 wheelchairs and 1,172 assistive devices. Even during the pandemic, the foundation’s commitment did not waver, ensuring continuous aid to those in need.

Encouraging Broader Participation

The recognition of Wheelchair Foundations’ efforts is intended to encourage broader participation from various sectors. By highlighting the foundation’s accomplishments, the organizers hope to motivate other entities to join the cause and support disabled persons. This collective effort is crucial in fostering an inclusive and supportive community.

Conclusion

The 33rd National Disabled Day was more than just a celebration; it was a call to action. Acknowledging organizations like the Wheelchair Foundation underscores the impact of sustained charitable efforts. As we celebrate these achievements, let us also be inspired to contribute and make a difference in the lives of disabled individuals.

Thank you for your participation in our cause and your help in creating a more inclusive world.

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District 5170 Tri-Valley Evening Rotary Helping Provide Literacy and Mobility in Guatemala

Contributed by Sara Ennor and Glenn Tupper – Photos Glenn Tupper

The Tri-valley Evening Rotary’s Guatemala Wheelchair Distribution and Literacy Project 2023 aimed to provide mobility and promote literacy in Guatemala. The project distributed over 140 wheelchairs to poor and indigenous people in Guatemala City, Antigua, and surrounding villages with the help of experienced Rotarians and local clubs.

Norberta Sanchez Alvarez (above) is a 55-year-old polio survivor who has been confined to a basement room her entire life. Her father is her primary caregiver.  She was a seamstress and her father runs a small store to earn some money for food. Glenn donated a wheelchair that was the first-ever shot at mobility for her. Glenn spent time with her, held her hand, and told her she was loved.

Hugo Leonel Pineda is a 23-year-old who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. He is recovering at his mom’s house in a bare room. He was working in carpentry before the accident.

Santos Xingo Gomez is a 7-year old who is deformed from the waist down, suffers from severe metal disability, and has frequent outbursts of anger. His mother has two other children and on the way. A wheelchair is a big help for her.

Demetrio Hernandez Lopez is an 81-year-old man who lives in a shack and was injured in a ladder accident 24 years ago. He is paid to watch over a property and keep vagrants/squatters away. His wife died three years ago from an infection sustained in a traffic accident. He has a super busted up wheelchair that he manages to drag with his feet. Receiving a new wheelchair is a life-changing event and will better allow Demetrio to exist with greater ease. He is a kind gentleman with a sweet smile. – Glenn Tupper

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Providing Mobility For Ukraine

Within a few weeks of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we received a desperate plea from the Director of the Dzherelo Centre in Lviv, Ukraine.  This facility took care of 400 children and young people with severe disabilities.  As the war broke out, they started to take in dozens of refugee families with disabled children.  They had to get out quickly, leaving their wheelchairs behind and “carrying their children to us with their bare hands”.  The Centre fed and housed them and administered medicine but lacked mobility devices.  They requested 100 of our specialized Kanga wheelchairs and 150 of the regular ones.  Our staff immediately went into action and placed the order which would arrive five months later after being manufactured, shipped to Poland and then taken by truck through war zones into eastern Ukraine.

Volunteers unloading one of the containers arriving at Dzherelo Centre in Lviv, Ukraine.

The Wheelchair Foundation prides itself in acting quickly to help the victims of a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina and the recent Hurricane Ian here in America, or the devastating earthquake that leveled Haiti.  Now we are moving rapidly to help provide mobility for the refugees, the estimated 10,000 severely injured civilians and the over 30,000 wounded Ukrainian soldiers.  A second order of 280 wheelchairs is on its way and several Rotary clubs and districts have combined forces with the Rotary Foundation to secure a Disaster Relief Grant to provide a third container.  The genesis for this container came after the Crown Prince and Princess of Serbia showed a live video feed during a hosted luncheon in which the Director of a non-profit organization on the ground in Eastern Ukraine described the horrific effects of the war and the skyrocketing casualties.  In addition to the children’s hospitals, he said “we are now focusing on the new areas that have been freed of Russians such as Kherson.  In that area there are 10 hospitals, and the Russians took everything when they departed leaving empty buildings.  We are trying to re-equip these smaller hospitals and clinics with wheelchairs.”

As serendipity would have it, Don Routh, one of our longtime major donors, just happened to have a cousin helping the Ukrainians and was in a hospital when our first wheelchairs arrived.  He had witnessed the carnage firsthand on the battlefield and described to Don the huge impact that our wheelchairs had on the civilians and soldiers overwhelming the hospitals.  Don was so moved by his stories that he contacted our office and wanted to use the funds he has raised towards a fourth container which will arrive in the Spring.

The Ukrainian people have demonstrated their bravery and resilience fighting for their freedom as they endure the most fierce and relentless shelling since World War II.  The casualty rates have been staggering and will probably not ebb for several months.  The Wheelchair Foundation is honored that we can help over 1000 children, adults and soldiers during this dire period in our world’s history.  We are deeply grateful to all the Rotarians and donors who have stepped up to make this possible.

The need for wheelchairs continues to be a great one, not only in Ukraine, but around the world. You can donate to Wheelchair Foundation by clicking the button below. Every dollar makes a difference, and we appreciate you helping us continuing our mission of providing mobility to those that need it around the world.

Happy Holidays to you and your families,

Wheelchair Foundation

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TODAY
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A Holiday Message From Wheelchair Foundation President, David Behring

Dear Friends,

As I write my annual holiday letter, l am impressed at how far the world has progressed regarding COVID-19 compared just one year ago. Hospitalization and fatality rates have plunged, and we are gaining a much better understanding of this complicated disease. Most of the world is no longer afraid to visit friends, go to work, or travel. Although China still follows a “zero tolerance” protocol, it remains the exception rather than the rule. Globally, we are learning to “live with COVID-19” and continue to lead as normal of a life as we can.

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At Wheelchair Foundation, we are excited to be traveling to distributions because it is so important to be with wheelchair recipients and their families as they receive your much-needed Gifts of Mobility. Many of our donors and partners have made recent trips to Latin America and Africa. In early August, over 20 college classmates and I returned from a week-long trip to Peru, having joined with a dozen local Rotarians from Lima, who have acted as our partners and hosts since we started making this trek in 2002. During that week, we changed the lives of 500 individuals in towns in the high Andes that most people have never heard of due to their remote locations. Following International guidelines and the overall concern and safety for everyone, we wore N95 masks at the wheelchair distributions; I will say there is no substitute for the gratitude you receive from recipient families as they celebrate the instantly improved life of their loved ones. You might not have seen the physical smiles, but you could certainly detect the emotion in their eyes.

In the last week of September, 22 American Rotarians and I completed five distributions in Romania and Serbia. Again, we partnered with local Rotarians in those two countries, helping the physically disabled that do not have access to a wheelchair. Over 1,600,000 Ukrainians have passed through Romania since Russia invaded their country, with nearly 90,000 now calling Romania home. We anticipated that a relatively large number of these refugees would need wheelchairs; we were not prepared for just how great the need was. We delivered over 1,000 wheelchairs to children and adults in those two countries and your donations will continue to support individuals there and those around the world that lack the basic human right of mobility.

We launched Wheelchair Foundation in June 2000 with a ask of $150 to sponsor a new wheelchair. Despite many manufacturing and shipping price increases, we were able to maintain that level for 22 years. However, with the recent global rise in shipping and manufacturing costs, we are unable to provide wheelchairs at that amount, and the new price for a wheelchair will be $200 starting on October 1, 2022. If an individual or organization wishes to sponsor container quantities of wheelchairs, we will continue our policy of matching our partners dollar-for-dollar. In short, the donor contributes $28,000, and we grant the other $28,000. We thank you for your loyal support in helping us deliver over 1,160,000 wheelchairs across the globe, it is an incredible achievement that we can all take pride in.

Choose the gift of mobility this holiday season by dedicating gifts to your friends and family and sponsoring wheelchairs in the name, honor or memory of someone you love. For your donation of $200, you will receive a beautiful presentation folder with a photo of a recipient, and a personalized certificate thanking or honoring that special person in your life.

With your gift of $100 or more, we will send you a white triple-function pen with flashlight and stylus as a reminder of your generous donation. As an additional token of our appreciation, we will include our insulated grocery tote along with our 6xflip, 5000mah power bank, when you generously donate $500 or more.

No shopping, wrapping or shipping! Simply call us directly at 877.378.3839, or donate right here through our website. If you choose to send your donations in via traditional mail, send them to Wheelchair Foundation, 3820 Blackhawk Road, Danville, CA 94506. Please make your donations by December 10th to allow sufficient time for us to prepare and mail your customized presentation folders.

We at the Wheelchair Foundation are exceedingly grateful for your decision to provide the gift of mobility and allow us to continue the mission of reaching those in need around the world. Thank you for your generous support for those who are less fortunate than we are.

Happy Holidays!

Give The Gift of Mobility Today!
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DONOR AND BENEFICIARY: A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP

Following is the Interview with Richard Flanders, former Governor of District 5170 in California, USA, highlighting the delivery of a container of 130 wheelchairs to the United Rotary Fund of Mexico, in memory of Kenneth Behring and Frank Devlyn. 

At the YMCA facilities in Mexico City, there was a gathering including Presidents from 10 Rotary Clubs from District 4170, representatives from the Wheelchair Foundation, Rotarians from District 5170, as well as recipients of the wheelchairs. 

Ernesto Benítez Valle: It is a pleasure to have you here in the offices of Rotary in Mexico. How many times have you been in Mexico City? 

Richard Flanders: I have been to Mexico several times, but this is my second time in Mexico City. 

How long have you been a Rotarian? 

I joined Rotary in 1994, so I have been a Rotarian for 28 years and when I joined, I was 28 years old. 

 What was your experience as District Governor? 

It was a challenge due to the pandemic. Membership has always been a challenge, especially in the last two years. It was a primary focus during my year. We were also able to work with all clubs to contribute to The Rotary Foundation, raising 2.8 million, a huge success! In terms of wheelchairs, the original goal was to collect one container representing 42,000 dollars, but this project has been so popular that we were able to collect much more, totaling 5 containers of wheelchairs. 

How did the idea about wheelchairs come about? 

It emerged three years ago when I came to Mexico City and I was part of a team to deliver wheelchairs in this city. Frank Devlyn coordinated the last distribution in 2019 and, therefore, I wanted to return to Mexico City to bring another container of chairs, because it is very satisfying to help the people who can’t buy one. It touches my heart in the deepest way. 

Who joined you for this trip? 

There are 31 Rotarians and four children from my district on this trip. Many had never been to a wheelchair distribution event and some have never participated in any international projects. I believe that this project and the experience of being in another country with people who need the wheelchairs will touch their hearts and many will want to do more when they get back to their Rotary clubs. 

What was the best moment of this project? 

The best moment is being able to support people who need help, when we give something to people who can’t buy it on their own, and by doing that, we improve their lives. The second best moment is when all of us who are here providing 

wheelchairs have our lives changed as well. First-timers will want to do more in Rotary or in different humanitarian projects for people who need our help as a result of this experience. 

Why do you work with FURMEX? 

Frank Devlyn introduced us to FURMEX three years ago. Reiner assured us that by working with FURMEX, we would know that the funds and goods we buy and we send will reach the intended beneficiaries instead of going to different sources that might not deliver them. This is the reason we work with FURMEX. 

What is your final message for the people in Mexico? 

Rotary is an organization that has networks around the world and through this organization we can do a lot of good things to support people who need our help. Rotary is a great organization for its global presence with clubs throughout the world. This network ensures that the assets and funds we collect will reach the right place because we trust Rotarians in other parts of the world, since we have so much in common: Rotary. 

Reiner Kurt Jahn 

President , Fondo Unido Rotario de México , A.C. 

Thanks to the generosity of District 5170 (led by now PDG) Richard Flanders and the Wheelchair Foundation from California, we received a container of wheelchairs at FURMEX. The intention was to donate to the Rotary Club Frank Devlyn International in memory of Frank Devlyn, founder of FURMEX and said club, as well as in memory by Kenneth Behring founder of the Wheelchair Foundation. 

Together with participating Rotary clubs, we have delivered more than 100 chairs to the beneficiaries of Mexico City and communities in the State of Mexico. We established strong links with Rotarians in California and spread the spirit of Rotary and FURMEX with the support of the media. 

I want to congratulate the 15 Rotary clubs who participated with great dedication, as well as to the Rotaract and Interact youth of District 4170 who spread their enthusiasm by helping during all phases of the wheelchair distribution. 

THANK YOU to everyone who “raised awareness and took action” to make this delivery of wheelchairs possible to all beneficiaries, improving their quality of life. 

DONATE TODAY
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