''Mobility In Motion'' Tour To Help 100 Million Disabled People Around The World

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 16 Apr 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Free Wheelchair Mission is set to embark on a nationwide tour to benefit people with physical disabilities in poor and developing countries. Called Mobility in Motion, the tour will launch at Mariner's church in Irvine, CA on April 20, 2008.

Free Wheelchair Mission will pull into the church driving 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 will give a special presentation on April 20 at 12:45pm to launch the Mobility in Motion tour after morning services at Mariner's church, which is one of the nation's largest with Sunday attendance ranging from 8,000 to 10,000. He will spread the word about the great need that still exists for more than 100 million disabled people around the world, who have no access to wheelchairs due to poverty and economic isolation. DVDs and information about how to help will also be available. Free Wheelchair Mission will also be presented with a $25,000 grant from the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) foundation.

Schoendorfer and Mobility in Motion will be at the University of California, Irvine on April 21 from 11:00am to 12:30pm. Located at the Chancellor's office, the event will feature speeches by Schoendorfer and Chancellor Michael Drake.

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
- April 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

Giving the Gift of Mobility

- Visit the Free Wheelchair Mission web site at http://www.freewheelchairmission.org. The web site is loaded with information about how to help give the gift of mobility to people around the world.

- Join us on the Mobility in Motion tour. See when we will be in your neighborhood by visiting http://www.freewheelchairmission.org/mim.

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.

Free Wheelchair Mission