Free Wheelchair Mission: Archive

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Reverend Runs for Mobility

Awesome writeup by John Borack in this month’s Fountain Valley Living about Rev. Tim Philips and running in this year’s Surf City Marathon to support Free Wheelchair Mission! You can download the PDF for free here: the article is on page 14. Thanks to John for the article and Rev. Philips for running to support mobility! A special good luck wish to all of our runners in the Honda LA...

Mar 14th

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Awesome story from Honduras (w/ photo)!

Probably one of the coolest parts of my job in working with communications here at FWM is that I get to see all the stories coming in from the field and pass them on to you. We just got this awesome update from some friends of ours at THE Ohio State University regarding some wheelchairs they took down to Honduras. Go Buckeyes and thank you! March 5, 2012 Howard Greene The Ohio State...

Mar 13th

Monday Recap: Ba Them in Vietnam

This is Ba Them, 47 years old. He is nine months into a new life with his wheelchair and his dream job in Vietnam. Ba Them served the army until 1980 when he stepped on a land mine; half of his right leg was gone and his left was paralyzed. Returning home was not easy. The young man, who had for so long been able to help his family, suddenly became a burden to them. He had to resign himself...

Mar 12th

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We're on TV! →

Click the link above check us out with KTLA 5’s Gayle Anderson talking about the Honda L.A. Marathon and the people running in it to support Free Wheelchair Mission!

Mar 8th

Monday Recap: Esperanza in Nicaragua

So you haven’t signed up for the Friday Story yet, eh? Well, we’re going to let it slide…this time… Of course, you could always click here and get these stories hot-off-the-press every Friday morning. Just sayin’… MONDAY MORNING (er…afternoon…) RECAP: The Big Push: Over the next 40 days Free Wheelchair Mission has the goal of shipping 12,000...

Mar 5th

Watch

Is this thing on? Ahem. IT…IS…ALIVE! Yep, it’s true. The blog is coming back and better than ever. Friday Stories? Recapped here every Monday for your Monday Morning Friday Story. Photos from the field? See ‘em here as they come in. Random stories and musings? This is your one-stop info shop. You wonder just who exactly is working here at the mother ship? We’ll be posting snippets on a few of them...

Mar 1st

Meet an Ambassador for Mobility

Ambassador for Mobility: Lila Lehtola (pictured right, her friend and co-organizer Ally Ryder in the bandana on the left) Location: Dallas, Texas Background: Lila has been an active collegiate Ambassador for Free Wheelchair Mission since September 2009. She discovered the issue of global disability after her mom told her stories from a medical mission trip she went on to Honduras. She told...

Oct 31st

Making a Difference in Bangladesh

One of our distribution partners in Bangladesh is Karmirhath, a nonprofit organization based in the northern part of the country. It was established in 1985 to cater to the needs of the very poor. In addition to their work in wheelchair distribution, it now serves the needy with a focus on eye care, diabetes, prenatal services, and pediatrics. Karmirhath is also engaged in humanitarian...

Oct 7th

A Voice Heard, a Story Told

Our friend, Rich Skolburg, traveled to India last spring to see if he could track down the stories behind the wheelchairs we distribute. On his journeys, he met a man named Isaac. He shares this with us, and with you: Life has not been easy for Isaac. Born without the use of his legs, his father told him he could not go to school, not just because he was needed at home, but because the other...

Oct 4th

Back to School in Morocco!

Distribution partners are a key link in getting wheelchairs from the factory to the people that need them. Today’s story comes from Morocco, and our primary partner in the region, Gateway Medical Alliance. GMA works in a variety of medical interventions and has served the people of Morocco with wheelchair distribution since 2006; we are proud to partner with these dedicated humanitarians. Amine...

Sep 28th

The Match Is Back!

Last year, one of our most exciting campaigns was our Matching Gift Challenge! It was a chance for our friends and supporters to have every dollar matched, effectively doubling their gift and sending twice the wheelchairs around the world. It was a tremendous success and very exciting! Well, now it’s September again, and I’m happy to share with you that the Match is Back!! Starting today, thanks...

Sep 9th

Stories and faces from Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is a country of just under 7 million people located on the eastern half of the island New Guinea in the south Pacific. It’s a beautiful area and one of the world’s least explored countries; unfortunately, many of its people live in extreme poverty. Our partner in the region, the Foundation for Rural Development (FORD), has distributed over a thousand wheelchairs, and they shared...

Sep 2nd

“...an amazing day of grace . . .opening the door...

Thanks somuch to our founder and president, Don Schoendorfer, for sharing his memoriesof FWM’s experience at Fishfest 2011! Saturday, June 25th at Irvine’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, wasan extraordinary day for all of us at Free Wheelchair Mission. As the featured charity of Fishfest 2011, weenjoyed an afternoon that spilled into evening filled with great music,brilliant sunshine, the joy...

Aug 3rd

Sweet sixteen lifts six lives! – Fundraiser story...

Thanks somuch to this proud mother for sharing an inspirational story of one personmaking a difference! This year marked my daughter’s sixteenth birthday. For almost a year, Katelin has talked aboutdonating three wheelchairs to Free Wheelchair Mission instead of receivinggifts on her big day. So, for her Sweet 16th, I planned a party forall her friends. On the invitations, Iexplained to the...

Jul 19th

“Now my daughter will finally get a chance.” –...

Thanks somuch to our founder and president, Don Schoendorfer, for bringing back this inspirationalstory from his recent travels to Zambia! Last month, I traveled to Zambiawith World Vision and three doctoral candidates enrolled in Azusa Pacific University’s physicaltherapy program. We delivered the first 500 of the 6,000 wheelchairs we plan todistribute over the next year in collaboration with...

Jul 1st

“Wheelchairs made all the difference.” – Brothers...

Thanks so much to our friends at Operation Blessing International in Laos for sharing this story! On July 26th, Free Wheelchair Mission’s Magic of Mobility will again be center stage. Great camaraderie, good food, loads of celebration, and most of all, the coveted opportunity to meet our guest wheelchair recipient. Every year, we host a person from a developing country that has received the...

Jun 27th

“The world looks different without a wheelchair.”...

Thanks to Don Schoendorfer, our founder and president, for his reflections on disability and the work we do in wheelchair provision! For this week only, now through Monday, June 27th, Free Wheelchair Mission will be the highlighted organization for Sevenly, a brand-new website with a new and innovative way to raise funds. Their motto is “One Tee, One Week, One Cause.” They design a special tee...

Jun 22nd

“A paintbrush in hand and employment within...

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Jun 11th

The small things - Distribution Report from South...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from South Africa. Joseph Power is 66 years old. Has had a hip replacement and is living with his family in Capricorn Park. He needs to get to the hospital for check ups. He was in tears when he received his chair as he has been enduring a lot of pain having to walk to the clinic on crutches. He can now move...

Jun 1st

Friday Story : "Shoes for an Angel"

Happy Friday! I was in Bogota, Colombia, rushing around to get what I needed for a full day of wheelchair distributions. The airlines had just delivered my lost piece of luggage, and inside I found a forgotten, tied-up grocery bag. A couple pairs of children’s shoes. It had been days since we dropped off our delivery of children’s clothes at the orphanage. What to do with these? Without an...

May 27th

"This wheelchair will help me start my first...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Vietnam. Vo Cuong, a seventy year old man is a typical example of those who are physical imperfect by innateness or illness, and cannot easily live like other normal people. But on their face, the overflow of joy and confidence always shines. A war accident caused him to lose his legs and one hand. Cuong shared...

May 20th

"She did not utter a word but her big tears...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Indonesia. The Wheelchair Distribution by Yayasan Pondok Kasih partnering with District Military Command held in Military Head-quarter in Surabaya, Indonesia. There were 26 wheel-chairs distributed. It was overwhelming to see the recipients (young, old and veterans) could not stop crying while sitting on the...

May 10th

Don's photo reflections from India

Early last month, Don took a trip to India to distribute wheelchairs and came across this man, Bashask, and his family. With bald tires and a beggar’s cup fixed to one armrest of his old wheelchair, he received a brand new wheelchair and a scholarship for his daughters to go to school. This week, Don arrived from a second trip to India and encountered Bashask once again … this time with...

May 3rd

"The girl did not wait for help to get where we...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Malawi. Kalino Village – Malawi … We are deep in Africa’s sub-Sahara in the tiny nation of Malawi. On a world map it is almost indistinguishable, but to its 14 million inhabitants it is home. As one of the poorest nations on earth the countryside is still strewn with mud-hut villages where blacktop roads are...

Apr 20th

"The LRA had run over her multiple times with a...

Doreen was a victim of the civil war there when she was a young child and the LRA had run over her multiple times with a vehicle, leaving her for dead. Rachel and I went to visit Doreen in the 2 room hut where she lives with her mother who takes care of her. As a result of her ordeal with the LRA Doreen has no joints and cannot bend her arms or legs. But, she has the joy of the Lord. She leads...

Apr 13th

A precious smile, a simple...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Honduras.Nestor lives in San Francisco del Valle, Ocotepeque, is 25 years old and cannot walk because of cerebral palsy. His mother has not been able to carry him because of his size and has kept him in bed to care for him. Now that they have been blessed with the wheelchair he can be sat up and taken outside....

Apr 8th

"He was a great and very populate dancer in his...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Haiti Job Mazenard, a man with plenty dreams, is living in Haiti. Specifically in Thomassique.He is 38 years old. When I first met him he was in a restaurant where I went to eat. I saw him singing for people inside of the restaurant , he had a special voice , a voice that could transcend souls. After the show I...

Apr 1st

"Later she was found again laying in the city...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Liberia Sarah Zarwye is 13 years old. Sarah is completely helpless and can do nothing for herself. Her arms and legs are very skinny and her joints are twisted and rigid. As I stood and looked at her, I couldn’t imagine how her body could even be alive. To me it looked like there was little or no tissue...

Mar 21st

"Now, I love my work so much..." Distribution...

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Vietnam. Ms. Vuong Kim Tuyen’s ability to get around has depended on a homemade wheelchair that her father made for her, or by her family’s help. I asked her gently the reason she is not able to walk. She spoke with some difficulty how she was born with birth defects. As a...

Mar 14th

Another Door Has Opened

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Malawi. Nkhota Bay, Malawi … This report comes from northern Malawi near the big lake, Lake Malawi. This lake is the 12th largest fresh water lake in the world. Nkhota Bay is situated east of the capital of the northern part of Malawi, Mzuzu, and sits beside the lake in the Nkhota District. This district in the...

Mar 8th

"He was the sole breadwinner in his family..."...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from India. Irshadkhan lived with his parents in a small village in the state of Gujrat. He used to be construction labourer before he lost his legs. He was the sole breadwinner in his family. Six month ago, while working on a site, a wall suddenly collapsed on him. He suffered serious injuries on his spinal cord....

Mar 3rd

Support Report!! Allison’s Personal Crusade

Working at Free Wheelchair Mission provides us with the incredible blessing of helping others be lifted off the ground, but sometimes we forget how special the mission of FWM really is because we see it on a daily basis…and then we come across someone like Allison. Allison is someone who uses a wheelchair, she found out about us and decided, entirely on her own, to raise money to help provide...

Mar 1st

"Minister in Capital City Receives Wheelchair."...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Malawi. Mr. Makhuwila is a religious leader on the northwest side of the City of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. Recently he lost the use of his legs. Even though he lives in the largest city in this poverty-ravished nation it does not help him get around in order to carry out his ministerial duties. Streets...

Feb 24th

"Her dream will be a reality and she can learn to...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Honduras. Reina lives in El Ocotal Tupido, Santa Barbara and since her birth she has had problems in her feet. When she didn’t walk until she was two, the professionals detected that she had a form of osteoporosis. Reina desired to enter Kindergarten but was limited by her immobility and spent a lot of time on...

Feb 16th

“Right Bus, Right Time.” Distribution Report from...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Malawi. I was on the way from the Namikango Mission to Thyolo. I got out of the truck that had given me a ride, and almost immediately a minibus stopped directly in front of me. The conductor asked where I was going. This bus was going the same direction. I was not in a hurry to jump into the bus, as I had not...

Feb 9th

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Liberia. LEM is pleased to present a report of its recent distribution of wheelchairs in Liberia, West Africa. During this past Christmas season, families, friends, loved ones, and the recipients rejoiced and praised the Lord for providing mobility to the disabled. This report will focus on Little Dixon Buu....

Feb 4th

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Wheelchair inflames the thirst to live in a...

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Vietnam “I will spend the rest of my life to travel to look for my son”, the poor old woman said to me with her smiley eyes which rised up my incident curiosity. More questions were made during her confidence. Her name is Huynh Thi Phuong, 71 years old. She has three sons but living alone right now. Her eldest...

Jan 26th

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GEN_2 Distribution Report from Vietnam!

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful testimony straight from Vietnam! The first day of the wheel chair Gen-2 distribution has brought me a uncanny eagerness with different emotions when I listened to the confidences of the recipients. Finishing the interview with the old woman I suddenly met with a very beautiful smile of a young boy. I thought he was just about 6 or 7...

Jan 18th

A Moment For Haiti

Free Wheelchair Mission wishes to take this moment to honor the people of Haiti. On the anniversary of the quake that so profoundly impacted the future of this island nation, we recognize, admire, and applaud the courage and fortitude of the Haitian people. We humbly pledge to continue ongoing support of healing and recovery efforts through the transforming gift of mobility, now and in the years...

Jan 12th

FWM Distribution Report: Philippines

SarinaE. EstacioAge: 19 years oldCase: Paralyzed body due to polio and overdose of medicines Seven years ago, Sarina was a normal 11-year old girl in Barangay, Dos Hermanas, Talisay City. She was a pictureof an ordinary daughter living a normal life, going to elementary school as aregular pupil and excited to go to high school, since she was a graduatingstudent. Together with her father, mother...

Dec 29th

Staff Bio #3 - Tony Luna

Hello! My name is Tony Luna and I’m a development officer at Free Wheelchair Mission. My main role is to help donors find new and meaningful ways of impacting the lives of wheelchair recipients. I also work on new product development and creating marketing strategies. I have been with Free Wheelchair Mission for over two years and have been working in the international non-profit sector for 13...

Aug 16th

Not a Fan Yet? Join Us Today! $5920 will be donated if we reach 5,920 fans by July 31. That’s 100 Wheelchairs! Just click on the “Like” icon in the FB FAN BOX to the right.

Jul 17th

Staff Bio #2 - Mike Kenyon

Hi, My name is Mike Kenyon and I’m the Pastor of Church Development at Free Wheelchair Mission. My role is to help churches get involved around the country in the cause of mobility. My primary role is to work with Pastors to determine how best they can engage their people. So, we offer curriculum to educate and give support to volunteers who want to tell other people about Free Wheelchair Mission....

Jul 9th

2nd Annual Fajita Festival Dances to Success

Though Las Cruces, NM was fiery hot as far as the weather was concerned, it didn’t keep people away from enjoying the amazing festivities planned which included folklorico dancers, mariachi bands, a native Indian dance, singers, magicians, a bounce house, and good food for the 2nd Annual Fajita Fiesta in the Mesilla Plaza. We were honored to be welcomed by the Mayor of Mesilla, Nora Barazza, as...

Jun 24th

FWM on the ground in Haiti - Team of 6 assembles...

A mission trip to Haiti made up of Free Wheelchair Mission supporters and friends is now in Port-au-Prince and working side-by-side with our distribution partner Operation Blessing International. The group of six, led by long time volunteer and supporter, Bill Rice, arrived in the Dominican Republic on May 21st and drove across the border into Haiti on the 22nd where they are now busy assembling...

May 27th

Generous Donor Pledges $5,920 for 5,920 Fans!

Free Wheelchair Mission wants YOU…to tell all your friends about FWM! Help us send 100 free wheelchairs around the world! Here’s the deal:If we reach 5920 fans by 7/31/10, a generous donor will gift us $5920.00!(That’s 100 wheelchairs!!) 5920 fans = $5920.00 = 100 wheelchairs! What easier way to lift a hundred people into a clean and sturdy wheelchair? Go to our FACEBOOK PAGE,click on “SUGGEST TO...

May 11th

A great evening for a great cause - save the date...

An inexhaustible team of Vietnamese Americans and Vietnamese is once again coming together to provide an entire shipment of wheelchairs to those in need in southern Vietnam! Project Xe Lan Tinh Thuong is the name of a powerhouse humanitarian group located in Orange County, California, that works to serve the disabled in Vietnam. At last year’s inaugural fundraising dinner, the group raised enough...

May 4th

Making a Difference in Haiti, Camera in Hand

Jason Carr and his friend, Krystof Andres, are leaving for Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in less than a month. The two will be part of a Free Wheelchair Mission group that will assemble and distribute 1,100 desperately needed free wheelchairs in six days to the people of Haiti. But Jason and Krystof have a different primary agenda. They have chosen to document their experiences with the mission as well...

May 3rd

United As One - Making a Difference

Free Wheelchair Mission thanks UPS for the band of friendly and hardworking volunteers that journeyed to our Irvine offices a few weeks ago!Volunteers had a couple of important jobs they covered during this visit – one group worked on finishing up an important volume of correspondence, creating a good bit of support for our office management staff.For another group, building wheelchairs was the...

Apr 20th