Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

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Kenneth E. Behring and the Wheelchair Foundation team embarked on a 21-day mission of mercy and exploration to the countries of Southern Africa in August of 2001. Livermore, California – August 1ST The trip departed from Livermore Air- port in the San Francisco East Bay on Au- gust 1ST with Nancy Rivard, Executive Director of Airline Ambassadors, her hus- band David, several volunteers, and Rod- ney Henderson representing LDS Chari- ties joining the Wheelchair Foundation team. The first stop was Washington, DC to pick up Dr. Randy Smoak, past President of the Amer- ican Medical Association, his wife Saundra, and Dr. Christine Warnke a valued advisor and Wash- ington, DC liaison between the Wheelchair Foun- dation and numerous foreign dignitaries. The next stop was Florence, Italy to pick up a member of the Wheelchair Foundation’s Inter- national Board of Advisors, Stefano Ricci and a group of Italian cyclists that would be partici- pating in an awareness building “Bicycle Chal- lenge” in Southern Africa. Mr. Ricci has been a (continued on page 3) THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDATION Volume 2,2002 Global Impact! T hroughout America, and many parts of the world, one of the first symbols a traveler sees when entering a city or town is the Rotary wheel. Proudly displayed in royal blue and gold, this emblem represents 1.2 million members that are dedicated to “doing good in the world.” Rotary International consists of some 30,000 Ro- tary Clubs in 530 Rotary Districts, and 163 countries worldwide. In our busy lives, we don’t always take note of what we see so often, yet since 1905 Rotary has been a part of America, and the vehicle by which the lives of billions have been changed around the world. In 2005, the 100TH anniversary of Rotary International, polio will have been eradicated from the face of the earth. (continued on page 8) The Wheelchair Foundation Mission to Southern Africa Rotary Wheelchair delivery in Honduras. Wheelchair Foundation Changing theWorld Afghanistan.....................90 Albania.............................50 Algeria............................140 Angola............................240 Armenia..........................671 Bahamas........................120 Belarus...........................240 Bolivia............................240 Bosnia & Herzegovina............710 Botswana.........................50 Brazil...............................615 Burundi...........................240 Cameroon.......................240 Cape Verde....................175 Central African Republic...................240 Chad................................240 China/Tibet..................1480 Colombia........................360 Congo..............................240 Costa Rica......................240 Cuba................................240 Czech Republic .............120 Dominican Republic.................2740 Ecuador..........................554 El Salvador ....................430 Equatorial Guinea ........240 Ethiopia..........................240 Gabon..............................240 Guatemala.....................624 Haiti.................................290 Honduras..........................65 Hungary..........................120 India................................275 Indonesia.......................480 Israel...............................300 Italy...................................18 Jamaica.........................180 Jordan.............................240 Kazakhstan....................240 Korea, Dem. Peoples Rep.............240 Kosovo............................240 Kyrgystan.......................240 Lebanon..........................740 Macedonia....................240 Mexico.........................2762 Moldova.........................240 Mongolia........................390 Montenegro...................120 Mozambique..................130 Nepal..............................206 Nicaragua......................200 Niger...............................240 Nigeria............................540 Pakistan.........................415 Palestinians/Israel.....1610 Panama..........................780 Peru...................................25 Poland...............................11 Romania.........................282 Russia.............................985 Rwanda..........................240 Senegal..........................240 Sierra Leone ..................240 Somalia............................88 South Africa...................480 Sudan..............................200 Taiwan............................756 Tajikstan.........................240 Thailand.........................250 Turkey.............................240 Turkmenistan................240 Ukraine...........................336 United States...............3100 Uzbekistan.....................240 Venezuela......................125 Vietnam........................1323 Western Sahara ............153 Western Samoa ............160 Zambia............................120 Zimbabwe......................740 Total Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Wheelchairs Delivered. . . . . . . . . . . 34,404 HOPE MOBILITY FREEDOM Wheelchairs Delivered Since June 2000 Nelson Mandela with Ken and Patricia Behring in South Africa.

description

A mobile child is able to attend school. A mobile adult is able to get a job and provide for their their family or care for the children at home so the spouse can work. An elderly person can rejoin society or family activities after years of staying in bed. The joy and hope that a simple mobility device can deliver is what gives people a new outlook on life and hope for the future.

Transcript of Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

Page 1: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

Kenneth E. Behri ng and the Wh eelchairFo undation team embarked on a 21-daymission of mercy and ex ploration to thec o u n t ries of Southern A f rica in Au g u s tof 2001.

L i v e rm o re, California – August 1S T

The trip departed from Liverm ore Air-port in the San Francisco East Bay on Au-gust 1ST with Nancy Rivard, ExecutiveDirector of Airline Ambassadors, her hus-band David, several volunteers, and Rod-ney Henderson re presenting LDS Chari-ties joining the Wheelchair Foundationteam. The first stop was Washington, DC to pickup Dr. Randy Smoak, past President of the Amer-ican Medical Association, his wife Saundra, andDr. Christine Wa rnke a valued advisor and Wa sh-ington, DC liaison between the Wheelchair Foun-dation and numerous foreign dignitaries.

The next stop was Florence, Italy to pick up amember of the Wheelchair Foundation’s Inter-national Board of Advisors, Stefano Ricci and agroup of Italian cyclists that would be part ici-pating in an awareness building “Bicycle Chal-lenge” in Southern Africa. Mr. Ricci has been a

(continued on page 3)

• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •

Volume 2, 2 0 0 2

Global Impact!

Th roughout America, and manyparts of the world, one of the first

symbols a traveler sees when enteringa city or town is the Rotary wheel. Pro udlydisplayed in royal blue and gold, this emblem re presents 1.2million members that are dedicated to “doing good in theworld.” Rotary International consists of some 30,000 Ro-t a ry Clubs in 530 Rotary Districts, and 163 countriesworldwide. In our busy lives, we don’t always take note ofwhat we see so often, yet since 1905 Rotary has been ap a rt of America, and the vehicle by which the lives of b i l l i o n s have been changed around the world.

In 2005, the 100TH anniversary of Rotary Intern ational,polio will have been eradicated from the face of the eart h.

(continued on page 8)

The Wheelchair FoundationMission to Southern Africa

R o t a ry Wheelchair delivery in H o n d u r a s .

W h e e l c h a i rFo u n d a t i o n Changing theWorld

A f g h a n i s t a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 0A l b a n i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 0A l g e r i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 4 0A n g o l a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0A r m e n i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 7 1B a h a m a s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2 0B e l a r u s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0B o l i v i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0Bosnia &

H e r z e g o v i n a. . . . . . . . . . . .7 1 0B o t s w a n a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 0B r a z i l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 1 5B u r u n d i. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0C a m e r o o n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0Cape Ve r d e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 7 5Central African

R e p u b l i c. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0C h a d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0C h i n a / Ti b e t. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 4 8 0C o l o m b i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 6 0C o n g o. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0Costa Rica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0C u b a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0Czech Republic. . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2 0Dominican

R e p u b l i c. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 7 4 0E c u a d o r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 5 4El Salvador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 3 0Equatorial Guinea . . . . . . . .2 4 0E t h i o p i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0G a b o n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0G u a t e m a l a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 2 4H a i t i. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 9 0H o n d u r a s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 5H u n g a r y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2 0I n d i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 7 5I n d o n e s i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 8 0I s r a e l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 0 0I t a l y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 8J a m a i c a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 8 0J o r d a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0K a z a k h s t a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0

Korea, Dem. Peoples Rep.. . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0

K o s o v o. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0K y r g y s t a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0L e b a n o n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 4 0M a c e d o n i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0M e x i c o. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 7 6 2M o l d o v a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0M o n g o l i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 9 0M o n t e n e g r o. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2 0M o z a m b i q u e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 3 0N e p a l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 0 6N i c a r a g u a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 0 0N i g e r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0N i g e r i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 4 0P a k i s t a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 1 5P a l e s t i n i a n s / I s r a e l. . . . .1 6 1 0P a n a m a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 8 0P e r u. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 5P o l a n d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1R o m a n i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 8 2R u s s i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 8 5R w a n d a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0S e n e g a l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0Sierra Leone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0S o m a l i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 8South Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 8 0S u d a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 0 0Ta i w a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 5 6Ta j i k s t a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0T h a i l a n d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 5 0Tu r k e y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0Tu r k m e n i s t a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0U k r a i n e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 3 6United States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 1 0 0U z b e k i s t a n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 4 0Ve n e z u e l a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2 5Vi e t n a m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 3 2 3Western Sahara. . . . . . . . . . . .1 5 3Western Samoa . . . . . . . . . . . .1 6 0Z a m b i a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2 0Z i m b a b w e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 4 0

Total Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 0Wheelchairs Delivered. . . . . . . . . . .3 4 , 4 0 4

H O PEM O B I L I TYF R E E D O M

Wheelchairs Delivere dSince June 2000

Nelson Mandela with Ken and Patricia Behring in South Africa.

Page 2: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

• W H E E L C H A I R F O U N DAT I O N . O R G •Page 2

Changing the Wo r l d , the Wheelchair Foundation newsletter. Volume 2, 2002. Written and edited by Chris Lewis, Director of Development for the Wheelchair Foundation. Contributing writer,Anika Olen for Mercy Ships – New Steps, Sierra Leone. Copyright 2001 Wheelchair Foundation. For questions or comments please write to: Chris Lewis, Editor, Post Office Box 2973, Danville,California 94506 USA, or clewis@wheelchairf oundation.org.

To make a donation, please call toll free (877) 378-3839 or via the Internet at: WWW. WHEELCHAIRFOUNDATION.ORG

Table of ContentsThe Wheelchair Foundation Mission to Southern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Global Impact – Rotary Intern ational . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

International Board of Advisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Our Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

The Overwhelming Need for Wheelchairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Profile – Kenneth E. Behring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

A Stronger Reslove to Help the Less Fort unate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

“Changing the World” interview: Jerry Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Newslines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1~19Central America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1China Enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1Photo Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2~13Helping People in Lebanon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 4The Children of Nepal Love Ronald McDonald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 5A Wheelchair Story ~ Sierra Leone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 5Angola ~ The Most Diasbled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 6A Neighbor in Need ~ Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 7The Wheelchair Foundation ~ Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 8

Wheelchairs for Peace – Sister Cities Intern ational . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 9

Organizations – Affiliate Organizations that Receive and Distribute Wheelchairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 1

Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 2

Wheelchair Foundation Gallery at the Blackhawk Museum . . . . . . . . .2 2

Planned Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 3

Page 11

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Page 16 Page 1

Page 14Page 15

Page 11

Page 3: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

A f r i c a (continued from page 1)staunch supporter of the Foundation since its inception, and is responsible for bringing the Foundation’s eff o rts in Africa to the attention of former South African President Nelson Mandela, whoagreed to serve as a member of the our International Board of Advisors.

F l o rence, Italy – August 3R D

The team departed Florence for Alexandria, Egypt and a meeting between Ken Behring and President and Mrs. Hosni Mubarak. ThePresident and Mrs. Mubarak were very supportive of the Foundation’s efforts in Africa, and Mrs. Mubarak agreed to Chair an international organization of First Ladies that would support and promote the eff ortsof the Wheelchair Foundation worldwide.

Cape Town, South Africa – August 6T H

As a part of an awareness building campaign for the Wheelchair Founda-tion and its mission to bring wheelchairs to Africa, a group of 5 dedicatedbicyclists from Florence and Milan, Italy participated in “The WheelchairFoundation Bicycle Challenge.” Folco Camici, Marisa Guglielmetti,Giancarlo Fianchisti, Pietro Pecchioli and Sandro Falli set out on a 1,500km trek from Cape Town, South Africa on August 6TH and arrived inWindhoek, Namibia in 11 days. The cyclists brought along severalwheelchairs in their chase vehicle to deliver to needy people along theway. The journey was documented by Emmy award winning cine-matographer Gordon Brown for a television program about the Foun-dation’s eff orts in Africa.

J o h a n n e s b u rg, South Africa – August 6T H

In the late morning of August 6TH Ken Behring, his wife Patricia and theWheelchair Foundation team visited the home of Nelson Mandela andhis wife Graca Machel (The former First Lady ofMozambique) in Santon, South Africa. Both Mr.Mandela and his wife are members of the Wheel-chair Foundation’s International Board of Advisorsand were deeply touched by the distribution ofwheelchairs to the disabled children that had trav-eled to their home from the surrounding area. TheNelson Mandela Childre n’s Fund strives to betterthe lives of children throughout Africa, and is awilling partner in the mission of the WheelchairFoundation. Mr. and Mrs. Mandela talked with allof the children, shook hands and embraced them asthey received a new lease on life.

At the press conference immediately following thedistribution, Mr. Behring was asked why he bro ughtwheelchairs to South Africa. Mr. Behring re plied,“We want to give people the ability to go to school,get a job, and become a part of society. But most im-portantly we want to give them hope for the fu-ture.” Mr. Mandela said, “I am very happy that Mr.Behring has been so generous in bringing us thesewheelchairs.” Then looking at Ken he stated, “It is one thing to askfor help, but when someone comes to you on their own and gives yousomething without asking for anything in re turn, this is a sign of tru efriendship for the people of South Africa.”

Maputo, Mozambique – August 7T H

The team traveled to Maputo, Mozambique for a wheelchair distributionin conjunction with the Foundation for Community Development. Ata rural ceremony welcoming the Wheelchair Foundation were off i-cials from the FCD and the local government. Disabled people arr ivedto receive new wheelchairs by several modes of transportation. Some bycar, some were carried, some by wheelbarro w, and several crawled thedistance from their homes, which was up to 5 miles away.

Following the welcoming cere mony, everybody went outside to seatthe recipients in their new wheelchairs. After several minutes of givingout the wheelchairs, Saundra Smoak, one of the Wheelchair Foundation

volunteers, went back inside the building and no-ticed a young woman in the back of the room slow-ly crawling out the back door. Saundra quickly no-tified one of our English-speaking hosts, and thewoman was brought to where the wheelchairs werebeing given out. She had thought that there were notenough wheelchairs, so she had begun her 5-milecrawl back to her home. Another wheelchair wasquickly brought out for her, and her life of crawlingon the ground became a thing of the past. Saundraand the team were very emotionally touched bythis woman that had begun her day with a 5-milecrawl driven by hope, then resolved herself onceagain to immobility, and then had her life changedinstantly in a positive way. Mr. Behring commented,“If we give these people hope for mobility then wem u s t come through for them. If we don’t, it is worsethan them not having mobility in the first place.”This was yet another example to the team of how wethat are dedicating our lives to helping others, areconstantly reminded of our gifts.

Mudzi, Zimbabwe - August 8T H

Patrick Mavros has been a great friend to the Wheelchair Foundation in (continued on page7)

• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •Page 3

Ken and Patricia Behring with Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

Teenager in Zimbabwe

Page 4: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

• W H E E L C H A I R F O U N DAT I O N . O R G •Page 4

Wheelchair Fo undation Intern ational Board of A dvisors

Members of the International Board of Advisors of the Wheelchair Foundation are individuals committed to pro v i d i n gwheelchairs to children, teens and adults around the world who cannot aff o rd one. The Advisors bring their expertise to bearin providing valuable counsel and support to the Foundation, in the accomplishment of its goals and fulfillment of its mission.

PAT C H AD A M SF o u n d e r, Gesundheit Institute

MA R I A FE R N A N D A FL O R E S D E AL E M A NFirst Lady of Nicaragua

RO B E RT M. BE R D A H LC h a n c e l l o r, University of California at Berkeley

RU T H CO R R E A LE I T E CA R D O S O, P H.D.First Lady of Brazil

FR A N K J. DE V LY NP resident, Rotary International ( 2 0 0 0 - 2 0 0 1 )

JO E L EH R E N K R A N ZE h renkranz & Ehrenkranz, New Yo r k

PR O F E S S O R SI R HA R RY FA N G, M DC h a i rman, Council for Physically &Mentally Disabled, Hong Kong

MA RY FL A K E D E FL O R E SFirst Lady of Honduras

LO U R D E S RO D R I G U E Z D E FL O R E SFirst Lady of El Salvador

WH I T E Y FO R DBaseball Hall of Fame

MA RT H A SA H A G U N FO XFirst Lady of Mexico

PR E S I D E N T VA L E RY GI S C A R D D’ ES TA I N GF o rmer President of France

PR E S I D E N T MI K H A I L GO R B A C H E VF o rmer President of the USSR

BE R N A D I N E HE A LY, M DF o rmer President & CEO, The AmericanRed Cro s s

LU C Y WO N G- HE R N A N D E ZExecutive Dire c t o r, Disabled Peoples’I n t e rn a t i o n a l

KE N N E T H HO F M A N NOakland Athletics Baseball Te a m

TI M HO N E YExecutive Dire c t o r, Sister Cities Intern a t i o n a l

JA C K KE M PF o rmer U.S. Representative & Secre t a ry ofHousing and Urban Development

RI C H A R D D. KI N GP resident, Rotary International ( 2 0 0 1 - 2 0 0 2 )

MR S. AN D R E E LA H O U DFirst Lady of Lebanon

JE R RY LE W I SE n t e rt a i n e r / H u m a n i t a r i a n

GR A C A MA C H E LF o rmer First Lady of Mozambique/

Mrs. Nelson Mandela

NE L S O N MA N D E L AF o rmer President of South Africa

WAY N E NE W T O NE n t e rt a i n e r, Las Vegas, NV

MA R I A IS A B E L BA Q U E R I Z O D E NO B O AFirst Lady of Ecuador

SA M U E L NU J O M AP resident of Namibia

DE A N OR N I S H, M DP resident & Dire c t o r, Preventive MedicineR e s e a rch Institute. UCSF

JA C K PA L L A D I N OPalladino & Sutherland, San Francisco

AR N O L D PA L M E RP rofessional Golfer/Business Executive

EV E LY N D E PO RT I L L OFirst Lady of Guatemala

DE N G PU FA N GC h a i rman, China Disabled Persons’F e d e r a t i o n

GE N E R A L JO S E P H W. RA L S T O NUnited States Air Forc e

PR E S I D E N T FI D E L RA M O SF o rm e r P resident of the Philippines

CAT H E R I N E B. RE Y N O L D SAmerican Academy of Achievement/CEO of Educap Inc.

ST E FA N O RI C C IClothing Designer

NA N C Y RI VA R DExecutive Dire c t o r, Airline Ambassadors

CH R I S T O P H E R J. RO S A, P H.D.D i re c t o r, Services for Students withDisabilities – Queens College, Flushing, NY

YO S H I A K I SA K U R A IC h a i rman, Kosaido, Japan

DO N SH U L ANFL Coach/Entre p re n e u r

LAW R E N C E SM A L LS e c re t a ry, Smithsonian Institute

RA N D O L P H D. SM O A K JR., M D

P resident, American Medical Association (2000–2001)

CAT H E R I N E ST E V E N SAlaska & Washington, DC

VI V I A N E WA D EFirst Lady of Senegal

AB B A S I. YO U S E FASI Agricultural Services & Investments LT D .

H o n o r a ry M e m b e r s

JO E BA C AU.S. Representative, D-Californ i a

M a x C l e l a n dU.S. Senator, D-Georg i a

AN N A G. ES H O OU.S. Representative, D-Californ i a

DI A N N E FE I N S T E I NU.S. Senator, D-California

WI L L I A M H. FR I S TU.S. Senator, R-Te n n e s s e e

BE N J A M I N A. GI L M A NU.S. Representative, R-New Yo r k

DA N I E L K. IN O U Y EU.S. Senator, D-Hawaii

KE N LA N C A S T E RState Representative, R-Alaska

JA M E S R. LA N G E V I NU.S. Representative, D-Rhode Island

ST E V E LA R G E N TU.S. Representative, R-Oklahoma

NA N C Y PE L O S IU.S. Representative, D-Californ i a

TE D ST E V E N SU.S. Senator, R-Alaska

EL L E N TA U S C H E RU.S. Representative, D-Californ i a

TO M TO R L A K S O NState Senator, D-California

KI N G JU A N CA R L O S A N D QU E E N SO F I A O F SPA I N – C o - C h a i rm e n

Page 5: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

The Overwhelming Need for Wheelchairs• People re quire the use of a wheelchair for many reasons: acci-

dents, birth defects, war injuries, debilitating diseases and ad-vanced age.

• The leading cause of disabilities worldwide can be attributed tolandmines, particularly in developing nations. Every year,26,000 people are injured or killed by landmines around theworld.

• An estimated 100-130 million disabled people worldwide needwheelchairs, though less than 1 percent own or have access toone. The number of disabled is likely underestimated, due tothe inability to account for “forgotten” citizens who have beenhidden away by their families.

• E xperts predict that the number of people who need wheel-chairs will increase by 22 percent over the next 10 years, withthe greatest need existing in developing countries.

• In developing countries, only a small percentage of those whoneed wheelchairs have them, forcing dependence upon familyand friends to get around. For others, the only way to getaround is to crawl.

• Despite tremendous eff orts of relief organizations, their ef-forts are still not sufficient to meet the overwhelming need. Cur-re ntly, there are three basic wheelchair options — sadly, noneof which is adequate for a country ’s poorest disabled citizens:

• Wheelchairs manufactured in the West: The most basic ofthese costs about $375, not including shipping charg es.This sum is out of reach for many impoverished people. InVietnam, for example, a disabled person may earn about$30 a month – if she or he is able to work.

• Refurbished wheelchairs: T here are several org anizationsthat refurbish and distribute wheelchairs to those in need.Unfortunately, their eff orts cannot hope to meet the over-whelming need. Quite often these chairs may be inadequatefor rough conditions and terr ain.

• Wheelchairs manufactured in country: Some developingcountries have domestic wheelchair manufacturing opera-tions. But the wheelchairs still must be sold to disabled cit-izens and may be too expensive for the destitute.

The wheelchairs provided by the WheelchairFoundation are selected to withstand the rugged

conditions of developing countries. They cost $150each and are offered free to those most in need.

Our MissionThe Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit org a n i z a t i o nleading an international eff o rt to deliver a wheelchair toe v e ry man, woman and child in the world who needs one.For thoses individuals, the Wheelchair Foundation off e r shope, freedom, self-reliance and mobility.

Mobility:The Most Basic Human RightSome 100 million of the world’s citizens today are deprivedof mobility because of warf a re, disease, disaster or advancedage. The wheelchairs they need simply to get across thes t reet — or across the room — are out of reach. TheWheelchair Foundation believes that these people deserv ethe independence and dignity that comes with owning aw h e e l c h a i r, re g a rdless of their nationality.

The Goal: One Million Wheelchairsin Five YearsOver the next five years, the Wheelchair Foundation aimsto distribute one million wheelchairs to people who cannota ff o rd to buy one. The Foundation already has delivere dthousands of wheelchairs worldwide. Allied with numero u si n t e rnational relief organizations, the Wheelchair Foundationhas set its goals as high as its commitment.

$15 Million from the Kenneth E. Behring Foundation:Only the BeginningThe Wheelchair Foundation was established in 2000 witha grant by the Kenneth E. Behring Foundation. In re c e n tyears, Mr. Behring has shifted his focus from business top h i l a n t h ro p y, and his foundation has committed tocontribute $15 million over the next five years to endowthe Wheelchair Foundation eff o rt .

The Wheelchair Foundationhopes to raise $150 millionin the next five years fro mcorporations, other foundationsand individuals to support itsworldwide eff o rt to provide hope,f reedom, mobility and newindependence to those in need.

• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •Page 5

Page 6: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

• W H E E L C H A I R F O U N DAT I O N . O R G •Page 6

A STRONGER RESOLVE TO HELP THE LESS FORTUNATE

As good people around the world deal with sorrow and anger over the September 11TH

terrorist attacks, the Wheelchair Foundation and its global network of dedicated relief partners, intensify efforts to help the disabled worldwide.

For those of us that dedicate our lives to helping the less fortunate people of the world, the unthinkable human sorrow that has beeninflicted upon the families of victims from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is beyond our comprehension.

In conversations over the past months with relief organizations in various stages of our wheelchair deliveries, we are very pleased toannounce that in spite of the hatred and fighting around the world, our missions of mercy will not be altered. Our partners worldwidehave told us of their unwavering support for our eff orts. Organizations working with us in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, Euro pe,and the Middle East are committed to intensifying their eff orts to spread the message of peace and helping others around the world.

We are saddened by the recent dark days in human history, but our mission will not be altered as we continue on a path tobring light and hope into the lives of the disabled members of our world community.

The establishment of the Wheelchair Founda-tion marks the most recent chapter in KennethE. Behring’s philanthropic eff orts to impro vethe lives of disadvantaged people around theworld.

From his successful career as an automobiledealer in Wisconsin, Ken entered the world ofreal estate development in the 1960’s. Over thecourse of the next 35 years, his companies cre-ated numerous planned communities in Flori-da and California, including the world-renowned Blackhawk development near SanFrancisco.

After purchasing the Seattle Seahawks foot-ball team in 1988, Ken established the SeattleSeahawks Charitable Foundation, which ben-efited numerous childre n’s charities. The Sea-hawks Foundation was the most substantial benefactor for the We st-ern Washington Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Ken Behring founded the Blackhawk Museum, The U.C. Berke-ley Museum of Art, Science and Culture and the Behring-Hofmann Ed-ucational Institute in Blackhawk, California, to benefit the San Fran-cisco East Bay region. In 1997 he pledged $20 million to the Smith-sonian Museum of Natural History and in 2000 he pledged an addi-tional $80 million to rebuild the Smithsonian’s National Museum ofAmerican History. For only the fourth time in the Smithsonian’s 170-year history, the prestigious James Smithson Aw ard was bestowedon Behring in recognition of his generosity and vision. The Black-hawk Museum is now an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

During his years of travel around the world, Kenhas made it his personal mission to help those inneed. His donations of food, medical supplies, cloth-ing, toys and educational materials have helpedpeople in some of the most impoverished nations onearth. His first-hand involvement has given him arealistic picture of how much help is needed world-wide.

In 1999 Ken donated shipments of wheelchairs torelief organizations in Eastern Europe and Africa.His personal contact with the recipients gave him agreater understanding of how much hope and hap-piness can be given to a person who receives awheelchair. In the following months, he has traveledthe world delivering wheelchairs to Italy, Roma-nia, Botswana, Vietnam, Guatemala and the Cro wIndian Nation in Montana. In June of 2000, Kencommitted $15 million to his newly created Wheel-chair Foundation.

Since June of 2000, Ken has traveled the worlddelivering thousands of wheelchairs to the disabled citizens of 5 con-tinents. The relationships he has developed with world leaders andgovernment officials have led to a greater awareness of the needs of thedisabled, and are a great force in moving forw ard the mission of theWheelchair Foundation.

Ken and Patricia, his wife of 52 years, reside in Blackhawk, Cali-fornia. They have five sons and ten grandchildre n.

“When I see the happiness on the faces of the people who get a wheelchair, I feel that this is the best thing I have everdone in my life.” — Kenneth E. Behring

Kenneth E. BehringF o u n d e r

Ken Behring with 6-year-old LuisaP e rez in Mexico.

P ro f i l e

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• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •Page 7

A f r i c a (continued from page 3)Zimbabwe. His dedicated eff orts and considerable contributions have allowed the distribution of 480 wheelchairs into some of the most remote areas of Zimbabwe.

The 3-hour bus ride from Harare to Mudzi took the WheelchairFoundation team through a country that possesses almost a surre alq u a l i t y. Monolithic granite stones pro t ruding from the earth, sur-rounded by oxen and baboon in the shade of baobab trees make themind travel to places previously unknown. Dirt roads are pathwaysthat traverse the flat landscape, and take people from distant place to distant place. To day, these roads also have people crawling along themor being carried, as the team noticed when approaching the village ofMudzi.

Patrick had delivered wheelchairs to Mudzi in December of 2000, andthe word spread quickly among the friends and families of disabled people. Before that date, one wheelchair was shared among allthe disabled people of the community, in one-week intervals. Nowthere were another 70 wheelchairs to be distributed, and the people thatreceived a wheelchair 9 months earlier could thank Ken Behring per-sonally for their gift of a new life. This also gave our team the opportunity to evaluate firsthand, the perf ormance and longevity ofthe wheelchairs in very harsh conditions. All parties concerned were verypleased with the re sults.

One of the wheelchair recipients that day was a schoolteacher. A neighbor carried this young woman 20 miles from her village to receive a wheelchair. When asked why he did it, he replied, “ She askedme to.” The woman was very happy that she would no longer have tocrawl to school every morning, and she could spend extra time teach-ing with less time spent going to and from school. This type of story washeard dozens of times over in the course of the day.

As the team departed Mudzi later that day for the 3-hour bus rideback to the airport, the dirt road that once possessed a mystical charm, wasnow lined for miles with grateful people in wheelchairs waving andsinging in thanks, for making it a path much easier to travel.

J o h a n n e s b u rg, South Africa – August 10T H- 1 3T H

One of the most valued friendships of the Wheelchair Foundation inSouth Africa is with the chain of 700 Spar gro cery stores. Under the guid-ance of principles Michael and Fidos Englezakis, Spar has helped in thedistribution of wheelchairs through their network of stores in severalcountries. Using supply trucks that frequent gro cery store locationsthroughout Southern Africa, wheelchairs are included in the shipmentsand distributed to disabled residents in close proximity to the store s.

Over the course of three days the Wheelchair Foundation team par-ticipated in wheelchair distributions at Spar and Kwikspar stores inJohannesburg, the surrounding area, and Sun City.

During one of the deliveries, a 40-year old woman who had been dis-abled by polio received her first wheelchair ever. The look of disbelief on her face soon changed into happiness, as she was able to pro-pel herself easily for the first time in her life. One of the physical ther-apists attending the distribution commented, “She is not a youngwoman here in South Africa, and I am happy to see that her dre amhas finally come true.” It is beyond the comprehension of most people in America to consider a 40-year old as “Not a young woman.” Butwhen you consider a lack of health care for the poor in South Africa, and

the constant struggle just to stay alive, or to crawl on the ground fro mone place to another, those 40 years become quite a diff erent story.

Windhoek, Namibia – August 14T H

President Sam Nujoma welcomed the Wheelchair Foundation team in thecapital of Namibia, for the distribution of 180 wheelchairs to disabled citizens identified by the Namibian Ministry of Health. This distributionof wheelchairs was the first of its kind in the country ’s history.

Namibia is a country that has only been an independent nation since1990. The average life expectancy of its 1.8 million people is 40 yearsold. There is not enough water to support adequate irrigation, anddroughts are very common. The ability to support basic standards of living for healthy people is difficult, and the ability to provide for the disabled is often an impossibility. The Wheelchair Foundation and thegovernment of Namibia are committed to working together to bringhope and mobility into the lives of disabled Namibians.

Windhoek, Namibia – August 17T H

The Italian cyclists completed their 1500 km “Bicycle Challenge” and arrived safely, but tired, in the capital of Namibia.

The Wheelchair Foundation team bid a fond farewell to SouthernAfrica and departed for Florence, Washington, DC, and finally arr ivingin Liverm ore, California on August 21ST.

C o n c l u s i o nDuring the “Wheelchair Foundation Mission to Southern Africa” inthe first 21 days of August 2001, there was an enormous amount ofawareness generated by the 24 team members and participants.

F a c t s : There are 76,000,000 residents of South Africa, Mozambique,Zimbabwe and Namibia. We are told that an average of 5% of the population of these countries are immobile and without the ability topurchase a wheelchair. Those 3,800,000 people are the reason that thismission took place.

The Objective: To seek out partners in our fight against immobility, andto create awareness of our goal to deliver a wheelchair to every personthat needs one.

Action taken: Meetings with heads of state, rallying support among localand regional governments, establishing distribution re l a t i o n s h i p s ,thanking our friends and supporters, learning how to do our job better,a 1500 km “Bicycle Challenge” through 12 cities and 2 countries, andchanging as many lives as possible along the way by distributing 700wheelchairs.

The Results: Heads of state have committed their assistance, aware nesswas raised for the needs of the disabled, support was rallied at all levels of governments, sponsors and distribution partners were re cognizedpublicly and thanked, and hope, mobility and freedom were delivere dto 700 people and their families.

It is the hope of the Wheelchair Foundation that we can create momentum on a global scale that will move our mission forw ard, anddeliver a tangible, long lasting source of salvation into the lives of disabled children, teens and adults throughout Africa, and around theworld.

Page 8: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

R o t a ry (continued from page 1)Think about that for a moment. A diseasethat in 1952 permanently disabled over58,000 Americans, and in recent decades hasdisabled hundreds of thousands of peopleworldwide, will no longer exist. In 1985 Ro-tary International launched one of the mostambitious humanitarian undertakings everby a private entity. Rotary ’s PolioPlus cam-paign is responsible for the delivery of over 2billion oral polio vaccines worldwide. Themobilization of hundreds of thousands of Ro-tarian volunteers, and their contribution of$373 million has made this possible. By thetime of the anticipated certification of a polio-free world in 2005, the Rotarian’s financialcommitment will have reached $500 million.And this is only one of the many relief pro-jects that Rotary sponsors annually.

Throughout Rotary ’s history, collaboratingwith civic and humanitarian org anizations,government agencies, and international en-tities has allowed Rotarians to lead by exam-ple in their goal to improve the lives of peoplearound the world. Working in concert withthe WHO (World Health Organization), theCDC, (US Centers for Disease Control) andUNICEF (the United Nations Childre n ’sFund) Rotary has established re lationshipsthat are making the eradication of polio a re-ality. It is documented by the United Nationsthat countries have actually stopped warslong enough to let the Rotarians in to deliverthe polio vaccines!

In September of 2000, Frank Devlyn, Ro-t a ry International President (2000-2001),spearheaded initiatives that would bring the

mission of the Wheelchair Foundation to theleaders of Rotary Districts, Clubs and Ta skForces around the world. President Devlynrecognized the potential to help the tens ofthousands of people worldwide that the Po-lioPlus campaign was too late to protect, andthe other victims of disease, war, natural dis-aster or advanced age. By March of 2001, aRotarian volunteer, Dr. Jon Grant, had helpedto coordinate the Rotarian sponsorship ofsixteen 240-wheelchair containers to 13countries.

In July of 2001, Richard King, Rotary In-ternational President (2001-2002), invitedWheelchair Foundation founder, KennethE. Behring, to New Orleans, Louisiana. Dur-ing a presentation by Mr. Behring to the Ro-tary International Board of Directors, Pre si-dent King proposed a worldwide “StrategicAlliance” with the Wheelchair Foundation.Mr. Behring stated that the Wheelchair Foun-dation would “match any contribution madeby Rotarians” to sponsor Wheelchair Foun-dation deliveries. This brings the price of a240-wheelchair container from $36,000.00 to$18,000.00 delivered, or $75.00 per wheel-chair. The Rotary International Board unan-imously approved the alliance, and to dateRotarians have helped sponsor over 10,000wheelchairs to 20 countries.

The gift of a wheelchair to an immobileperson is a life changing experience. Theability to witness a life being changed fore v-er is also an incredible gift. Rotary Clubs inthe United States are working with RotaryClubs in the country receiving the wheel-chairs to bring the mission full circle. Rotar-ians are traveling from the US to the countryof destination and actively participating inthe distribution of wheelchairs. The storiesthat re turn to the club at home are describedas “incredible” or “once in a lifetime experi-ence.” “The ability to lift a disabled personinto a wheelchair for the first time, and wit-ness the happiness of their prayers being an-swered, is like nothing you could ever imag-ine,” says Dr. Jon Grant after a WheelchairFoundation mission to Panama. Dr. Grantcontinued, “These people can now go towork, school or worship services, and con-tribute to the well being of the family. ”

When statistics are compiled and esti-mates are totaled, over 100 million people inthe world are in need of a wheelchair butcannot aff ord one. The challenges that weface to address the needs of people withoutmobility, freedom, or hope are daunting. Butit was not all that long ago that the worldcringed and lived in fear of polio. In 2002,we look three years into the future, and thecertification of a polio-free world. It is withgreat pride and gratitude that the Wheel-chair Foundation welcomes the membersof the world’s oldest service organization, to our mission of ending the suffering of immobility. ■

• W H E E L C H A I R F O U N DAT I O N . O R G •Page 8

From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarianswere concerned with promoting high ethical standards intheir professional lives. One of the world’s most widely printedand quoted statements of business ethics is the 4-Way Te st,which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Ta ylor.

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all concern ed?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and fosterthe ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise

and, in part icular, to encourage and foster:

FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity forservice;

SECOND: High ethical standards in business and pro fessions,the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, andthe dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity toserve society;

THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’spersonal, business, and community life;

FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding,goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business andprofessional persons united in the ideal of service.

R o t a ry International Facts

Page 9: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

C T W: When you first started raising moneyfor Muscular Dystrophy patients in 1949,how did the general public receive yourfirst eff orts?

J L : The first perception was, ‘We don’tunderstand.’ They were n’t sure what I wasdoing in the first year or two, just becauseit had not really been done before .

C T W: So it took a couple of years untilthey really grabbed on to it?

J L : I really started to see responses fro m1950 on, and as there were more televi-sions in America.

C T W: The first starring appearance of Mar-tin & Lewis on the Colgate Comedy Hourwas in 1950, (when there were only 35 mil-lion televisions in America), and your next27 appearances on the show ran until 1955.At the end of several programs you pitchedMDA to the nation. When did you re alizethe power of television as a fund raisingmedium?

J L : Actually I pitched it at the end of everyprogram. I saw the power in 1951, be-cause I could see more people re member-ing what I had done in 1950.

(continued on page 10)

• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •Page 9

I n t e r v i e w

“Changing the World” interview: Jerry Lewis

J e rry Lewis was born into the world of show busi-ness on March 16, 1926 in Newark, New Jersey. Theson of theatrical entertainers, his debut was at theage of five. The stage was home, and his unequaledcomedic energy was soon crafted into pre c i s i o ncomedic insanity.

In 1946, after several solo years of doing comedicpantomime on stage, the team of Dean Martin and JerryLewis would forever change the way the world laughed.In ten short years they became the highest paid act inshow business, as well as international radio, television,stage, re c o rding and motion picture stars. After theirp rofessional split in 1956, Jerry wrote, produced, dire c t-ed, and starred in motion pictures and television pro-grams as the top box office star in the world.

If only one word could be used to capture the essenceof Jerry Lewis, it would be humanitarian. For thepast 5 decades he has dedicated his heart and soul tothe fight against neuromuscular disease. The Mus-cular Dystrophy Association was formed in 1950,and Jerry has served as National Chairman ever since,in the global eff o rt to fund patient care and re s e a rch forthe victims of 40 neuromuscular diseases. Jerry’s an-nual MDA Labor Day Telethon is the most successfulfund raising television eff o rt in history, and has beena part of the American culture since 1966.

1977 marked the year that the highest honor ever be-stowed upon an entertainer would recognize the tire l e s se ff o rts Jerry Lewis displayed since 1949, in his fightagainst Muscular Dystro p h y. “Jerry Lewis is a man fo rall seasons, all people, all times. His name has, in thehearts of millions, become synonymous with peace,love and bro therhood.” With those words, Congre s s-man Les Aspin of Wisconsin concluded his nomination ofJ e rry Lewis for the Nobel Peace Pri ze.

Labor Day weekend 2001, the Jerry Lewis MDATelethon raised a re c o rd $56.8 million from the glob-al television and Internet audience for the fight againstneuromuscular disease.

Je rry Lewis is a member of the Wh eelchair Fo unda-tion’s Intern ational Board of A dvisors, and was in-terviewed for “ Changing the Wo rld” by his son Chri sLewis (Director of Development for the Wh eelchairFo undation).

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• W H E E L C H A I R F O U N DAT I O N . O R G •Page 1 0

J e rry Lewis (continued from page 9)

C T W: And probably because there were lotsmore televisions being bought every day?

J L : Yes. Every month we were getting a newnumber of how many televisions and viewersthere were in America.

C T W: Most people don’t know how involvedDean was in the first 7 years of your eff orts tohelp dystrophic patients. How did the two ofyou as the top box office, stage and televisionstars in the world, find time to raise moneyfor disabled childre n?

J L : Dean was doing it for me. He knew itwas my baby, so he went along with anythingthat I asked him to do. It wasn’t as easy aswhen I was by myself, because I didn’t have toask anybody anything. But on the whole hewas very supportive. He was just a very giv-ing, good person that did nice things for peo-ple without looking for accolades. We madethe time, because it was import ant.

C T W: You started the Labor Day Telethon tobenefit MDA in 1966 and it is the most suc-cessful annual fundraising event in history, yetmany people don’t know that you were on tele-vision raising money for MDA every year backto the early 1950’s. An example is the stagedfight between you and world heavyweight box-ing champ Rocky Marciano at Gro s s i n g e r sHotel in New York, with Dean as the re feree,and all 3 of you wearing t-shirts that said “HelpFight Muscular Dystro phy.” It was broadcast ontelevision and, in Paramount newsreels aro undthe country. What kind of change has takenplace in the effectiveness of television, as a ve-hicle to ask people to donate to a worthy cause,over your 5 decades of doing it?

J L : Well, if we used just a voluntary forc e,going door-to-door and working in local com-munities, we could raise maybe $2 millionin a year. The diff erence is that with televisionI can do $50 million. So that’s indicative ofhow important that media is. In the earlydays, theaters would only throw you a bone,in comparison. You could never have as larg ean audience, even if you were in every theaterin the country, as you could with one televi-sion spot. So it became an incredible tool,which we are still using.

C T W: Probably the most famous telethon mo-ment was in 1976 when Frank Sinatra re unit-ed you and Dean on stage for the first time in20 years. You have said for years that Deanwas the bravest man alive to be there. Whywas he so brave, and why did that one livetelevised moment cause so many people to do-nate money right then and there ?

J L : He was brave because he was coming onmy turf. I don’t know that I could have doneit, if the tables were turned. But he knew mewell enough to know that I wouldn’t embar-rass him or humiliate him. So when Frankwanted to get it on, I’m sure Dean agreed im-mediately without a problem. And I thoughtit took tremendous courage, even though heknew in his heart that I wouldn’t do anythingto hurt him. But still when push comes toshove, all of your intellectual pre -thoughtsmean nothing. If you get emotionally involvedin a situation, sometimes you don’t do theright thing. But he did the right thing, and itwas a meaningful moment that brought in alot of money. People could see the genuineaffection between us, and loved to see us to-gether again. Remember they were very upsetthat we split up. It was like we took a giftaway from them. So the reverse happened onLabor Day, September 6, 1976.

C T W: In 1977 when you became the only en-tertainer in history to be nominated for theNobel Peace Prize, because of your work forMDA, how did that make you feel?

J L : It was a shock, an absolute shock. I’mstill not over it, when anybody mentions it Iget gooseflesh. It’s just as high as you can getas far as an accolade or a bravo from yourfellow man.

C T W: All of my life, I have witnessed hun-dreds, if not thousands, of dystrophic patientsor their family members thank you for thehope that you have given them, to continuethe fight for a cure to neuromuscular disease.As probably one of the world’s authorities,what have you learned about the value of hopeto a person with a disease or disability?

J L : Well, that’s one of the tough ones. I canonly look into their eyes, because they look atme diff erently than they do most every oneelse. They look at me like their hero, and I getother readings from them. I get very, verydeep, passionate and emotional readings fro mthem. Readings of thanks and gratitude forkeeping them alive, when in fact all I’m doingis funding and getting as much money as Ican for re search that will one day stop neu-romuscular disease. But on the whole, hope isprobably the strongest tool that they have tosustain their life. Without hope it’s futile.There would be no point of getting up in themorning. And we bring them hope. You know,our catch line with MDA for years has been‘People help MDA, because MDA helps peo-ple.’ And it’s that simple. It gives them hope.

C T W: We place hope very high on the list ofwhat we are trying to give people that are re-ceiving our wheelchairs around the world.

J L : The important thing that you have to re-member is, when you do something for agroup of people somewhere in the world, an-other group of people that hasn’t re ceivedyour benefits yet, can look upon that as ‘We ’renext.’ And that’s the key. You can’t look at thework you do on Monday, and forget that itis going to affect Friday.

C T W: Since the establishment of the MuscularDystrophy Association in 1950 you and MDAhave raised $1.8 billion for patient care andre search. How would you thank the people that made that number possible, if you could?

(continued on page 20)

I n t e r v i e w

J e rry Lewis in 2001.

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• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •Page 1 1

Central America

In the first week of October 2001 Ken Behringand the Wheelchair Foundation team traveledto Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador to de-liver wheelchairs and establish stronger part-nership relations with the governments andn o n - g o v e rnmental organizations (NGO’s )working together to bring wheelchairs intothe re gion.

Participating in the wheelchair distributionsand other humanitarian relief eff orts were re p-resentatives from LDS Charities, Rotary Inter-national, several of our partner NGO’s andWheelchair Foundation volunteers.

The delegation met with the President andFirst Ladies of each country and agreed uponan expanded cooperation in each. The Wheel-chair Foundation and LDS Charities commit-ted to an initial sponsorship of 480 wheel-chairs (2 containers) to each country.

The Rotarians left the team in Hondurasand delivered 30 wheelchairs and medical sup-plies up into the rural region of Santa Barbara.

Mr. Behring extended an invitation for eachFirst Lady to become a member of the Wheel-chair Foundation International Board of Advisors, and they happily agreed. The coop-eration of governments, in harmony with our

partner NGO’s in each country, will allow us todeliver wheelchairs more efficiently and fre-quently to the countries in greatest need. Thesepartnerships will also allow for expanded spon-sorships of wheelchairs by outside org aniza-tions and corporations.

China Enabled

Deng Pufeng is the son of China’s late leaderDeng Xiaoping. He is paralyzed and lives eachday in a wheelchair. It is possible that the esti-mated 60 million disabled Chinese citizenshave hope for the future because Deng Pufengis the very vocal and visible president of theChina Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF).

People with disabilities face many obsta-cles in China. Schools and businesses have traditionally not been designed to provide forthe basic mobility needs of the disabled. Thisleaves many educational and vocational options physically beyond the reach of manycitizens in the rural are as.

The China Disabled Person’s Federation isworking to change the accessibility barr iersthat exist in China. Deng Pufeng is seen as theleader that will bring the disabled of Chinainto the mainstream of society. This is no easytask when considering the government mustattend to the needs of 1.3 billion people.

On September 7, 2001 a “Memorandum ofUnderstanding” was signed in Beijing betweenthe CDPF and the Wheelchair Foundation.

Founder Kenneth E. Behring, and Pre sidentStephen Beinke were present. The WheelchairFoundation will initially provide 1,750 wheel-chairs to disabled Chinese citizens. The CDPFwill distribute the wheelchairs to those peoplethat cannot aff ord to purchase one. The wheel-chairs will be built in China and the CDPFwill identify the recipients, and provide for delivery.

The recent attention that has been given tothe plight of the disabled in China is welcometo many that have been waiting years for help.On July 28, 1976 a devastating eart h q u a k estruck the city of Tangshan in the NE Hebeiprovince. 242,000 people lost their lives, andmany thousands were left disabled. The sheernumbers of injured people completely taxedthe national relief systems, and thousands remain disabled to this day.

One of the first missions of the WheelchairFoundation/CDPF cooperation was the deliv-

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N e w s l i n e s

Ken Behring with the President and First Ladyof Nicaragua.

(L to R) Deng Pufeng, Ken Behring and Steve Beinke signing an agreement between theWheelchair Foundation and the China Disabled Person’s Federation.

F red Gerh a rd and a wheelchair recipient inB e i j i n g .

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Ken Behring at the Rotary Wheelchair Distribution in Texcoco, Mexico.4-year-old Jirdan Herrera in Honduras.

Disabled children in Kazakhstan.Young man working in Botswana.

(L to R) Frank and Gloria Rita Delvyn, Mexican First Lady Martha Fox, Ken and Patricia Behring.

• W H E E L C H A I R F O U N DAT I O N . O R G •Page 1 2

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Rotarians at work in Honduras.

A happy youngster in Nigeria.

Ken Behring with Soledad O’Brien on NBC’s Today Show, October 24, 2001.

Waiting for Wheelchairs in Texcoco. Mexico. (L to R) Mike Deland, Mitzi Perdue, Ken Behring andAlan Reich at the FDR Memorial, Washington, D.C.

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C h i n a (continued from page 11)ery of 500 wheelchairs in late October of2001 to Tangshan. The stories of disabledpeople waiting 25 years for a wheelchair andthe gratitude they expressed was over-whelming.

In cooperation with Sister Cities Intern a-tional, Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco,California attended a wheelchair distribu-tion in Beijing. His commitment to helpingthe disabled at home and abroad, as well ashis thanks to Ken Behring and the Wheel-chair Foundation, demonstrated how lead-ers of local communities can join forces withtheir counterparts abroad to acknowledgeand support relief eff orts around the world.

The Wheelchair Foundation delivere dthe first 1,750 wheelchairs in China thro ughthe CDPF by the end of 2001 to Beijing,Shanghai, Tangshan, Xian, Chongging, Ti an-jin and Shenzhen, and is committed to rais-ing awareness and funding for a nationalwheelchair relief eff ort in the coming years.

At a time in our lives that so many ques-tions surface about who should receive as h a re of the relief dollars available, theWheelchair Foundation remains dedicated toa narrow focus of delivering a tangible itemthat will immediately change the life of a dis-abled person and their entire family. 100% ofyour tax-deductible donation goes to buyingand delivering a wheelchair. This wheelchairwill allow a child, teen or adult to go to school,earn an income, attend worship services, and inmany cases, become a part of, or re-enter soci-ety. No value can be put on independence, hopeor freedom, and the tears of joy that we haveseen so many times, are gifts that we most sincerely cherish, and hope to share with theworld.

Helping the People of Lebanon

The Republic of Lebanon is located on thee a s t e rn coast of the Mediterranean Sea inSouthwest Asia. The country of 4,036 squaremiles has a population of 3.6 million re sidents.In ancient times, Lebanon was the heart of sea-

faring Phoenicia, and experienced numero usinfusions of cultures over the centuries. Thehistorical events through the Byzantine andOttoman Empires could fill volumes of text-books, and the We stern influences of Franceand America helped establish Lebanon as an independent nation in 1943. The AmericanUniversity of Beirut was established in 1920,and remains one of the finest educational institutions in the world.

The Lebanese people value individualism,which has contributed to their great cre ativityand inventiveness throughout history. Closefamily relations, honor and loyalty to friendsare vitally important. The people of Lebanonare one of the most educated and technicallyprepared populations in the world. In 2001,95 percent of Lebanese aged 15 and older wereliterate. Primary education is compulsory, andattendance is near universal. Beirut is hometo six universities, and there are over 100 tech-nical, vocational and other specialized schoolsthroughout the country.

The people of Lebanon have suff ered gre atly

since the civil war of 1975 to 1990. Their en-tire culture and way of life was disrupted andin danger of changing fore ver. There are nu-merous factional influences within the frame-work of the society, and the government isstriving to reach a harmonious balance.

The social services of Lebanon were se-verely disrupted during the civil war, but theg o v e rn m e n t - p rovided services are in thep rocess of being re s t o red. Refugees fro mneighboring countries are numerous, andthe governmental ministries struggle to meettheir needs.

The Wheelchair Foundation in conjunc-tion with sponsorship from several founda-tions and Dr. Joe Zeiter of Stockton, Cali-fornia, delivered 480 wheelchairs to Beiru t,Tripoli and Sidon in June of 2001, with acoalition of six local non-governmental re lieforganizations. First Lady Andree Lahoudparticipated in wheelchair distributions andagreed to become a member of the Wheel-chair Foundation’s International Board ofAdvisors, to assist future distributions in theregion. Actress Loretta Swit accompaniedour distibution team and contributed gre at-ly to the mission and the video pro ducedby the Wheelchair Foundation. Vo lunteers

f rom Airline Ambassadors and local highschools were also valued part icipants.

The team also visited a Palestinian re fugeecamp in Southern Lebanon to distribute wheel-chairs. The trip took them through bothLebanese and then Palestinian military checkpoints, and past dozens of unmarked minefields. A privately funded clinic, in the campthat was established by the United Nations in1948, serves 80,000 refugees living in an area ofapproximately 160 square acres. The disabledthat need a wheelchair are numerous, and generally without hope.

At one point, a woman being seated in awheelchair began crying from her happiness ofactually receiving one. Suddenly her 10-year-old daughter ran up and started hitting theteam members adjusting the footrests. Shethought her mother was being hurt, becauseshe had never seen her cry before. The re al-ization that came over the girl’s face when hermother explained it to her, brought tears tothe eyes of many members of the gathere dcrowd.

• W H E E L C H A I R F O U N DAT I O N . O R G •Page 1 4

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A c t ress Loretta Swit delivering wheelchairs in Lebanon.

Page 15: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

The three days of distributions were verysuccessful, and would set the stage for the nextshipment in August of 2001.

During the August distribution of 240wheelchairs, co-sponsored by the Lebanese-American Foundation, First Lady Andree La-houd brought national media attention to ourefforts, and helped us organize a distributionnetwork of 20 rehabilitation centers, hospi-tals, nursing homes and non-governmental re-lief organizations throughout the country.

During a visit to another refugee camp, awheelchair was delivered to a 23-year-old girlwith a severe neurological disord er. She andher mother lived on the 4TH floor of a narro wconcrete stru cture with no windows and onlysteep stairs as access. The mother cried with joywhen the wheelchair was delivered, becausenow her daughter could sit up in the wheel-chair and look out of the door to see outside, or

be moved around the small room to be closerto her. The girl had spent the last 23 years lay-ing flat on a mattress, looking at the ceiling,without the ability to move or be moved easily.

These real-life stories are encountered onevery one of our wheelchair distributions, andinspire us all to do as much as we can to help.

The people of Lebanon are doing their bestin attending to the needs of the disabled, buttheir health care system can’t possibly keep upwith the injuries caused by landmines in thesouth, or disabilities due to illness and ad-vanced age. It is the goal of the WheelchairFoundation, and our supporters intern ationally,to continue developing our distribution net-work, which will allow for the increased spon-sorship and delivery of wheelchairs to chil-dren, teens or adults that are in dire need ofmobility worldwide.

The Children of Nepallove Ronald McDonald

In the Kingdom of Nepal, the ancient Kath-mandu valley is a melting pot of people andcultures.

This country of 23 million people is North ofIndia, South of Tibet, and is just over 500 mileslong by 140 miles wide.

A natural tre asure of drama and grandeur,Nepal possesses the world’s deepest gorges andthe highest point on earth . . . Mount Evere st.F rom tropical forests at lower elevations toarctic conditions on the “roof of the world”the geography is as diverse as its people.

The towering peaks are worshiped by locals as homes of the gods, and challenge

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Kai Njama tells me about an adult man who isnot able to walk and so Alfred and I “carry ”one of our last eighteen-inch wheelchairs toWaterloo. Bendu, the vice-chairman of thepolio community, sends a messenger to goand call the man. Fatmata and I walk in thed i rection of his home to meet him on theway. The man we have come to see is calledAbass Conteh. In 1997 he was shot by therebels in both legs, shattering the femurs andsince then he has not been able to walk, hisbrother explains. He moves around the villageby crawling on the rough ground on hishands and knees. His older bro ther, walksalongside the crawling fully grown man whois making slow pro gress along the dusty ro ad.Abass himself has little to say. I offer to bringthe wheelchair to him to save him from mak-ing the whole journ ey. His brother tells methat he should go all the way there – this is hisend of the bargain and he should receive thechair at the place of assembly of the commu-nity. This is what I understood from his ges-tures and explanation and Fatmata whole-

heartedly agrees with him. We walk back tothe vehicle to unload the wheelchair.

The shiny, new, cherry -red wheelchair, withits front wheels still wrapped in plastic, elic-its much admiration and attention amongthe instant crowd of onlookers. The wheel-chair is part of a consignment donated by theWheelchair Foundation, which Mercy ShipsNew Steps is distributing in Sierra Leone.

The messenger re turns to inform us thatthere has been a change of plan – Abass istired can we go to meet him with the wheel-chair? The crowd around the wheelchair hasgrown. One of the young men who has ven-tured to touch it asks if he may push it. Allthose who lacked the courage to touch orask, now look on enviously as with a tri-umphant smile he strides out across the ro ughground pushing the chair in front of him.

Alfred, Fatmata, the designated wheelchairpusher, myself, and the small crowd make astately pro gress towards Abass. The pro ces-sion draws many curious “pikin” tumblingout of their houses to join in the exciting

event. By the time we reach the waiting man,I cannot spot my colleague Alfred in thecrowd. Abass is encouraged to climb into thechair and I start to adjust the height of thefootrests. We have to lower the footrest tothe farthest setting possible. Abass is a tallman. By this time, Alfred has managed tomake his way through the crowd and he cer-emoniously removes the plastic from thewheels and explains how to use the bre aks.Abass using his strong arms, which have beenhis legs for 4 years, eff ortlessly rolls the wheel-chair through the sand for a test drive. Thecrowd applauds spontaneously. As we startto leave and the crowd begins to scatter, sev-eral old ladies come to hold my hands intheirs as a sign of their appreciation, shak-ing their heads and indicating the horror andshame of an adult man who had to “drag hewaist” in this way. They are all so thankful; asif they have received a precious gift them-selves. They pray a blessing from God over us.I have already been blessed. ■

A Wheelchair StoryBy Anika Olen, P hysiotherapist for Mercy Ships New Steps – Sierra Leone.

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N e p a l (continued from page 15)human perspective. Drops of water that beginat the highest points on earth, travel to slopesof medicinal herbs and into valleys of grain.

Family and religion are of para-mount importance to a prayerf ulpeople that depend on agricul-t u re or livestock for their dailyexistence. 40 ethnic groups thatspeak 70 diff erent languages havemelded into one society that isrich in tradition and complex inmakeup.

This spiritual society is heavilyinfluenced by the presence of nu-m e rous temples, shrines, andmonasteries. The needs of peoplea re simple, but numero u s .Refugees from neighboring coun-tries are given safe haven within the borders ofNepal, even though it is not a wealthy country.The bright-eyed children are at peace in theirinnocence, and enjoy the simple pleasures oflife.

This developing nation has only re centlyopened its borders to the We stern world. Manyelements of We stern society are just now start-ing to enter Nepal. When the average incomeof a local farmer is less than $200.00 per year,luxuries are rare, and prayer is an essentialpart of keeping families together. Basic humanneeds are a daily concern, and the needs ofdisabled children are beyond the re sources ofmost.

In July of 2000 a team of concerned pro fes-sionals entered the Kathmandu valley to ex-plore the needs of the physically disabled. Achild in Nepal with a neurological or other se-rious disease must be carried anywhere they go,but for most, their sentence is life in bed, or onthe floor of a room until they die.

Upon the team’s re turn to the US, the newlyfounded Wheelchair Foundation was toldabout the needs of 206 children with severedisabilities in Kathmandu. We accepted thechallenge of helping these children, and dedi-cated our eff o rts to getting the specializedwheelchairs that they needed.

It was Ronald McDonald House Charitiesthat said, “We can help you save these chil-dren.”

In May of 2001, less than one-year after the

assessment team first traveled to Nepal, theWheelchair Foundation, physical therapists,specialists and volunteers from Airline Am-bassadors, and the Association of Mobility

Providers joined re presentativesfrom the Nepalese National Fed-eration of the Disabled, and de-l i v e red 206 specialized wheel-chairs that were paid for with agrant from Ronald McDonaldHouse Charities.

During the 4-day distributionof wheelchairs, the team met andinteracted with people that re p-resented a cross section of theNepalese. Their thankful gesture sand smiling faces revealed hopefor the future of their families,and happiness that they never

thought possible. The mother of a 12-year- oldboy with cerebral palsy said, “It is very diff icultat home. He can’t stand or even sit. We must doeverything for him, and it takes 2 people to

move him. This wheelchair will make it mucheasier, and now he will be able to go outside.”When asked why she has traveled as a volun-teer so far from home, physical therapist RobinCorey said, “I do this to give something back.

We are so blessed and have so much, and thepeople of Nepal have so little. This is a waythat I can use my skills to give something topeople that have so much less than me. This isreally why I do it.”

The lives of these children have beenchanged in a positive and long lasting way, andtheir families have been given the ability totake their child to school, worship, or just out-side to see the world around them. The gift ofa wheelchair brings together the lives of en-tire families, which is of significant import ancein the culture of the Nepalese.

This story of children and their families witha new lease on life in the Kingdom of Nepal, isa tribute to the dedicated eff orts of Ronald Mc-Donald House Charities—people that make adifference in so many lives, every day.

The Wheelchair Foundation thanks RonaldMcDonald House Charities for their over-whelming commitment to the children of theworld, and helping us in our global mission, tochange the lives of people and their families,one wheelchair at a time.

To watch a video about this wheelchair dis-tribution in the Kingdom of Nepal, please visitwheelchairfoundation.org and go to “Wheel-chair Deliveries.”

Angola ~ The mostdisabled

Located on the Atlantic Coast of SouthernAfrica, Angola has been plagued by civil warever since its independence from Port uguesecolonialism in 1975. The warring factions havebrought about as many as 1.5 million deathsand the United Nations estimates that therea re currently 2.7 million Angolan re f u g e e s .The average Angolan has a life expectancy ofonly 47 years.

From the standpoint of disability, the situa-tion is equally dire. Millions of landmines lurkbeneath the country ’s soil, killing and maimingthousands of Angolans per year. A 1995 UNstudy estimated there were 70,000 amputees inAngola and, with 4,000 to 6,000 new victimsper year, the number is steadily rising. It isthese statistics that bring Angola the chilling

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Wheelchair recipient in Nepal.

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distinction of having the world’s most disabledpopulation. It is estimated that 20% of the 12million people of Angola are disabled.

The Wheelchair Foundation thanks theChevron Corporation for sponsoring the ship-ment of 240 wheelchairs to Angola. In Juneof 2001, the Wheelchair Foundation team waswelcomed to Luanda, Angola by Chevron andFirst Lady Ana Paula dos Santos. Mrs. dos San-tos and her Liwini Foundation participated inthe distribution of the wheelchairs and wit-nessed firsthand the delivery of hope and mo-bility to people that once only knew despair.

Liwini and Mrs. dos Santos were mostprominently featured in the public spotlightwhen Princess Diana visited Angola in 1997to raise awareness of the devastation causedby land mines.

John D. Gass, Managing Director of Chevro nin Luanda said, “What I saw was tre mendousgratitude and disbelief that they were re ceivinga wheelchair.” Gass continued, “We want togive something back and be a positive force ofchange in the communities where we operate.These 240 wheelchairs only scratch the sur-face here in Angola, and we will have to domore.”

Although the fighting has slowed down inrecent months, Angola is still listed as one ofthe world’s most dangerous places to visit. It isby the dedicated eff orts of the Chevron Cor-poration and Liwini that the Wheelchair Foun-dation is able to continue our global mission ofchanging lives for the better every day. Upon re-ceiving a wheelchair, children, teens and adultsare now able to go to school, work, attend wor-ship services or just go outside for the firsttime in many years or for the first time in theirlives.

A Neighbor in Need ~Mexico

It was cold and windy at 7:30 AM on Novem-ber 5, 2001 in Texcoco, Mexico. The locationwas a small soccer stadium at a public park inthis suburb of Mexico City. The population ofMexico City and its surrounding area is 25million people. It is estimated that 1.2 millionof them need a wheelchair but cannot aff ordone.

Today 240 children, teens and adults aregoing to be receiving brand new wheelchairs.For many, this would be the first wheelchairthat they have ever owned or even used. Formost, this was a day too good to be true, thatonly prayers could have bro ught.

Even though the distribution ceremony wasnot scheduled to begin until 11:00 AM, thenumber of people walking with crutches, beingcarried or crawling on the ground to the sta-dium at 7:30 in the morning was amazing. Buttaken in context, what was a 31⁄2-hour waitfor a wheelchair, compared to a lifetime ofneeding one.

The festivities of the day had been plannedfor several months. The Rotary Club of Te xcoco

de Gante had been working with the agenciesfor disabled people in Mexico, and local re ha-bilitation organizations to identify the re cipi-ents for 240 wheelchairs. Texcoco de GanteRotary Club President Humberto Mayorga hadmade this his personal mission. Upon learn ingfrom Jim Walker of the Rotary Club of Cuper-tino, California that Cupertino and several s u rrounding clubs would be sponsoring a container of 240 wheelchairs to Texcoco, Hum-b e rto was elated, but careful not to get too excited. He knew the difficulties of import inggoods into Mexico, but off ered his completecooperation.

What Humberto didn’t know at the timewas that the Wheelchair Foundation has anInternational Board of Advisors that is secondto none. Rotary International President 2000-2001 Frank Devlyn is from Mexico City and iswell respected by both the business world andthe Presidency of Mexico. Through Pre sidentDevlyn’s connections with the Mexican gov-ernment, and the dedicated eff orts of his staff atDevlyn Optical, the container of 240 wheel-chairs was delivered to Texcoco in plenty oftime before November 5TH.

One of the reasons that this date was so(continued on page 18)

• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •Page 1 7

1 2 - y e a r-old land mine victim.

Princess Diana and First Lady Ana Paula dosSantos in Angola.

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Rotarian Chuck Harper delivers Hope in Mexico.

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M e x i c o (continued from page 17)important is that 34 members of the Cupert inoand San Francisco Bay Area Rotary Clubs weretraveling to Texcoco to actively participate inthe 240-wheelchair distribution. Another re a-son was that Wheelchair Foundation founderKen Behring and his wife Pat were scheduled tomeet that morning with Mexican First LadyMartha Fox at Los Pinos. (The Mexican Pre si-dential residence) The meeting with Mrs. Fox,Ken & Mrs. Behring, and Frank & Mrs. Devlynwas wonderful. Mrs. Fox embraced the Wheel-chair Foundation eff orts in Mexico and agre edto become a member of our International Boardof Advisors.

It was now 11:00 AM and the ceremony wasto begin. On the running track were 3 rows of80 chairs with wheelchair recipients anxious-ly waiting. Over 600 people were in the bleach-ers or on the field. A marching band playedthe Mexican national anthem, a drill teamm a rched in, and children carrying flags onpoles with the Wheelchair Foundation logoand the Rotary Emblem proudly entered insingle file. One of the children was only 4-years-old and could barely carry the flag, but hewas proud to be there .

After welcoming speeches by Humberto May-orga, Frank Devlyn, Ken Behring and govern-ment officials, the wheelchair delivery was re adyto begin. Children in sky blue jogging suits,marked with the logo of their local school,wheeled in 50 wheelchairs at a time. KenBehring and Frank Devlyn lifted the first re cip-ient into his wheelchair, and the crowd ro ared.The Rotarians from California and Te x c o c omatched the re gistered recipients numbers totheir wheelchairs and lifted them in one by one,then several at a time. Over 70 volunteers fro mboth countries participated. They took picture sof the recipients in their new wheelchairs withnumbered cards, writing their names and ageson each one. People were crying with joy, asvolunteers adjusted the footrests and talked toeach person. Mr. Behring was surrounded bypeople thanking him for his genero sity, andnews crews documenting this never- before-seenlevel of giving in Mexico. Mr. Behring said, “Weare so thankful to Rotary both here and at home,and Frank Devlyn for making all of this possible.We just hope that this is the beginning of manymore deliveries like the one here today.” Cu-

pertino club president Charlie Schramm andhis wife Debbie were obviously very proud ofwhat they had accomplished.

Martina Miranda (42) had told us the daybefore as we visited her home, that she had awheelchair about 20 years ago, but it only last-ed 5 years. Her nephew wheels her on a handtruck as she sits on a milk crate, to get to thebus each morning. She works at a ro a d s i d estand selling shoe polish. Otherwise she walkson her knees, being disabled from birth. Her85-year-old mother has lifted and helped herfor the past 42 years. The tears of joy that werein their eyes when they received her wheel-chair were a mixture of happiness and disbelief.Martina said, “I have prayed so long for an-

other wheelchair, and I knew that my prayerswould be answered.” Her mother told us thatthey could never aff ord such a beautiful re dwheelchair, and that this gift would make theremaining years of her life so much easier.

During our visit to Mart ina’s home Novem-ber 4TH, she told us that 10 years ago a manhad said he could get her a wheelchair from thegovernment free of charge if she just paid theshipping. The 70 pesos (Less than $8.00) thatshe lost to his scam was all the money her fam-ily could scrape together over the course of 3months. This is just one example of the storieswe hear from people who need a wheelchairbut cannot aff ord one. (An anonymous mem-

ber of our team handed her mother 200 pesosas we were leaving, to make up for the moneylost to the con man.)

For the 240 recipients of wheelchairs andtheir families that traveled to the soccer sta-dium that day, there was a new feeling of hap-piness in the air. The combination of meetingfriendly people who only wanted to help, andreceiving a gift beyond any dream possible,brought smiles to faces that might have thoughtthey had forgotten how. There was singing,there was praying and lots of thankful gesture sthat warmed the hearts of everyone in atten-dance. The Rotary Club of Texcoco had donean incredible job and made this event some-thing they could be very proud of.

Our hope is that every person who attendedthe events in Mexico on November 5, 2001will spread the word about the lives that werechanged that day — the wheelchair re cipients,their families, and every witness to the gifts ofhope, mobility and freedom being given tothankful people that before this day didn’t dareto dre am.

The WheelchairFoundation ~ Florida

The relief eff orts of the Wheelchair Foundationfocus on any part of the world that has dis-abled people in need of a wheelchair and can-not aff ord one. There are a great number ofdisabled people worldwide, but we have dis-tributed more wheelchairs right here in theUnited States than anywhere else in the world.

The establishment of the Florida Chapterof the Wheelchair Foundation has greatly in-creased awareness of the plight of the disabledin America. Through the dedicated eff orts ofour Florida Chapter President Jack Dru ry, do-nations have been received that are sendinghundreds of wheelchairs to Florida, as well asArgentina, the Bahamas, Brazil, Israel, Nassau,Turkey and Swaziland.

As an active member of the Ft. Lauderd alec o m m u n i t y, Jack Dru ry has worked closelywith Bro w a rd General Medical Center, theCenter for Independent Living, nursing homesand numerous organizations helping the dis-

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M a rtina Miranda and her mother.

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abled in Florida to get wheelchairs to peoplewithout mobility.

During a recent distribution of 120 wheel-chairs to the Bahamas Association for the Phys-ically Disabled, the Bahamian Minister of Eco-nomic Development, Mr. Zhavargo Laing saidto Jack Dru ry, “All across the world we are re c-

ognizing that no man is an island, and no coun-try is an island unto itself. We need each other,and the fact that we extend ourselves acro ssthe waters to help our neighbors, defines ourhumanity.”

Jack is an active member of the Ft. Laud-e rdale Rotary Club, and is working closely

with Rotary Clubs in Florida to sponsor wheel-chairs through local and international serv iceprojects. In a newly formed alliance with SisterCities International, the Wheelchair Founda-tion Florida Chapter is participating with theFt. Lauderdale Rotary Club to distribute wheel-chairs in their Sister City of Mar del Plata, Ar-gentina. This type of international coopera-tion will allow the Wheelchair Foundation tohelp the disabled at home and abro ad.

The Wheelchair Foundation wishes to thankthe Florida Chapter for creating awareness andraising funds to send wheelchairs to the dis-abled people of Florida and around the world. Asour emissary of good will, and front door to theCaribbean and South America, the WheelchairFoundation – Florida Chapter will continue toforge alliances with organizations and individu-als dedicated to helping people in need of awheelchair, but without the money to buy one.

The Wheelchair Foundation – FloridaC h a p t e r, 2800 E. Commercial Boulevard ,Suite 207, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308USA (954) 776-0722;[email protected].

• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •Page 1 9

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Florida Chapter President Jack Dru ry (far left) delivering wheelchairs in the Bahamas.

The Wheelchair Foundation has recently reached an intern ationalcooperation agreement with Sister Cities International (SCI) to joint-ly provide 60,000 wheelchairs over the next five years to communitiesthroughout the world.

Sister Cities International is a non-profit citizen diplomacy net-work creating and strengthening partnerships between U.S. and in-ternational communities in an eff ort to increase global cooperation atthe municipal level, promote cultural understanding, and stimulateeconomic development. SCI leads the movement for local communitydevelopment and volunteer action by motivating and empoweringprivate citizens, municipal officials, and business leaders to conductlong-term programs of mutual benefit.

The Wheelchair Foundation will commit a minimum of $4.5million in matching funds over a five-year period, to match dollar fordollar, funds raised by U.S. Sister City Chapters and their local af-filiates.

At least 50 U.S. Sister City chapters will be selected to participate ina program that will provide 240 wheelchairs (A 40-foot container) to

one of their respective Sister Cities. Thiswill bring a total of 100 cities into the pro-gram titled “Wheelchairs for Peace.” EachU.S. chapter will raise $18,000.00 to matchthe funds provided by the Wheelchair Foun-dation, and send a $36,000.00, 240-wheel-chair container. (A wheelchair costs $150.00 delivere d)

In addition to the distribution of the wheelchairs, the Sister City partnerships will commit to working jointly on making theircommunities more accessible and welcoming to people with disabil-ities, and establish continuing relationships with the wheelchair re cipients.

This initiative will take place from 2002 to 2006, culminating in the50TH anniversary of Sister Cities Intern ational.

It is the hope of the Wheelchair Foundation and Sister Cities International, that these eff orts will result in an increased aware nessof the ab i l i t i e s of the physically challenged, and allow for gre atercommunity participation in a new way of thinking. ■

We l c o m e

Wheelchairs For Peace

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J e rry Lewis (continued from page 10)

J L : How would I thank them? Well… thankyou just feels so inept, or so skimpy, and mydeepest gratitude seems like I’m not sayinganything. I mean, we are talking about num-bers only General Motors ever puts on a pieceof paper, or the Tre asury Department. A bil-lion eight hundred million dollars. Remember,they have been coming back to me for fiftyyears. And the interesting thing is, that thenumbers we get at the end of the Telethon isfrom only 2% of the viewers. Do you re alizethat if we got 4% that would mean $120 mil-lion? So if we are seen by 80 million people,2% is giving us $56.8 million. And many ofthem are the same people that have been withme for 50 years. It’s always that same audi-ence that sends in the money, ‘Jerry we’vebeen with you 39 years,’ or ‘Jerry I’ve beenwith you 43 years.’ Those are the people thathave stuck with me all of the way. Then cometheir families, from baby boomers right upto now. I would just keep thanking them untilthey believe me.

C T W: As the person with more experienceraising money for the disabled than any otherhuman being in history, what was your re actionwhen you learned of Ken Behring’s goal to de-liver a million wheelchairs in the next 5 yearsto people that need one, but cannot aff ord one?

J L : Well, my first reaction was, ‘There ’s theman that should be getting the Nobel PeacePrize.’ For what Ken is doing, we don’t knowenough about him and his work, and theother Ken’s of the world. And it is a shamethat we don’t. As I said earlier about whatyou do on Monday affects Friday, what Ken isdoing now is going to pull people out of thewoodwork, and if it were not for him theywould never have come around. So he is atremendous force for all of those down theline that are thinking about doing somethingfor others and just don’t. And when what Kenis doing gets around to them, I think he willbe one of the greatest forces ever.

C T W: That is probably tru e.

J L : ( A d a m a n t l y ) Without question! There issome guy like a J. Paul Getty sitting on 3 or 4billion dollars and not knowing what to do

with it. I’ll show him what to do with it, andso will Ken.

C T W: The other great unknown that we haved i s c o v e red since the establishment of theWheelchair Foundation in June of 2000 is thenumber of disabled worldwide. The Wo r l dHealth Organization publishes that there are20-25 million people around the world in needof a wheelchair, but without the money to buyone. In working with our wheelchair distribu-tion partners and governments around theworld, we now know that the number is re allyat least 100-130 million people. 20% of An-gola’s 12 million people alone are disabled andwithout the ability to get a wheelchair.

J L : I never knew the number was that high.

C T W: None of us did. But through our eff orts,hopefully the world will learn the true number.

J L : The injuries from land mines are so trag-ic, and there are so many millions still outthere. The numbers are staggering, and theyneed help.

C T W: We are working at it every day. O.K.last question. When a person dedicates theirlife to helping others, who receives the mostbenefit?

J L : The one that’s doing the good work.You’ve heard me say that since you were alittle kid.

C T W: I know. That’s why I wrote the ques-tion.

J L : It’s the most selfish thing that I do in mylife. Because, although I am serving people i nneed, and I do it through selflessness, it’s re-ally selfish. I wish they could get as muchbenefit as I get. I mean, my feeling of wort h,of personal esteem is enormous, after I havedone something specific for my kids. Andthere is no way that you can avoid feelingthose feelings of depth and gratitude andappreciation. If it were not for the Amer-ican people, I couldn’t be such a hero .But my appreciation for what they do,and my love for what I do, gives me suchsatisfaction and the want to go on. Andevery time in the past 50 years or sothat I have spoken to a dystro p h i cchild, like the child I called yesterd ay

who is terminal, and is not going to be herethis coming week, we talked and we laughedand we giggled, and he was so happy that hewas able to talk to me, and finally was able tomeet me on the phone. How do you put aprice on that?

C T W: You can’t .

J L : I know you can’t .

C T W: Do you have anything that you wouldlike to add for our re aders?

J L : Yes. I think that whenever somebodymakes a donation to the Wheelchair Foun-dation, they should go up to a mirror and say. . . thank you!

J e rry Lewis has a motto that reflects his love forh u m a n i t y :

“I shall pass through this wo rld but once. A nygood, t herefore, t hat I can do or any kindnessthat I can show to any human being, let me doit now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for Ishall not pass this way aga in!”

For info rm ation about the Je rry Lewis MDA Te lethon,

please visit the MDA web site atwww.mdausa.org.

• W H E E L C H A I R F O U N DAT I O N . O R G •Page 2 0

I n t e r v i e w

Page 21: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •Page 2 1

Aid to the Church In Russia

Airline Ambassadors

Al-Hussein Society

American Friends of Alyn Hospital

American Red Cro ss

Assaf Harofeh Medical Center

Center for Independent Living ofSouth Florida

Center for Independent Living ofReno, Nevada

Cheshire Home

Chevron, Angola

Child Care Trust Nigeria

China Disabled Person’s Federation

Christian Orthopedic Part ners

LDS Charities

Counterpart Intern ational

Deseret Industries

Direct Relief Intern ational

Englezakis Group / Spar Store s,South Africa

Entrena, Dominican Republic

First Lady of Angola

First Lady of Baja, Mexico

First Lady of Bolivia

First Lady of Brazil

First Lady of Coahuila, Mexico

First Lady of Columbia

First Lady of El Salvador

First Lady of Guatemala

First Lady of Honduras

First Lady of Mexico

First Lady of Nicaragua

First Lady of Nigeria

First Lady of Panama

First Lady of Paraguay

First Lady of Peru

First Lady of Tamaulipas, Mexico

Goodwill Industries

Graca Machel Mandela Foundationof Community Development

Haitians Living Abro ad

Hope Haven Intern ational

International Service of Hope

Kham Aid Foundation

Liwini, Angola

Manos de Ay uda

Medical Outreach for Arm enians

Mercy Corp Intern ational

Mercy Ships

MICA, Inc.

Mobility Pro ject

National Federation of the Disabled

National Federation of People withDisabilities in Namibia

Nelson Mandela Foundation

Oakland Athletics BaseballCompany

Operation USA

Palestinian Ministry of SocialAffairs

Patient’s Friends Society

Perpetual Help for Africa

Project Hope

Red Cross of Bosnia/Herz egovina

Rehab Association of Buru ndi

Rehab Association of CAR

Rehab Association of Rwanda

Rotary Clubs – Wo rldwide

Sabelkheir Association

Scottlee Holdings

Sirindhorn National Medical Relief

Technology – Transfer Intern ational

The Auto Collections – Las Ve gas,Nevada

The Salvation Arm y

Tzu Chi University

Wheels for Humanity

World Vi sion

Affiliate Organizations that Receive and Distribute Wheelchairs

O r g a n i z a t i o n s

The Wheelchair Foundation is the world’s leading wheelchair relief organization. We purchase wheelchairs from factories building highquality, long lasting products that will best provide mobility to the disabled people around the world who are in need of a wheelchair butwithout the ability to aff ord one.

It is estimated that 100-130 million people worldwide are disabled by war, disease, natural disaster, or advanced age. The Wheel-chair Foundation relies on its “Affiliate” organizations to receive anddistribute the wheelchairs provided. A photograph of each re cipientis re turned to us, along with a card containing the person’s name,

age, country and wheelchair number. We can then supply a pre sen-tation folder containing a photograph and certificate to our donors,with all of the information about the re cipient.

The wheelchairs provided are available in 5 sizes: 12 & 14-inchwidth for children and 16, 18 & 20 inch widths for adults. All wheel-chairs have removable arm rests, adjustable footrests and fold for easeof transport ation.

The following is a partial list of Non-Governmental Org anizations(NGO’s) that we are proud to be working with in providing mobilityto the disabled populations of the world.

In A lphabetical Ord er

Page 22: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

• W H E E L C H A I R F O U N DAT I O N . O R G •Page 2 2

Q: How many people need wheelchairs but cannot affordone?

A: It is estimated that at least 100 million children and adultsworldwide need a wheelchair but cannot aff ord one. Someinternational organizations believe that the number couldbe higher.

Q: How much does a wheelchair cost?A: We can purchase and deliver a wheelchair for $150. This

wheelchair would normally cost $375, but the large quan-tities that we purchase allow us to deliver one for only$150.

Q: How much do I have to donate to deliver a wheelchair toa disabled person?

A: $75. The Wheelchair Foundation has been gifted a specificamount of funds to combine with each new $75 donationto deliver a wheelchair.

Q: How do I know that my money has purchased and de-livered a wheelchair?

A: For every $75 tax-deductible donation, you will re ceivea beautiful presentation folder containing a 5x7 inch, colorphotograph of a person in the wheelchair that you pro-vided for them, along with a certificate telling you theperson’s name, age, country and the wheelchair number.

Q: A re all of the wheelchairs going to countries other thanthe United States?

A: No. The Salvation Army is working with us here in theUS to distribute wheelchairs to people that need one butcannot afford one.

Q: Are these wheelchairs designed for rough, third worldconditions?

A: Yes. The wheelchairs that we distribute are specificallydesigned for the rough conditions of developing coun-tries. Extra heavy wheels, tires and additional weldingmake these wheelchairs the best possible for most condi-tions.

Q: How can I help?A: 1. Your tax-deductible donation will make the diff erence

between people wanting to live or die. 2. Get the wordo u t ! Tell everyone you know that you are now a part of themost ambitious relief mission of its kind in the history ofour civilization! 3. Have a fund-raiser! Local businesses, or-ganizations and schools can all help. We will supply every-thing you need to help us change the world. 4. C o r p o r a t eS p o n s o r s h i p . Help us find corporations that have intere stsin countries that need our help. We can target their spon-sorship to specific countries and needs. They will be ahero, and so many people will be given a new lease onlife.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Blackhawk Museum is a Smithsonian Institution-affiliate thatis renowned for its galleries of the finest “classic” automobiles any-where in the world. The Museum features Smithsonian travelingexhibits such as “SPIDERS,” the fascinating “POSTED ABOARDTHE TITANIC,” and the Smithsonian’s salute to the American Mu-sical called “RED, HOT & BLUE.” The Museum presents ro tatingexhibitions of art, science, culture and natural history for publicenjoyment and daily scholastic pro grams.

Opened in December 2001, is a 2,000 square foot display toshowcase the Wheelchair Foundation’s work around the world.The display features information about the Foundation’s wheel-chair distributions and videos telling the stories of people aff ectedby the Foundation’s work. More over, visitors to the display willlearn about the need for wheelchairs around the world and whatthey can do to help.

The display also includes a collection of wheelchairs that re pre-sent the creative elements applied to the problem of immobility.Antique wheelchairs from the early part of the 20TH century sharethe stage with their contemporary equivalents. The WheelchairFoundation is seeking donations of antique wheelchairs, or cre-ative examples of mobility devices for this exhibit.

The Wheelchair Foundation is grateful to the Blackhawk Muse-um, the Behring-Hofmann Educational Institute, its directors andstaff for their dedicated support of our global eff ort to provide mo-b i l i t y, hope and freedom to over 100 million people around theworld.(For more information about the fabulous Blackhawk Museum,visit their web site at www. b l a c k h a w k m u s e u m . o rg or call (925)736-2277 between the hours of 10 AM and 5 PM, We d n e s d a y sthrough Sundays) ■

Wheelchair Foundation Gallery at the Blackhawk Museum

Page 23: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

• THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDAT I O N •Page 2 3

Enclosed is my tax-deductible donation of:($75 delivers a wheelchair for a limited time.)

■■ $25 ■■ $50 ■■ $75 ■■ $150 ■■ Other $________

■■ $18,000 DELIVERS A 240-WHEELCHAIR CONTAINER TO A DESTINATION OF YOUR CHOICE*Your gift can be made in honor or in memory of a special person.

Donor’s Name________________________________________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________________________________________________

City____________________________________________ State__________ Zip__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

■■ In Honor Of ■■ In Memory Of__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Presentation Folder Sent To_________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Address_______________________________________________________________________________________

City____________________________________________ State__________ Zip_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Credit card: ■■ Visa ■■ Mastercard ■■ American Express ■■ Discover

Name as it appears on your card _____________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Card Number ___________________________________________Exp. Date_______________________ __

Signature_____________________________________________________________________________________

* PROVIDING THAT THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDATION HAS, OR IS ABLE TO ESTABLISH A DISTRIBUTIONRELATIONSHIP IN THAT COUNTRY.

PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: The Wheelchair FoundationPost Office Box 2973Danville, CA 94526 USAWorldwide toll free (877) 378-3839

�he Wheelchair Fo u n d a t i o n will deliver a future toa child, teen or adult who has been disabled by war,disease natural disaster, or advanced age. The wheel-chair that will allow a future including school, wor-ship and interaction with family, can be donated inthe name of a special person in your life.

$150.00 buys and delivers a wheelchair to a person indesperate need of Hope, Mobility and Freedom. T h eWheelchair Foundation has been gifted a specificamount of funds to combine with each new $75 donation to deliver one wheelchair.

For each new $75 donation, you will re c e i ve a beauti-ful presentation folder with the picture of a wheel-chair recipient and a certificate with their name, age,c o u n t ry, and wheelchair number, until these combin-a b l e gifted funds have been exhausted.

Honor someone special in your life with a gift to

The Wheelchair Fo u n d a t i o n !

To watch our videos of wheelchair distribution around the world or to donate online, please visit – w w w. w h e e l c h a i rf o u n d a t i o n . o r g

Whether supported through an outright gift or planned gift,the Wheelchair Foundation’s eff orts are made possiblethrough the generosity and commitment of people like you. Aplanned gift to the Wheelchair Foundation helps to ensure thefuture of our wheelchair deliveries worldwide and may furt heryour financial goals.

Planned gifts include gifts through your will, charitable giftannuities, gifts of life insurance, and charitable trusts.

B e q u e s t sMany of our supporters make charitable gifts by naming theWheelchair Foundation as a beneficiary in their wills.

Gift of Life InsuranceSome of our supporters no longer need their life insurancethat was purchased years ago to provide for children or otherfamily members, and donate the policy to the WheelchairFoundation.

Gifts of Retirement PlansSome people have chosen to name the Wheelchair Foundationas the beneficiary to their IRA. The IRA can provide income tothe owner of the account, and then pass to the WheelchairFoundation as the beneficiary re cipient.

Charitable Lead TrustIndividuals with very large estates can use a charitablelead trust to benefit the Wheelchair Foundation and passprincipal to family members with little or no taxconsequences

Charitable Remainder TrustsFamilies have used the Charitable Remainder Trust as anintricate part of their estate planning. This type of planprovides income to the family and the remainder is giftedto the Wheelchair Foundation in the name of the FamilyTrust. This type of plan is intended to help decrease thevalue of one’s estate, in order to alleviate tax consequencesto the familybeneficiaries.

Planned Giving

W h e e l c h a i rFo u n d a t i o n

“Serving the Wo rld”

Worldwide toll free (877) 378-3839

Page 24: Wheelchair Foundation - Summer 2002 Newsletter

The Wheelchair Foundation will deliver a f u t u re to a child, teen or adult who has beendisabled by war, disease, natural disaster, oradvanced age. The wheelchair that will allowa future including school, worship and inter-action with family, can be donated in thename of a special person in your life.

$150 buys and delivers a wheelchair to a person in desperate need of Hope, Mobilityand Freedom. The Wheelchair Foundation hasbeen gifted a specific amount of funds to combine with each new $75 donation to deliver one wheelchair.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONU. S. P OSTAG E

PA IDDA NVILLE,CA

PERMIT NO. 2 60

The Wheelchair FoundationPost Office Box 2973Danville, CA 94526 USA

How Much is Mobility Worth to You?

Honor someone special in your life with a gift to The Wheelchair Foundation!

Worldwide toll free (877) 378-3839 w w w. w h e e l c h a i rf o u n d a t i o n . o rg

$75 Can Now Deliver a New Life!

For each new $75 donation,you will receive a beautiful p resentation folder with thep i c t u re of a wheelchair recipient and a certificatewith their name, age, c o u n t r y, and wheelchairn u m b e r, until these combinable gifted fundshave been exhausted.Sample Presentation Folder