Mt. Carmel Friends Church, located at 3470 Kennard-Kingscreek Road in Cable, will be collecting wheelchairs and mobility equipment this weekend for a Joni and Friends ministry called “Wheels for the World.”
From 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Saturday, May 2, members of the public can donate wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes and anything mobility-related during the donation drive.
Then, those donated items will be distributed to 26 different countries around the world. Organizers stressed that all donated wheelchairs must be manual only. Power-sourced wheelchairs may not be usable in other countries or terrains.
The wheelchairs will be transported from the church to a storage area in Washington Courthouse. They will be refurbished to new condition, and then they will be distributed to those who need them most.
Wheels for the World has provided over 227,000 wheelchairs, globally, to those in need.
Joni Erickson Tada, the founder of the organization, has an unusual life experience to disclose. When she was 17 years old, shortly after graduation, she and her family were enjoying a day of boating on the Chesapeake Bay. She dove off a raft into shallow water and broke her neck.
Consequently, she spent months in the hospital after the accident. Distraught with her new quadriplegic life, she desperately prayed, “Lord, if I have to be like this, you are going to have to teach me to live.”
In that moment, her worldwide ministry began. Joni and Friends is an organization that brings hope and the gospel to those who have disabilities all over the world. They host retreats, both locally and internationally, where families living with disability are able to find peace, relaxation and renewed strength.
Frances Heizer has served with the organization for many years.
“I started with Joni and Friends back in 2002,” she said. “I have been to over 50 retreats, including 11 international locations. Just seeing how much it blesses the families that are affected with disability is humbling.
“Seeing a six-year-old Guatemalan girl, that has never walked in her life, be able to take a walker and run around the room non-stop, for the first time, was an amazing experience.”
This August, there will be a Joni and Friends Family Retreat in Berlin, Ohio. Josh Cox, associate pastor of Mt. Carmel Friends Church, will be attending the retreat for the first time this summer.
“I am excited for it,” Pastor Cox said. “I am really looking forward to helping families that are affected by disability.
“I’m hoping to get some educational experience from this as well. I’m thinking about my role as a leader in the church and hoping to gain some education on how to help those who are disabled.
“It will then help equip my church to implement some strategies for those who might come to our church, and how to better help those in our community.”
If you are interested in attending a Joni and Friends event, visit joniandfriends.org to learn more, including opportunities to enjoy the retreats as a family, find needed help or sign up to serve in many different ways.
Jim Davis, senior pastor of Mt. Carmel Friends Church, is excited to offer a wheelchair drive.
“We at Mt. Carmel Friends Church are enjoying the opportunity to help the Joni and Friends organization, as they provide help to so many people who cannot walk without assistance. Most of us don't realize how difficult life can be when you can't get around like other people.
They tend to be overlooked and left behind. God doesn't want any of us to be left behind. It is our hope and prayer that many will be blessed by the generosity of these donations.”
The equipment will help someone who may have needed the device for a lifetime.
“I’m excited for this Saturday,” Francis Heizer added. “It is going to be fun.”