A little help from Byford has rolled Wheelchairs for Kids closer to their 60,000 wheelchair milestone.
At the end of April, the Rotary Club of Byford and Districts presented the Wangara-based charity with a cheque for $1200 – enough to secure four more wheelchairs for kids in need.
Wheelchairs For Kids is powered by 250 local volunteers, with a further 300 people around the country assisting by crocheting and knitting blankets, rugs and soft toys.
“Our volunteers are the heart of our operations – they help change lives forever,” CEO Greg Hebble said.
Local volunteers, many with disabilities, enjoy a sense of belonging, purpose and friendship and this contributes to their own health and wellbeing.
The not-for-profit has a strategic plan to produce 6000 chairs per year by 2026. These wheelchairs are then shipped to around 80 countries across the world.
Over the years, the chairs have been developed and improved to meet the needs of children with disabilities and victims of landmines, ensuring mobility, attendance in school and helping to support the immediate families and the broader community.
“These chairs are designed for strength and built with love,” Mr Hebble said.
Members from Byford Rotary joined CEO Greg Hebble to tour the Wangara facility and to gain appreciation of the significance and value of the volunteer effort and project’s success.
Club president Tom Hoyer said they were so thoroughly impressed by what they saw that they’d be recommending that other clubs – Rotary or otherwise – support the project by ‘buying’ wheelchairs as a part of their funding budget.
