Wheelchair Foundation

"The gift of a free wheelchair immediately improves the quality of life for the recipient and every member of their family." Join the Rotary Club of Lake Stevens/Granite Falls in providing Hope, Mobility, Freedom, Dignity and Independence by making a tax deductible donation to purchase wheelchairs for people in need around the world.

It is estimated that over 100 million people with physical disabilities worldwide need wheelchairs, though less than 1 percent own or have access to one. Mobility creates independence and new possibilities for recipients and their families. A mobile child is able to attend school. A mobile adult is able to get a job and provide for their family. An elderly person with mobility can rejoin society or family activities. The joy that a simple mobility device can deliver is what gives people a new outlook on life, dignity and hope for the future.

Rotary Club of Lake Stevens/Granite Falls and the not-for-profit Lake Stevens Rotary Charitable Foundation are seeking sponsorships of wheelchairs. All donations received during our Wheelchair Foundation Matching Grant Campaign will be used to partner with the Wheelchair Foundation.

With a tax-deductible donation of $75 or more, donors will receive a personalized certificate, including a picture of a wheelchair recipient. This certificate can be dedicated as a gift in honor or memory of a special person in your life, to mark a special occasion, or for holiday gifting.

Rotary Clubs and Rotarians around the world are working with the Wheelchair Foundation to provide a free wheelchair to every child, teen and adult who needs one, but has no means to acquire one. Independence is being given to people deprived of mobility by war, disease, accident, natural disaster and advanced age at a rate of up to 10,000 wheelchairs per month. Rotary Club of Lake Stevens/Granite Falls has participated in sponsoring and distributing wheelchairs since 2003.

The wheelchairs provided by the Wheelchair Foundation are purchased in bulk, and are designed to be the best possible solution in developing countries. A wheelchair can be sponsored with the donation of only $150; (wheelchairs with similar features sell for over $500 in the United States.) The wheelchairs are shipped in containers of 100 to 280 wheelchairs to in-country distribution partners around the world.

For information about Lake Stevens/Granite Falls Rotary Club's Wheelchair Foundation Matching Grant Campaign please contact Barbara Knowles, 425-334-7483, knowlesbr@aol.com

For information about the Wheelchair Foundation, 3820 Blackhawk Road, Danville, California94506, toll free 1-877-378-3839, www.wheelchairfoundation.org