5 minute read
December 2022 Special Needs Living Akron/Canton
International Community Resource- Wheels of Hope- A promise kept by Mark & Sandy Richard.
Establishing wheelchair repair centers in developing nations as places of ongoing ministry to people with disabilities.
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WRITTEN BY MELISSA KLATT
Wheels of Hope has a long, winding history to get to where they are today. Mark and Sandy Richard came up with the idea originated in 1988, when they witnessed a Mayan woman crawling across the Pan-American Highway in the rain. Mark and Sandy made her a promise that they would come back with a wheelchair the next time they visited from the United States.
One year later, Mark and Sandy returned with 15 wheelchairs for her and others with disabilities in Guatemala. During the next five years, Mark established a wheelchair refurbishing center near Alliance, Ohio, and continued distributing them to Mexico and Guatemala!
WHEELS FOR THE WORLD WAS BORN Before Wheels of Hope, the organization went by a different name. In ‘93, Mark joined Joni and Friends to direct the new program, “Wheels for the World.” They rapidly spread the movement further, distributing to more places, including Ghana, Africa and Eastern Europe. The facility moved to Canton, Ohio, in ‘94, where it currently stands today! (Mark also opened an Iowa location one month later in conjunction with Hope Haven National Ministries.)
Then, Patrick Rimke joined as the new Ohio refurbishing center Supervisor in 1995 by Joni and Friends, having been a volunteer for Mark since ‘89, reconditioning wheelchairs as a wheelchair seating technician. The Ohio facility’s growth was slow until January 1997, and eventually, Joni and Friends moved out west to refurbish wheelchairs in U.S. prisons, ending their financial commitment to the Ohio location.
SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY BRINGS THE ORGANIZATION ALIVE IN A NEW WAY Due to the overwhelming amount of support, the facility was reopened in July 1997, under its new name: Wheels of Hope! People from all walks of life come to support Wheels of Hope through donations of wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility aids, as well as through volunteer opportunities! They desire to train people with disabilities to repair and distribute the wheelchairs with assistance from local churches and charities.
“We need regular volunteers weekly to repair and refurbish wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and many other items,” says Patrick Rimke. “We are also in need of Christminded board members to keep Wheels of Hope moving.”
And the impact of that help is immeasurable… In the past, they’ve worked to establish such centers in Honduras and Bolivia. Since 2000, they’ve helped establish The Wheelchair Project in Chaing Mai, Thailand. They continue to grow their reach to help others, unwavering in their mission:
We are also in need of Christ minded board members to keep Wheels of Hope moving. As of November 1997, Wheels of Hope is a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt nonprofit. They continue working hard every day to provide mobility aids to the neediest, often poorest people in developing countries.
WE’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO THINK WHEELS OF HOPE IS AWESOME “Wheels of Hope is our first and most loyal partner to date. It is through their efforts that the Wheelchair Project is able to exist today, and we will forever be indebted to the efforts from Patrick Rimke and his team.
During the 17 years of partnership, we have been blessed to receive 22 containers ... nearly 3000 wheelchairs as well as ... innumerable ... mobility aids. Their efforts enable us to serve the people of Thailand who need help.
Without the efforts of partners like Wheels of Hope and the service they provide, our project and the work we do would be impossible. Their work has directly improved the lives of countless individuals that have come to us for help. We, here at the Wheelchair Project, look forward to many more years of working alongside Wheels of Hope to bring assistance to those that need it.”
FROM THE RICD WHEELCHAIR PROJECT, THAILAND 2016 ANNUAL REPORT You can join in to support Wheels of Hope! Volunteer your time, donate your extra mobility aids, become a sponsor, or learn more by visiting http://www.wheelsofhope.org/.
