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Brenda Mooney and Joni and Friends’ Wheels for the World program are getting ready for their annual wheelchair drive for the month of October.

Last year, the group raised 168 wheelchairs to send all around the world.

“Each year, an estimated 75,000 wheelchairs are thrown away in the United States, while 20 million people worldwide desperately need a wheelchair,” Mooney said. “You can make a difference by providing the gift of mobility to disabled people in less-resourced countries. Wheels for the world, a ministry of Joni and Friends, provides a free wheelchair, along with the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children and adults affected by disability.”

After the wheelchairs are donated, they go to the Wheels for World Restoration Centers where they are restored.

“The restoration centers are located in correctional facilities where inmates restore the wheelchairs to like-new condition,” Mooney said. “Teams made up of volunteer physical therapists and wheelchair mechanics then fit each wheelchair to an individual and provide training in the wheelchair’s maintenance. Team members also present each individual with a Bible in their language and the Gospel message. The gift of mobility and the hope of salvation will change the lives of these individuals and their families forever.”

On a Joni and Friends Wheels for the World outreach last year in Haiti, a woman brought her daughter to the site in a wheelbarrow.

“One could see that Josleen’s family had done their best to make the wheelbarrow comfortable for this 16-year-old disabled young lady who was wearing her Sunday best to receive her first wheelchair,” Mooney said. “When her wheelchair was ready, Josleen was placed, for the first time, in a seat of dignity. The Haitian pastor came over to Josleen and her family and gave her a Bible in her language. He also shared the Gospel with them and they learned about the love of our amazing Savior. This is just one example of the many disabled people around the world in need of a wheelchair, but cannot afford one. Should you have a broken/used wheelchair, metal crutches, or a cane that you are no longer in need, please consider donating these items.”

For more information, contact Mooney at 334-343-8825. Tax-deductible receipts will be provided for wheelchairs that are donated.