Wheelchair Drive Continues through Saturday
Dr. Michael Mills has already collected wheelchairs at his chiropractic office near the Belmont Complex. Several wheelchairs were also collected last year in Kittanning.
by Jonathan Weaver
A local non-profit will continue collecting used wheelchairs through Halloween so they can be given to children and adults worldwide.
Reagan’s Journey is once again partnered with the religious ministry Joni and Friends in their “Wheels for the World” program to try and help those in need.
Family Needs Advisor Rev. Fred Neal III co-founded the non-profit in 2012 after seeing first-hand the struggles of his seven-year-old daughter Reagan.
He said wheelchairs of any condition are gladly accepted.
“They’ll get completely refurbished,” Rev. Neal said. “After we collect them, we’ll take them to a warehouse in New Kensington and then they will get shipped to Youngstown (Ohio) where they get refurbished in a prison.”
Wheelchairs are then shipped to developing countries around the world and fitted for adults and children in-need.
Last year, 60 wheelchairs were collected at Butler, Kittanning, Apollo and Chicora sites, and Neal was happy to announce new drop-off sites in Indiana and by-appointment in Verona through Saturday.
“We have several (drop-off locations) this year, which is kind-of exciting,” Rev. Neal said. “We identified a couple communities that we wanted to try to expand to, reached out to some local organizations there and found a couple willing participants.
“We found some great partners for this. It’s been really encouraging.”
Dr. Michael Mills, a Reagan’s Journey board member nearly since the non-profit started, is one of those continuing participants through his chiropractic office in East Franklin Township.
“Historically over the years, it’s been great,” Dr. Mills said. “What a marvelous idea to get wheelchairs to people that truly, desperately need them.
“I don’t know how many (Mills Chiropractic) got last time, but it was so many that I filled up a room in the office and then took some home and filled up a room in my garage. Hopefully, we’ll continue to get more as the week goes on.”
Dr. Mills is the Kittanning collection site through the end of the week.
Kassie Socks of Natrona Heights donated a wheelchair used by her 15-year-old daughter, Kaylee Dunham.
The wheelchair sat in the family’s garage after Dunham, a 10th grader at East Allegheny High School that lives with cerebral palsy, outgrew it. Socks was glad to donate it to a worthwhile effort.
“We are always looking to donate, because my daughter outgrows them,” Kassie said. “I was excited when they (started) the wheelchair drive because they can still be used.
“We kind-of held on to it because it’s really hard to find places that will accept them and I didn’t want to just get rid of it or toss it out.”
Socks predicted the family will have another wheelchair to donate to the drive next year since Kaylee is in need of a new wheelchair.
Local News | jweaver October 28, 2015
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