Youth Make Fast Work at Warehouse

Friendship Alliance Youth recycle at the warehouse

Ten youth from Friendship Alliance Church in Auburn, Ohio came and worked in our recycle section on May 19 as part of a weekend event to explore and identify with those in need.

After sleeping over in tents back at the church, these hard workers skipped breakfast and lunch and worked our recycle piles of broken steel and aluminum rollators, diminishing them into neat containers of reusable parts and recyclable metals.

Over 50 rollators were recycled! These youths worked fast and made their fasting work!

Juice fast, check. Water fast, check … cleaner?

Mike Mager and his wife Nicole are both Physical Therapists and youth group leaders, and learned about the ministry of Wheels of Hope through Hattie Larlham Foundation, where Wheels of Hope collects wheelchairs and equipment no longer needed by their patients.

Mike Mager pulls apart a rollator.

Half the youth worked with Mike in the workshop, taking apart the aluminum rollators.

Sam and Morgan part out  a broken rollator.

Mike J. works on a reusable wheel.

While the other half tackled the steel rollators out on the warehouse floor disassembling in “Majority World” style.

Claire, Kelly, Bren and David get down and work hard!

… while Emily-the-industrious supervises the gang to bring order out of chaos!

After enough frames were stripped, the group learned how to stack, shrink wrap and palletize them for delivery to a local scap metals dealer.

Kelly, Mike and Morgan wrap it up!

Mike and Sam find a staging spot.

These youth did truly amazing work in the 6 hours they each gave in service to Wheels of Hope and those in need! Re-using and recycling is the main reason Wheels of Hope is able to collect free wheelchairs for those in need who have no means to purchase a wheelchair in developing nations overseas.

Many of them are planning on going to Nicaragua this summer to work with the Messiah Project and the Land of Judah orphanage. Wheels of Hope is working with PTs Mike and Nicole on equipping part of the orphanage for children with disabilities, bringing hope to the helpless.

Amazing trails bring aid to Kenya

Our friends Mike and Evey Williams are currently in Kenya, bringing Wheels of Hope equipment to those in need in remote places. Read Evey’s blog post at Thankyou Kenya

Below is Pastor Timothy balancing an Invacaare chair, reconditioned by volunteers at our Canton warehouse, on the trail to an elderly patient. Mike was on the trail behind Evey (who took the photo) with a bedside commode!

Here, the elderly woman is presented with her chair. In typical Kenyan generosity, she presented Evey with a live chicken as an expression of her gratitude!

Next, Pastor Timothy presents the very useful bedside commode, which will make it possible for her to use with assistance. The assistant could no longer help her use the typical squatting-style toilet.

And the best part is how Mike is training Pastor Timothy and others to repair the equipment they’ve distributed!

Blessings flow to Guatemala

This month, we got a nice email from the in-country director of Vine International in Guatemala. Wheels of Hope has partnered with Vine International since our inception in 1997, thanks to the networking of one of our founders, Mark Richard of Hope Haven International. Dennis writes:

“This is one of your chairs going out.  If I remember correctly this is a man made paraplegic after motor vehicle accident.  The chair he has used for years had multiple welds, the seat was a piece of leather riveted in place (for the umpteenth time).

“He and his family are very grateful and blessed.

“Cindy and I feel really blessed in these situations and recognize that we get the benefit of seeing the tears of gratitude and the smiles of joy.

“May our LORD return every blessing to you and your team one hundred fold … of course that will mean more work!”

In Christ,
Dennis & Cindy McCutcheon

Another great story about just the right chair at just the right time just happened in the Vine warehouse. Read Dennis account of a common miracle “Wish you could have been in the warehouse today”

We ask for prayer, not only for those who receive wheelchairs and mobility aids through Vine International, but for the State-side Director of the Vine pipe-line, who is undergoing treatment for cancer at this time. May the Lord bring complete healing to our friend, Woody!

It’s “Christmas” Again in Chaing Mai

March 29, 2012

Good news !!! Yesterday we received the container shipment…. What beautiful equipment !!!! Thanks so much for this !!! Most of all this equipment is brand new !!!

Yesterday we were with about 35 people to unload and albel / check the equipment…. We had a group of about 20 soldiers also helping us to unload. It was quite hard work as we were unloading the container with a temperature of … 42 degrees !!! Today we continue to go through all the boxes… Now we just made the complete inventory and tomorrow will be still a day to go through a couple of boxes… But really… this is a very beautiful load of equipment !!!

Again many thanks.
Many greetings and take care!

Blessings,
Luc and the RICD Wheelchair Project Team

Dr. Samai, Director of the RICD Hospital, unlocks the container

Many hands make light work? The Chaing Mai team of volunteers from Pioneers Missionaries, our in-country Director Luc, Doug and Many hands make light work?Joey Tell and Thai staff of the RICD hospital, including Dr. Samai and members of the Thai military!

The Thai military unloading the container in the hot, hot, hot sun

Wheels of Hope wheelchairs and other mobility equipment awaiting in-county inventory

Wheels of Hope, Thailand Director Luc speaking with RICD Hospital Director Dr. Samai amidst a sea of rollators (see the previous post about reusing rollator parts)

Volunteer Joey Tell inspects a wheelchair for serial number, make and model with an RICD staff member.

Faith to Move Mountians

Last Saturday (March 24) five new friends came to help kick-off our new

Warehouse Volunteer Recycling Project

Join us from 9am – 2pm every Second and Fourth Saturday
April 14 & 28; May 12 & 26;
June 16 & 30; July 14 & 28; August 11 & 25
September 8 & 22 and October 13 & 27

It’s time to move mountains!

Reduce. reuse, recycle: broken rollators are reused and recycled. Wheels of Hope volunteers take apart the broken equipment, sort usable parts for reuse at overseas workshops where the reconditioned rollators are distributed. The broken aluminum pieces are scrap-metal recycled to help support Wheels of Hope operations. Nearby landfills are reduced!

Lynda Rimke taking apart a rollator

Paul Mack taking apart a rollator March 24th

Larry Brainard taking apart a rollator March 24th

Boxes of parts from 6 rollators awaiting shipment to a partnering overseas repair shop

A box of scrap aluminum from the same 6 broken rollators

Cardboard mountains are also recycled!

On March 24th, Wanna, Savanna and Langley from Bethel Temple AG in Canton http://www.cantonbethel.org have faith to move this mountain!

Their new, neat stacks await recycling! Great job, ladies!

Join us next time on Saturday April 14th!

Celebrating a container shipment in Thailand

As promised I send to you in attachment some of the pictures taken during the arrival of the container yesterday. The equipment is really very very good ! We also would like to thank you also for all the spare parts… bearing, wheels, massive tires… It was really like Christmas when we opened all these boxes. Thanks you so much !

About the next container, I will contact tomorrow morning ICC in Bangkok and let you know asap.
Again so many thanks for again this beautiful equipment !
Many greetings and take care !
Blessings,

Luc

The Wheels of Hope team poses with the Thai gov't officials involved in the distribution program in Chaing Mai

Our Thai Director, Luc, opens another wheelchair box from Wheels of Hope

Everyone has a job to do! Next thing is to match the wheelchairs and walking aids with waiting recipients.

Earth Day Meets Good Friday – Redeeming The Time

It’s just a coincidence that Good Friday and Earth Day occurred on the same day this year, but what a wonderful coincidence it is! Earth Day is really about redeeming the planet from the irresponsible ways we have lived upon it since the Industrial Revolution. Good Friday is really about God redeeming mankind from the irresponsible ways we have lived our lives ever since good old Adam and Eve messed up and sent us spiraling out of control from The Garden.

It’s “funny” that some folks look at Jesus as a victim on Good Friday, since he clearly knew what he was getting in to and came to Earth exactly for the purpose that was activated when he was crucified. Of course, Easter makes it all clear that he knew just what he was doing and that God had the power to raise him even from death. Hallelujah!

Wheels of Hope is also about redemption – redeeming the lives of the unfortunate in developing nations by supplying them with wheelchair donations and other mobility aids. Please consider helping us at this very special, very powerful time of the year. We are always looking for volunteers, financial contributions, wheelchair donations, as well as your prayers that God will continue to bless our efforts and this wheelchair ministry.

Happy “Resurrection Day” every day to you from Wheels of Hope!!!

—Daiv

Every day is recycle day!

Troop leader Denise is an inspiration

Everyday is recycle day at the warehouse.

We had Boy Scout Troop #48 down on Saturday March 19th.
They really went to work at removing a mountain, a mountain of cardboard boxes from some of the equipment we receive from Invacare. If someone knows of a cardboard crusher machine we could have it could help Wheels of Hope in the support and recycling responsibilities.

They also started to dismantle the rollators that are damaged beyond repair in our recycling project. We will get them to the scrap yard and this will help our funding.

We are quite blessed to have so many volunteers! Thanks to all of you!

At this time our aluminum and steel scrap are two income sources for us. If we had a cardboard crusher we could gain income from the boxes. River Valley Paper Company will come and get the cardboard for us at no cost. If we were to bail it,  we could get $90 a bail. Giving them the boxes clears out of our space and keeps the landlord happy.

Invacare has provided hundreds of aluminum rollators. Some are repairable and others are for parts. We can combine parts from two, to make a complete usable one. We also receive heavy duty steel rollators that are not needed in the countries we ship to. Thailand and South America have smaller stature folks.

We repair the light weight rollators that can used and part out and scrap the damaged beyond repair ones. We are quite backed up with ones that need repair, our counterpart in Thailand says they have volunteers who can do this. So they will be getting quite a few to repair in the three upcoming shipments.

Two Scouts strip a broken rollator for parts

We can use the wheels, bearings, bolts and other parts on some of our chairs and send other wheels to Hope Haven International Ministries for the chairs they build.

Thanks, Scouts, for a job well done!

— Patrick Rimke

Helpers from the past

Just spent the last few hours talking with two past Board Members of Wheels of Hope. The first visit was about communication and getting the word out and getting people involved. The second was similar, getting the equipment out to those in need. God sure is good!

— Patrick

Thai News!

Hi Patrick and Lynda,

3/18/11 11:23 PM

Luc and I [Johannes] are really looking for funding opportunities for getting containers from Wheels of Hope this year. Luc was talking with a businessman who has helped us with transport in country and he consented to help with the containers. We have been so bold to ask for three containers and he agreed, so we praise the Lord.

Now we have not asked you if it would be possible for three containers to be sent from Wheels of Hope? We have been thinking of a time line of 1. Container be sent in April 2. Container in August and 3. Container in Oktober.

At the moment we do not have any standard wheelchairs left and a waiting list of 1600 applications! We would appreciate if we could discuss this time line with you as we will have to send in the request letter with the time line to our esteemed donor.

Blessings,
Luc Masschelein and Johannes Janzen
Wheels of Hope and Pioneers of Hope in Thailand