April 2003

Greetings from the Free Wheelchair Mission,

This is a time of uncertainty for our country. We pray for wisdom and courage for our leaders, our troops, and their families.

Times are tough for charities, and finding funding is challenging. Yet we press on, and our optimism for 2003 plans and our ambitious goal remains strong. Our plan is to raise one million dollars this year. We rely on your financial support and your prayers so that we can provide 25,000 wheelchairs by December, and change 25,000 lives - forever.

Here are some highlights of our current position:

• The Fiji container arrived, and we visited Fiji for the start of the distribution. The Sai Service Organization in Suva assembled the first 100 wheelchairs, and arranged a press conference. We got to announce the distribution plans on national FIJI TV. The government put application forms in all their post offices. People wanting wheelchairs would flag down our truck on the road. We would drop one wheelchair off and find people waiting at our truck to tell us of family members in the neighborhood that also needed wheelchairs. Though they thought it would take six months to distribute the 550 wheelchairs, the last report is that the wheelchairs will be gone by the end of April.
• During the press conference three families came to receive wheelchairs. One family was composed of David and his younger brother Joseph. David is 42 years old, physically disabled but mentally sharp. He was very happy to get his first wheelchair. But the curious thing was how Joseph reacted. He was unbelievably happy and thankful, and often in tears. I later learned why. As David grew older he became too big for his parents to carry him. They forced Joseph to drop out of school when he was fourteen years old, and he has carried brother David ever since, now for over 20 years. He carried David to this press conference, and he was able to wheel him home.
• We received a donation for $100,000! That is 10% of our donation plan for 2003! That was a huge day for the Free Wheelchair Mission.
• This past week we ordered three containers. One is going to Father Winner in Chennai, India and one is going to Reverend Tang in Zhengzhou, China. The third is going to Threshold Ministries in Linjiang City, Jilin Province in China. Threshold Ministries is only 150 yards form the North Korean
  border. Jilin Province is one of China's poorest areas, and the need for
  wheelchairs is beyond imagination.
• We now have wheelchairs in 24 countries.
• Rotary District 5240 submitted matching grant applications to Rotary International for four containers (India, Bangladesh, Peru and the United Arab Emirates).
• All wheelchairs from now on include brakes, a four position adjustable footrest, and an adjustable harness for children and for patients needing upper body support.
• Our "All Occasion" gift card is available through our website. These cards feature paintings by Indra in Chennai, our distinguished artist. You may use these cards to donate a wheelchair in someone's name, and then send the card to that someone. The card explains our mission and your donation. We use the money from the card to provide a wheelchair.
• With great confidence and great faith, we restate our goal - WE WILL PROVIDE 20 MILLION WHEELCHAIRS TO THE POOR THIS DECADE.
• I received over 100 hand-written personal testimonies from people who received wheelchairs last December in Zhengzhou, China. Here is one: Letter # 57 My name is Hao Chong Lan. I am 42 years old. 15 years ago I broke my legs and my back when I was working at a restaurant. This has brought many difficulties in my life; my husband left me and I had to send my young daughter to be cared for by another family. My broken legs and broken back not only made me lose my job but also my family. I almost lost the desire to live. I can only live off of the government subsidies to sustain the most basic living and rely on two wooden crutches to take me around. The difficulties in living have caused me to consider killing myself many times. I am thankful to those who have given me food, daily necessities and even more so to you who has brought us this good news. You have completely changed my life and let me taste a brand new world.

OUR NEXT WHEELCHAIR TARGETS

Our next targets for full containers are Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As I mentioned in our last email
newsletter, in 2003 we have to change our cost for the wheelchair. During 2002 our average total cost for placing a wheelchair in a developing country was $41.17. We will use this as our standard cost for 2003.

Your gifts and prayers are needed now. Help us maintain our growth, and our commitment to provide mobility to the poorest of the poor. Please invite your family and friends to join you in praying and giving toward a container for any of these target countries.

- $41.17 places 1 wheelchair
- $411.70 places 10 wheelchairs
- $4,117.00 places 100 wheelchairs
- $22,643.50 places 550 wheelchairs - a complete container

Free Wheelchair Mission has IRS tax-exempt status.

Thank you in advance for whatever you can give.

God bless,

Don Schoendorfer
President - Free Wheelchair Mission
1842 Whitestone Terrace
Santa Ana, CA 92705
www.freewheelchairmission.org

PS I attached a photo from Fiji. Natasha was so happy on her first ride with her father that she clapped and laughed the whole way.