Charles River School

The fourth-grade class at Charles River School in Dover is putting forth all their efforts to raise funds for the Free Wheelchair Mission, a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 that provides the transforming gift of mobility to the physically disabled poor in developing countries. Part of the fourth-grade curriculum is to teach about those who are "differently abled." When the children learned that there are more than 100 million disabled adults and children for whom the dream of a wheelchair is worlds beyond their expectations, they wanted to help. The goal of the Free Wheelchair Mission is to have 20 million chairs donated and shipped by 2010. To date, there have been 114,930 wheelchairs distributed.

The CRS fourth-graders have certainly worked hard to support this cause. They have organized several events to help raise money for the Free Wheelchair Mission, including having a bake sale; opening a lemonade stand on the weekends; creating posters and holding three presentations to various groups of parents and students at CRS. To date, the students have raised enough money to provide more than 80 wheelchairs to deserving recipients around the world and they are eager to do more.

"Imagine a life where you can't provide for yourself or your family," said Jillian Deveaux of Hopkinton. "But we are helping to change this." A parent said, "When my son learned about the Free Wheelchair Mission, he felt so strongly that he has been saving his own money to buy a wheelchair." Many students have even spread the word to local churches and neighbors. "For just $44.40 [the cost to manufacture and distribute a single wheelchair] we can give the gift of mobility," added Piper Taylor of Holliston. "Would you like to donate?"

For more information, contact Paul Mountcastle, assistant director of development and communications, at 508-785-8268.