Necessity is the mother of invention. True, and inventions like the wheelchair can be called a blessing in disguise for those with serious ailments in the leg. And what you are to read below is a two-week long story which literally changed someone’s life over!

Quizzing and Quizzers are highly significant in the contemporary context. However, it had a humble beginning - humble, in its true sense!

In the year 1997, a mechanical engineer in California, Don Schoendorfer decided to spend a two-week vacation in Morocco with his wife Laurie. What he saw on the road was clearly a heart —rending sight— a crippled woman was struggling to crawl herself along a dirty road. It was an unusual sight in America, where a human dragging himself over the rugged rocks just because they cannot afford a wheelchair is absolutely an unknown phenomenon. The poignant sight of the stark reality was something which Schoendorfer could not turn a blind eye to. It disturbed him so much so that he pledged that he would strive to ease the suffering of such people as best as he could.

Being a biomedical engineer who designed disposable medical products, Schoendorfer decided that he would, someday, embark on making an inexpensive wheelchair for the deprived. But his hectic routine gave him less or no time to spare. He started working in his garage for three hours a day, before commencing his routine chores. He was driven by the zeal to do something substantial for his fellow humans, something that would help them in their basic needs and bring a smile on their dry lips. Having 50 U.S patents to his credit, Schoendorfer decided to pursue his ambition of designing a wheelchair.

Two years passed by and soon, it was 1999. Using a plastic lawn chair and bicycle wheels - the mechanisms which were already in mass production, Schoendorfer initiated his work on the lofty ambition. He did not hit the baton at the first stroke; it took a few months and more failures before he came up with a simple frame design and lo, it worked!!

That year saw the production of 100 wheelchairs in the garage. As ill luck would have it, the company he worked for went bankrupt at that point. Laurie Schoendorfer went back to work so that her husband could give shape to his dream. Schoendorfer formed a board of directors and the Free Wheelchair Mission began operating as a full-fledged organisation with a tax-exempt status.

The challenge was now to succeed and pass the trial. The first big test in February 2001 saw them emerging successfully as a winner and a core competent. Schoendorfer took four wheelchairs on a short-term medical visit to India; initially the effort faced many apprehensions. The missionaries doubted their utility, but it was only until those who received the wheelchairs asserted their worth. Since then, the Free Wheelchair Mission has provided wheelchairs to 87,000 disabled people around the globe, which, needless to say, is a whopping number. The mission now aims to provide a minimum of 20 million wheelchairs to the needy by the year 2010, which is no mean task, but the mission is confident of striving to reach their goal of excellence towards commitment.

The Free Wheelchair Mission works today with various non-profit organizations. When it calls for service, has Rotary been far behind? With the help of many non-profit organisations including our own Rotary, the mission endeavours to provide the transforming gift of mobility to the deserving. Rotarians from District 5240, Central California believe in the realisation of their ideals, which is sure to spread hope among a cross-section of the society. The project titled ‘Mobility Matters 5240’ has been responsible for shipping several containers to the needy all over the world.

Rotary Clubs in District 3210 have received over 1500 chairs under this programme. During the recent Tsunami, the Clubs in 5340 California and Calgary Canada shipped 550 wheelchairs free of cost, to help the displaced, devastated and disabled people in Sri Lanka. Rotary District 3210 strives to continue their good work. Serving the needy does take much more than an a ching heart at the sight of the bereaved. This is where such like-minded people step in to do their share towards betterment of lives. Well, hands that help are certainly holier than lips that pray.

Parvathy Ramachandran