Worn-out wheelchairs get new life, use in Africa

It takes a generous Palm Beach County resident, a storage company manager, a truck driver, a prisoner, a pilot, an athlete and a physical therapist, among others, to give mobility to a needy person in Ghana, West Africa.

Wheels for the World, an organization that distributes free wheelchairs and other medical equipment to people in 41 countries, organizes the collective effort. Since its first distribution in 1994, the group has distributed more than 12,000 items.

About 85 wheelchairs and 200 walkers were loaded onto an 18-wheeler from company-donated space in the Shurgard Storage Facility on Military Trail at the beginning of August. Every Florida Shurgard facility is a drop-off center for used equipment.

A freight company donated the truck and a driver's time.

"After West Palm, they stopped in Melbourne, Kissimmee and Tampa," said Wendy Nordine, Wheels for the World regional coordinator. "And by the time they got to Atlanta, they had more than 600 wheelchairs, walkers, canes and crutches."

The truck then made its way to the restoration center, better known as Metro Davidson Correctional Facility in Nashville, one of four prison facilities in the country involved in the program.

Inmates will refurbish the chairs that began their journey in West Palm Beach. They will dismantle the chairs, clean them, and put them back together.

"They make the wheelchairs new," said Cheri Van Houten, Wheels for the World department supervisor.

Testimonials suggest that fixing the chairs also helps renew prisoners, Van Houten said.

"They learn mechanical skills and they feel like they are giving back to society," she said. "When they see pictures of the recipients, they get a sense of pride."

On March 10, the equipment will be loaded on to a plane headed to Ghana. A team of people also make their way to the West African nation. Wheelchair mechanics help fit the chairs to each individual's needs. Physical and occupational therapists teach recipients how to use the chairs and help to make their homes accessible.

Finally, a wheelchair athlete, such as eight-time Boston Marathon winner Jean Driscoll, introduces the new owners to a better way of living.