A Man Makes a Difference: The Free Wheelchair Mission

posted on Jul 16 by Amelia in the Advocacy, Disability News, Opinion and Discussion, Wheelchair Accessibility category

Engineer Don Schoendorfer took a trip to Morocco and saw a beggar who had lost the use of her legs drag herself across the road while everyone around ignored her. The image stuck with him.

Several years later he moved his family from Boston to Orange County “which is where you go when you want to make a lot of money,” he said.

He believed in God, but religion was not a part of his daily life. After struggling with his oldest daughter’s bulimia for 3 years, the family returned to their religious faith.

In 1997, Schoendorfer sat through a sermon at his church that forever changed him. The sermon was based on a biblical parable about a rich man who spends his life building bigger grain silos but dies before he can enjoy the wealth he has stored.

He began tinkering away in his garage with plastic lawn chairs and bicycle wheels. His wife, although supportive, soon tired of his creations cluttering the home. His peers thought he had gone off the deep end.

A year later, Don now runs the Free Wheelchair Mission, a faith-based nonprofit that has given away nearly 500,000 wheelchairs in 77 developing nations. The organization has grown from a volunteer effort to a nonprofit with a staff of 18 and a $6.5-million budget.

Schoendorfer says he has relaxed and learned to trust in God.

“I used to live by goals, I used to live by plans, and very elaborate goals and backup plans,” he said. “Now I feel like I’m more reacting and keeping an open mind and keeping a strong faith.”

To learn more about the Free Wheelchair Mission, visit their website at http://www.freewheelchairmission.org