Wheelchair Challenge

Have you ever prayed to be disabled?

Of course, you have not. In fact, when somebody is hurt or faces an illness the prayers are for recovery.

When I was blinded, a personnel officer in the Air Force stated to me that everyone has problems! How true. How dismissive.

I can most certainly tell you that I prayed. I prayed to be able to see my children’s faces again. I prayed to be able to find a very talented doctor who could restore my sight.My disability was a life-altering disability, not a life-threatening disability.Another challenge is a disability of immobility.

How about a challenge — every knight donates $15 a month to buy a wheelchair for your community? Here is my challenge, each month you or your family create a game and put money in a jar. Your kids can help, or if your single take your change or $4.75 a week and put it in a wheelchair fund jar.

Wheelchairs cost from the American wheelchair Mission, $150. At the end of the year, or if you put in $15 a month at the end of 10 months you will be able to purchase a wheelchair.

The Texas Knights of Columbus and the order are both working with the American Wheelchair Mission. Chris Lewis, the son of Jerry Lewis, is very active and a leader of this project. Chris is also a fellow knight. Not only does the Texas State Council have a wheelchair director, but Chris Lewis also has a program where he may personally come to your church and present a moving presentation of how the wheelchairs change lives. Thus your parish can be involved in the wheelchairs

If every knight in Texas could donate $150 for a wheelchair for a person in need and then direct the wheelchair be put in your community, you would be helping a person with a disability. My idea is to involve your family and make it a fun game that ultimately provides charity, unity, and fraternity not only among your family but benefits a disabled person in need.

Deliver process — 2 options:

Buy a container and your council may direct location of delivery —

How do you get a wheelchair — If a Council or a Diocese wants to have wheelchairs available for the local community they have to purchase a container.The container will be shipped to an individual who will be responsible for the storage and disbursement.A small container of 110 chairs is $18,700 and a large container with 280 chairs is $42,000.

Buy less than a container —

If your council or Diocese does not buy a container — $150 is used to provide a chair to someone by The American Wheelchair Mission.

• To be able to direct where the wheelchairs will go the council or diocese must purchase a container.

Texas State Council’s point of contact is Bill Weber at yankeesweb@tx.rr.com, who can also help you with wheelchair presentations at your parish, council, or hall.

Donation Options

• Councils and/or Diocese have fundraisers and collect the money.Then donate the money as a part of the council’s charity;
• To donate individually, you can go to this site and put your name and council as the donor:

https://www.tkofc.org/fundraising/project/american-wheelchair-mission

Ultrasounds too:

Additionally, the same concept could be used to purchase ultrasound’s to protect our unborn — the most defenseless. If we all did this 109,000+ Knights of Columbus in the State of Texas this would generate approximately $19,620,000 in purchase over 785 ultrasound machines! The order now has a preferred seller for ultrasounds and the price is dropping. Think of the future boys and girls who live — our future.