DaimlerChrysler Helps Transport Wheelchairs to Increase Mobility in Other Countries

Auburn Hills, Mich. -- What happens to a wheelchair once a person has outgrown it? Normally, due to insurance liabilities, it would sit in the garage never to be used again. DaimlerChrysler Corporation and Wheels for the World, a non-profit organization that provides wheelchairs for people around the world, are changing that by collecting and transporting pre-owned wheelchairs to countries where wheelchairs can be used again -- giving new owners a chance at mobility.

DaimlerChrysler's transportation department will provide a semi-truck trailer and driver to deliver the wheelchairs, which are picked up from the metro Detroit area, to Nashville, Tennessee, for refurbishing. After that, the wheelchairs will be delivered to Romania, Poland and Ghana -- places where an old wheelchair can grant a fresh and mobile view of the world.

"As a transportation company, DaimlerChrysler realizes the importance of mobility and the freedom to move as one pleases," said Bill Lamott DaimlerChrysler Transportation Manager. "Working along with Wheels for the World has given DaimlerChrysler the opportunity to help those in need of the mobility a wheelchair can provide, which is often the only form of transportation available.

Livingston, Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties will all participate in the wheelchair drive. The drive is expected to collect between 500 and 800 chairs. "This drive is an amazing answer to many prayers," said Dorothy Pitsch, metro Detroit chairwoman. "We expect to obtain several wheelchairs, but transporting them is a big part of the process. DaimlerChrysler has stepped to the plate and agreed to help our mission. The word is spreading and everyone wants to help."

This is the first multi-city drive. The average large-city drive collects about 200 chairs, said Pitsch.

Wheels for the World has placed 6,000 people in wheelchairs since its inception in 992. Wheels for the World was founded by Joni Eareckson Tada who lost the use of her arms and legs in a diving accident.