Philadelphia (October 2001)— Occupational Therapists Julia Santini and Kelly Somma are spearheading a drive by Magee Rehabilitation Hospital’s therapy team to collect wheelchairs that are no longer being used or needed. The Wheels for the World collection will take place on Saturday, November 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the open parking lot area of Gateway parking, 16th and Vine Streets in center city Philadelphia. Santini and Somma will be on hand along with other Magee volunteers to accept donated chairs.

A truck will pick up the donated chairs at Gateway Parking, and place them in storage until they are delivered to area prisons where inmates will repair and refurbish the chairs prior to shipment to Third World countries such as Ghana and Romania. Adult and pediatric wheelchairs will be accepted. Wheelchairs that are broken will also be accepted.

Wheels for the World has distributed over 8,000 wheelchairs to over 40 countries. The wheelchairs are taken overseas by teams of physical and occupational therapists, as well as others, who personally fit each chair for the client’s needs. Wheels for the World is a subdivision of “Joni and Friends,” a Christian non-profit organization that was founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, a disabled woman from California. The organization is designed to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people with disabilities in practical ways.

Persons donating chairs will be able to take a gift-in-kind tax deduction. For more information, please call Julia Santini at (215) 587-3062, or Kelly Somma at (215) 587-3116.