Rotary medical bank accepts donation of wheelchairs

Great things can happen in the community when nonprofit organizations work together.

Three groups have partnered to bring a truckload of wheelchairs to West Orange County residents who find themselves needing to rent the medical equipment on a short-term basis.

On Monday, Nov. 9, representatives from Chair the Love, based in Longwood delivered 15 new wheelchairs to the Rotary Medical Equipment Bank, which is an ongoing project of the Rotary Club of Winter Garden.

The equipment bank is operated through the office of Lift Disability Network, on Story Road in Winter Garden. It stores dozens of wheelchairs, knee scooters, shower chairs, portable toilets and more, all of which can be borrowed free of charge by anyone in the community.

Jim Hukill, president of Lift Disability, said it was suggested that he get in touch with Chair the Love to see if the organization could donate a few wheelchairs. It agreed to donate 15.

The charity currently is working to get a new wheelchair in every school in Central Florida. A total of 85 chairs recently were donated to Seminole County schools, and Jason Debono, president of Chair the Love, said Orange and Volusia counties are next.

Chair the Love has donated 3,500 wheelchairs locally and around the globe in three years.

“What I like about it is they’re a charitable arm of a for-profit company and they are a nonprofit within their own right; and then the Rotary Club is a nonprofit and then everything kind of runs out of the Lift office so it’s a three-way nonprofit,” Hukill said.

The equipment bank has helped families who have a relative traveling from out of town who needs a medical device, as well as senior citizens who occasionally need a walker or cane due to a fall.

“This eliminates the hassle of getting additional orders from the doctor, long ‘waiting periods’ and reduces the risk of additional falls because of not having the items needed accessible,” Rotary’s website states.

Hukill understands the importance of mobility. He was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease when he was 20 months old, and he has been in a wheelchair since he was 6.