How do you get 32 wheelchairs to Africa? Ask Justin La, a Gunn High School junior who started a nonprofit called Rolling Wheels in Kenya. Inspired by a heartbreaking news story about paralyzed children in Africa languishing in hospital beds for lack of wheelchairs, Justin and his family decided to do something about it. Approximately 10% of Kenya’s population has a disability. Due to high costs and lack of resources, it’s estimated that about 130,000 Kenyans need a wheelchair but can’t afford one. But while the problem is vast, Justin and his family knew they could make a difference. As Justin says on the Rolling Wheels website, “I know what I can do is extremely limited; however, I want to make whatever small contribution I can…” Raising funds for wheelchairs is a family effort The La family established a goal of $5,000, set up a website and began the hard work of fundraising. Justin and his sister went door to door in their Palo Alto neighborhood selling wristbands for $5, toting along a laptop to show people that their cause was legitimate.
While the siblings worked hard, they soon faced the reality that it takes a lot of wristbands to buy a wheelchair. That’s when they turned to friends and family, who stepped up to help meet the target. Connecting with a hospital in Africa With funds in hand, Justin’s family began contacting hospitals in Africa that serve disabled children. Drawing on introductions through their church, they connected with AIC Kijabe Hospital, located about an hour from Nairobi. In desperate need of equipment for its disabled children, the hospital was thrilled at the La’s donation. After purchasing the wheelchairs and shipping them to Kenya, Justin and his family flew to Nairobi and traveled to AIC Kijabe Hospital to hand them out in person. And this unforgettable experience was just the beginning.Helping disabled kids in Uganda Now the La family is focused on helping disabled children in another African country- Uganda. Justin and his Mom, Seung La, traveled to Uganda this summer to visit local hospitals and rehab centers that serve disabled children (see their photos here).
It was an eye-opening and depressing experience. “As we traveled around, we saw how kids with disabilities are abused and hit, even by their own parents,” Justin said. “Families with disabled children are isolated from the social life in the villages and the children are punished for making their parents’ lives so difficult.” A ‘Magical Bridge’ in Africa? Determined to find a way for disabled children in Uganda to be more integrated into social life, Justin and his mom returned to Palo Alto with the vision of building a playground that could accommodate the social and physical needs of all children. If that sounds a lot like Palo Alto’s own Magical Bridge playground, it’s more than a coincidence. In fact, Justin was one of the Magical Bridge interns this summer. “My mom works with special needs children, so I’ve grown up with an awareness of their issues and concerns,” Justin said. “I visited the Magical Bridge playground several times and decided to apply for the internship this past summer.”
He explains further on the Rolling Wheels website, saying: Building community for children of all abilities The Magical Bridge internship dovetailed perfectly with Justin’s trip to Uganda and his emerging vision to build a playground in Africa that could serve all kids. “In Uganda, families with disabled children feel shame and rejection from the community,” he said. “We hope a playground could change that by bringing people of all abilities together.” How to get involved with Rolling Wheels all photos by Justin La and family Citroen (5)Fiat (3)Peugeot (6)Renault (5)Vauxhall (3)Volkswagen (1) Welcome to McElmeel Mobility Services McElmeel Mobility Services was established in 1950 and is the UK and Ireland's original adaptor and converter of vehicles for disabled drivers and passengers. As a Motability Premier Partner with 66 years experience in business, we offer a complete range of products and vehicles to suit all requirements. McElmeel Mobility Services are NSAI approved and hold memberships with WAVCA, RMI and STATUS as well as holding ISO 9001.
Recent achievements include being the first WAV convertor in Europe to hold a place on Ford's new QVM scheme and our reciept of the "Excellence in Customer Care" award from the NI Chamber.As a company on the forefront of developing products and standards to support disabled drivers and passengers, McElmeel Mobility Services have a proud history of innovation and market leading customer satisfaction. Our business has grown from servicing specialised vehicles and offering adaptations on private cars almost three quarters of a century ago to now offering a full range of adaptations and conversions on vehicles for disabled drivers and passengers. From our base in County Armagh, we are fully certified to convert a wide range of vehicles and are presently the only company in Ireland or the UK to achieve Full European Type Approval on both the Ford Connect and Ford Custom. Our Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles include Ford, Vauxhall, Citroen, Mercedes,Volkswagen and Peugeot and our commercial models range from a 4 seat Taxi right up to an 18 seat accessible Minibus.At McElmeel Mobility Services we are passionate about our customers and strive to continually give the best support we can to those who need it.
With the personal touch you would expect from a family run business and the wealth of experience gained from almost seven decades in business, it is our mission to give our customers the perfect blend of 5 STAR customer service and excellent value.If you are thinking of getting a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV), either on the Motability Scheme or buying privately, McElmeel Mobility Services is your one-stop-shop. Whether through welcoming you to our premises in Armagh or visiting you at your home, we can carry out a stress-free assesment of your needs and help you to understand which options are available to you. We offer expert, impartial advice on your best option of conversion or adaptation, new or used, and can either match you with a vehicle from our extensive and ever-changing stock or source you a WAV from our network of suppliers. We offer demonstrations and test drives to ensure you are 100% happy with your new vehicle. Call McElmeel Mobility Services today. Mon-Thurs: 09.00 - 17.30 Friday: 09.00 - 16.30 Saturday: 9.30 - 12.30