Wheels for the World
By Brandon Astor Jones
"Next, I want to go to town" — Liu Qiaoling
Do you ever get tired of reading, seeing and hearing about bad news? If your answer to that question is yes, please read on. In the hope of doing what I can to contribute positively to the energy of change, I request that you take a moment to consciously try to absorb some good news. Then, if your good news carries with it a name and address, please send it to me so that I can share it in this space with other readers.
I would like to thank Kieran Bahn, of Santa Cruz, California. Kieran sent me an undated Life magazine article entitled "Wheels of Fortune", by Vanessa Bush. Kieran informs me that she reads Green Left Weekly's "Looking Out" column each week via the internet. Thank you, Kieran.
The article reports on prisoners at the Buena Vista Correctional Facility in Colorado who are spending as many as six hours a day refurbishing wheelchairs.
Liu Qiaoling, the little girl whose words speak to us above, has been house-bound in China all her life. After receiving one of the refurbished wheelchairs, she wants to expand her horizons. She wants to "go to town". Good news!
With wheelchairs costing upwards of $2000, everyone cannot afford one. Liu's mother and father earn $36 a month as peanut farmers. No-one in their village had ever seen, let alone been able to afford, a wheelchair.
Denny Thompson, 26, is serving an 18-year sentence for aggravated robbery. He could be earning $40 a month working in the prison's trout hatchery, but to his credit he chose to work for $12 a month in the wheelchair program. His compassion is touching people, in a positive way, all over the world.
Once again life gives us an opportunity to realise that no matter who or where you are, you can find a way to help people in need. Contrary to popular belief, it also proves that prisoners are human beings, with gifts worth sharing with society. It is refreshing to see that fact of life reported for a change. Thank you, Vanessa, and thank you too, Denny.
Jeffrey Aaronson's photographs show prisoners busy "soaking casters, cleaning upholstery ... disinfecting and polishing the frames of used wheelchairs collected from hospitals, nursing homes [and] rehabilitation centers". Thank you, Jeffrey.
It is worth repeating that no matter who or where you are, you can help others — if you really want to and if (equally important) you are given the chance. There is a lot of rehabilitation going on in this good news, which goes far beyond those wheelchairs.
My special thanks to Joni Eareckson Tada. Joni is a quadriplegic and founder of Wheels for the World. Since 1994, she has been instrumental in the giving away of more than 6000 wheelchairs to needy people throughout the world. Thank you, Joni.
Wheels for the World is supported by JAF Ministries. They are good organisations and could really use your help and support. If you would like to know more about how to organise a wheelchair drive in your area or if you would like to send a donation, please write to Wheels for the World, PO Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA. Phone (818) 707 5664 or e-mail <wftw@jafministries.com>.
[The writer is a prisoner on death row in the United States. He welcomes letters commenting on his columns (include your name and full return address on the envelope, or prison authorities may refuse to deliver it). He can be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, EF-122216, G3-77, Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison, PO Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233, USA.]